In late 1814, the British prepared to attack New Orleans. From there, they hoped to sail up the Mississippi. However, Andrew Jackson was waiting. Jackson had turned his frontier fighters into a strong army. He took Pensacola in Spanish Florida to keep the British from using it as a base. He then marched through Mobile and set up camp in New Orleans.
Jackson’s force included thousands of frontiersmen and Choctaws. The Choctaws were longtime rivals of the Indian nations who had been allied with the British. Many of Jackson’s troops were expert riflemen. Citizens of New Orleans also joined the army to defend their city from the British. Among the volunteers were hundreds of African Americans.
The American soldiers dug trenches to defend themselves. On January 8, 1815, the British attacked. Again and again, British soldiers marched toward the American trenches. More than 2,000 British fell under the deadly fire of American sharpshooters and, especially, American cannons. Only seven Americans died.
Americans cheered the victory at the Battle of New Orleans. Overnight, Andrew Jackson became a national hero. His fame did not dim even when Americans learned that the battle had taken place two weeks after the war had ended. The United States and Britain had already signed a treaty in Europe, but news took two months to cross the ocean by sail and had not yet reached the United States.
Who was the hero of the Battle of New Orleans? What kinds of people fought in his army?
General _______________ ________________. His army was made of these kinds of people:
Choctaws
_________ ______________
Citizens of ______ _________________
African ___________
Frontiersmen ___________.