History That Doesn't Suck - 26: Peace in Ghent, War in New Orleans

Episode Date: October 15, 2018

“I could have walked on the dead bodies of the British for one-quarter of a mile without stepping on the ground.” This is the story of peace and war; of self-destruction and political birth. American and British negotiators are hashing out a peace treaty in Ghent, Belgium. The War of 1812 is over! But funny things can happen when word of the treaty’s signing hasn’t made it back to the US. Some out-of-power Federalists are going to make a few ill-timed demands in Washington, D.C., inadvertently killing their own party. Meanwhile, American and British troops are still fighting in New Orleans. The Treaty of Ghent might exist now, but they don’t know about it, and it isn’t ratified, so the Battle of New Orleans rages. It’s violent. Bloody. Deadly. And unnecessary. But the British fight against a motley mix of Free Black, French-, Spanish-, and Anglo-Americans--as well as pirates!--a new and unlikely political star is born. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the future 7th President of the United States: General Andrew Jackson. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the creators of the popular science show with millions of YouTube subscribers comes the MinuteEarth podcast. Every episode of the show dives deep into a science question you might not even know you had, but once you hear the answer, you'll want to share it with everyone you know. Why do rivers curve? Why did the T-Rex have such tiny arms? And why do so many more kids need glasses now than they used to? Spoiler alert, it isn't screen time. Our team of scientists digs into the research and breaks it down into a short, entertaining explanation, jam-packed with science facts and terrible puns. Subscribe to MinuteEarth wherever you like to listen.

What did it take to survive an ancient siege? Why was the cult of Dionysus behind so many slave revolts in ancient Rome? What's the tragic history and mythology behind Japan's most haunted ancient forest? We're Jen and Jenny from Ancient History Fangirl. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and as in the classroom, my goal here is to make rigorously researched history come to life as your storyteller. Each episode is the result of laborious research with no agenda other than making the past come to life as you learn. If you'd like to help support this work, receive ad-free episodes, bonus content, and other exclusive perks, I invite you to join the HTDS membership program. Sign up for a

seven-day free trial today at htdspodcast.com slash membership, or click the link in the episode notes. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story. It's the morning of September 4th, 1813. Benton brothers Tom and Jesse are standing outside the Nashville, Tennessee's City Hotel. I'll bet they're a bit on edge. See, they know that in this small town, there's a good chance of running into the tall, lanky, rough and tumbled General Andrew Jackson. And he's bowed to horsewhip Tom. Okay, real quickly, let me explain the situation. Tom used to be close to Andrew. He was the

general's aide-de-camp. But when his brother, Jesse, dueled with Captain William Carroll, Andrew served as William's second. In other words, General Jackson served as second against Tom's brother. Both men lived. William lost a bit of his thumb while Jesse's cowering position got his butt grazed. But after the duel, an angry Tom started talking smack about Andrew. Now, the general tried to explain his side of things to his once loyal protege, but Tom would have none of it. Instead, he asserted that Andrew managed the duel in a quote, savage and base manner, close quote.

Worse still, Tom started making such claims while traveling across Tennessee. This is when Andrew's patience ran out and he vowed he'd horsewhip Tom the next time their paths crossed. And in case you're lacking in equestrian lingo, let me clarify. Next time Andrew sees Tom,

Andrew's going to beat the crap out of him with the whip he uses while riding a horse So now that you appreciate the situation, let's get back to the story It's now 9am The Benton brothers are still standing in front of their hotel when who should walk by but Generals John Coffey and Andrew Jackson And as luck or planning would have it, Andrew's carrying his riding whip. As the generals draw close to the brothers, Andrew extends his arm, whip in hand, and hollers to his trash-talking ex-aid to Camp Tom. Now you damned rascal, I am going to punish you. Defend yourself.

Tom reaches for his pistol, So Andrew does likewise and is quicker on the draw. The general keeps his pistol aimed right at Tom's chest as the young officer backs away. The two continue like this all the way to the back of the hotel. And as Andrew comes within eight to 10 feet of Tom, Tom's brother, Jesse, shoots Andrew from behind he hits him in the left arm complete mayhem follows according to Tom quote four other pistols were fired in quick succession close quote as blood pours profusely out of him Andrew gets one shot off at Tom. Misses. Packing serious black powder heat, Tom now gets two shots off at the already gravely injured Andrew. He also misses. Now, John Coffey had stayed out in front of the hotel, but came running when he heard the first shot. He's now caught up

with the whole gang on the backside of the hotel, and upon seeing his friend and general, Andrew, laying in a pool of his own blood, John angrily takes a shot at Tom. He misses too. Seriously, I know they're firing black powder pistols, but really, for being professional soldiers, officers in fact, these guys suck with firearms. Not to be discouraged, John now flies at Tom, intending to beat him upside the head with his discharged pistol. Tom recoils backwards, and in doing so, he doesn't see the stairs behind him and spills down them. Now less concerned about the tumbling Tom, John doubles back to check on his blood-soaked friend, Andrew.

But this fight ain't over. Andrew's nephew by marriage, Stokely Hayes, was over at the Nashville Inn when this all started. Now the inn is no more than a mere hundred yards away. So he, just like John Coffey, heard the pistol's discharge and came running. Upon arriving, Stokely unsheathes his sword cane and makes for the man who shot his uncle, Jesse. Luckily for this Benton brother, Stokely thrusts, misses, and shatters his sword. No matter, Andrew's well-armed nephew now pulls a dagger, that is, a dirt knife, and continues his attack. Winding up on top of Jesse, Stokely plunges his blade down at the man, but Jesse manages, just barely, to partly deflect the blow. The dagger misses his chest, but cuts and slices

his arm. They continue to struggle. Tom later describes his brother as, quote, laying on his back, parrying the thrust with his naked hands, Close quote. Then finally, the large and physically powerful Stokely securely pins his opponent with one hand, raises his dagger, and is ready to sink it into Jesse's chest. But then, bystanders intervene. All four of the healthy men,

John Coffey, Stokely Hayes, and both Benton brothers, are held back to prevent them from killing each other. Thanks to these good Samaritan citizens, the fights come to an end. As the dust settles, Andrew is taken down the road to the Nashville Inn. He continues to bleed heavily and nearly passes out. Several doctors advise amputating the bloody dependage. I'll keep my arm, the nearly lifeless general insists.

His blood soaks through two mattresses before the bleeding stops. But damn right he'll keep it. He'll keep the ball that's still lodged in it too. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the future seventh president of these United States, Andrew Jackson. And we're going to get to know him quite well today. He's going to make a name for himself at the Battle of New Orleans. But before we go there, we have some other big ticket items to take care of. First, we need to head to Ghent, Belgium, where American and British negotiators are finally hashing out a treaty to end this war. Once that's done, we'll sail over

to New England to witness the final self-destruction of the Federalist Party. No joke. After that, we can then catch up with Andrew Jackson once again. And given the impact this future president will have on the United States, we definitely need to bond with him. So I'll take you from his backwoods Carolinian origins up to the Battle of New Orleans, where we'll see how Andrew does in this final major battle of the War of 1812. Ready? All right then, let's do this. We're now in Western Europe, Ghent, Belgium to be exact, on August 8th, 1814. Three inexperienced British envoys wait patiently for their American counterparts to arrive at Hôtel des Pays-Bas.

These are the five American negotiators I briefly mentioned in the last episode, as you probably don't recall. Seriously, it was a sentence. So let's meet them now. They are John Quincy Adams, James A. Bayard, Henry Clay, Jonathan Russell, and Albert Galatin. Well, after a location change and a few other delays, all of the British and American negotiators are finally here in Belgium, hoping to work out a peace treaty to end the conflict between Britain and the United States. You might have recognized a few names I just dropped. See,

President Little Jimmy Madison has sent some power players to end this war. The brilliant Swiss immigrant Albert Galatin has served his adopted country as the Secretary of the Treasury and is now bringing his European sensibilities, fiscal sagacity, political savvy, and wit to this negotiation. The effervescent and ambitious Henry Clay left his spot as Speaker of the House to get favorable terms for his country and a little glory for himself. Then we have Jonathan Russell and James Baird, both of whom you don't really know and frankly don't need to, but their differing political ideologies give the group balance. And to round out this team, we have that dark-haired

son of a president, John Quincy Adams. John Quincy has a lot in common with his president pops, John Adams. He's brilliant, principled, a little thin-skinned, and more than a little rotund. And since he is the head of this commission and will be the sixth U.S. president, let's get to know him. You remember his parents, John and Abigail, from several past episodes, like 3, 14, and 18. But John Quincy is a capable diplomat in his own right. At 12, he's accompanied his dad to France, where the elder Adams went to Paris to represent American interests during the revolution. After living in Europe for five years, the dark-haired young man came home and studied law at Harvard. Since then, he served as a minister to the

Netherlands and Prussia and as a senator from Massachusetts. The seasoned diplomat has spent the last five years living in Russia as the first U.S. minister to that country. This guy definitely doesn't skate by on daddy's reputation. Now over on the British side, we have Lord James Gambier, Henry Goulburn, and William Adams. Don't recognize any of those names? Well, that's because like the British military officers in Canada, these guys are diplomacy B-listers. Britain's star negotiators are tied up in Vienna, hammering out a peace treaty with other European powers to end, yeah, that again, the Napoleonic Wars, which, as an American, I hate to admit, but is way more important than this. Still, even with these unevenly matched

negotiation teams, the talks are going to be long and arduous. Just like when Dwight from the office is appointed assistant to the regional manager, the British guys, James, Henry, and William go crazy with the little bit of power they have finally been given. They start the negotiations with outrageous demands. First, they want to redraw the American-Canadian border, take back Maine, and eliminate any American naval presence on the Great Lakes. Second, they demand a protected tract of land for their Indian allies, with a permanent boundary settled between Indian nations and U.S. settlers. Finally, the British want to renege American fishing rights in Canadian waters and reestablish British navigation rights on

the Mississippi, both of which were settled in the Treaty of Paris in 1783 back in episode 14. Oh, and they refused to discuss that pesky issue of impressment. The British envoys insist that their demands, especially point two about their Indian allies, are sine qua non, which is Latin for without which nothing, or in modern terms, it's my way or the highway. Well, screw that. The Americans push back hard, rejecting every one of the British demands over the next few weeks as the pretentious John Quincy throws around a different Latin phrase, status quo antebellum, meaning the state existing before the war. But the British dig in their heels and respond with a demand based on yet another Latin phrase, uti possidetis, which means these guys use way too many Latin phrases.

Okay, it actually means as you now possess it and would let the British keep any territory they currently hold. So just to be clear, in case you got lost in all that classical Latin, basically the British are saying, let's keep any land we jacked from each other, and the Americans are saying, screw you, we want the same borders we had before the war. Clear? Awesome. Neither side will budge, and the talks drag on as both teams await news of battles that may strengthen their hands. In November, when news of British losses at Plattsburgh and

Baltimore reach Europe, which you heard about in the last episode, the British come up with a new plan. They ask the Duke of Wellington to head to Canada to get a few more military victories in order to strengthen the British bargaining position. Does that name sound familiar? It might. Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington, is a military hero who's risen to the highest rank in the British army, field marshal, in the Napoleonic Wars. Right now, he's the British ambassador to France, which, by the way, is currently Napoleon-free. I mean, he's going to come back and seize power for a whopping hundred days, then get his butt sent to the middle of the Atlantic. But basically, France is going back to monarchy, now ruled by Louis XVIII. Point being,

Wellington is a hero and sees going to Canada as beneath him, but responds in an incredibly diplomatic way to the almost insulting offer. He writes to the British Prime Minister saying, quote, I feel no objection to going to America. The question is whether we can acquire naval superiority on the Great Lakes. If we can't, I shall do you but little good in America, and I shall go there only to sign a peace treaty, which might as well be signed now. Close quote. He also addresses the weakness of Britain's uti possidetis argument by saying, quote,

You can get no territory. Indeed, the state of your military operations, however creditable, does not entitle you to demand any. Close quote. Again, if you got lost in any of this, let me put it this way. If Wellington had Keegan-Michael Key as his anger translator, I'm guessing his letter would have read like,

oh, hell no, I'm not going to Canada. Now tell your bitch ass negotiators to restore the status quo and end the damn war. So now you know how A-listers feel about the war with America. They think it's stupid, not worth their time, and don't really care about the negotiations. British Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lord Castlereagh agrees with him too, and basically tells his overzealous underlings to recognize their rent-a-cop status and compromise already.

So the two negotiation teams compromise with the peace deal that's simply status quo antebellum, which I'll remind you just means everything goes back the way it was before the war started. Yeah, all that arguing and years of fighting just to say, let's leave it how it was. But all the same, let me give you a little more detail on this treaty. It has 11 articles, which do things like free prisoners of war and assign cooperative commissions to scout out the U.S.-Canadian border. One article gives American Indians the rights and territories they possessed in 1811. Of course, none of the negotiators are aware that Indian tribes along the entire U.S. border

have signed new treaties with the U.S., which give away any land that the Treaty of Ghent would have guaranteed them. But the treaty stays silent on a major issue, impressment. Like I said, they ignore the hard stuff in the interest of peace. But if impressment basically started this whole war, and the treaty doesn't even mention it, won't that just leave Americans open to abuse and lead to another war? Actually, no. See, impressment was a byproduct of the Napoleonic Wars, and with that conflict coming to a close, the British don't really need to snag U.S. sailors to man its naval fleet.

So ironically, it's a non-issue now. Both negotiating parties signed the treaty on Christmas Eve, 1814, and hope that their governments will ratify their hard-won peace deal. John Quincy hopes that, quote, it would be the last treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States, close quote. Well, there's more disagreement to come, but at least a full-scale war between the nations will never happen again. Britain ends up ratifying the treaty on December 28th, 1814. The U.S. though will take a lot longer. Henry Clay, much to the ambitious John Quincy's frustration, now sails to Washington, D.C. to get American ratification. That's going

to take a while, but you know what won't? Federalist self-destruction. So let's make our own transatlantic voyage far faster than Henry does and go hang out with some very disgruntled federalists in Hartford, Connecticut. Oh, those poor federalists. They are so on the outs. This once powerful faction that had so much pull during the Washington and Adams administrations are losing their influence and power to southern and western states. Rather than graciously accept the changing political balance of the country, they decide to get together and pout about it at a convention to air their grievances. Now this convention, which goes down in Hartford, Connecticut in December 1814, freaks out other Americans, especially the far more dominant

Republicans. President James Madison even thinks it could be the first step in a New England secession plan. Thankfully for our careworn president, not all New England states are on board with this meeting. Only Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island send official delegates. And moderate Federalists quickly take control of the convention right from the start. They discuss the war, the expense, the difficulty of raising militia, and those damned embargoes. And of course, they also rehash age-old Federalist bones of contention, like slave representation that gives Southern states more seats in Congress, and the ease of admitting new states that undermine

New England's sway in the Senate. After a few weeks of whining in this echo chamber, they get really daring. They publish a report. Republicans breathe a sigh of relief. Some dumb written statements are a lot easier to ignore than a secession movement. The Hartford Conventioners take their report, including seven proposed constitutional amendments that would protect New England's interests, to Washington in January, but they don't make it to the Capitol until mid-February 1815. By now, these guys are yesterday's news. The Hartford Convention report shows up on the president's desk just as Henry Clay gets into town with the long-awaited Treaty of Ghent, so the Federalists' concerns get swept under the rug. The rejection of the

Hartford Convention's report marks the beginning of the end of one of America's first political parties. The Federalists are over. Meanwhile, the Treaty of Ghent gets approved by the president the day Henry Clay arrives after that transatlantic voyage, February 14, 1815, and the Senate ratifies it within 24 hours. But while the treaty has traveled from Ghent to London to Washington, no one has been able to tell Andrew Jackson and British Admiral Alexander Cochran that the war is wrapping up. And because of that, one of the biggest, most important battles of the entire war is about to go down in New Orleans. So let's head to the Big Easy and find out what's going on and how General Andrew Jackson is becoming an American legend. You got a taste of the rough

and tumble American in the opening of today's episode, but seeing as he's going to be with us for a while and will eventually leave an indelible mark as one of America's most influential and controversial presidents, let's get to know this guy by briefly going back to the 1760s and following his path from birth to general at New Orleans. And you know how we do that. Rewind. Want to learn how you can make smarter decisions with your money? Well, I've got the podcast for Rewind. banking, investing, and more. We answer your real-world money questions and break down the latest personal finance news. The Nerds will give you the clarity you need by cutting through the clutter and misinformation in today's world of personal finance. We don't promote get-rich-quick schemes or hype unrealistic side hustles. Instead, we offer practical knowledge that you can apply

in your everyday life. You'll learn about strategies to help you build your wealth, invest wisely, shop for financial products, and plan for major life events. And you'll walk away with the confidence you need to ensure that your money is always working as hard as you are. So turn to the nerds to answer your real world money questions and get insights that can help you make the smartest financial decisions for your life. Listen to NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Born in a log cabin in 1767, shortly after his own father's death, we could say Andrew is the product of poor Scots-Irish immigrants, but it might be more accurate to say he's a product of the American Revolution. He's too young to enlist, but that doesn't stop him and his brother Robert

from helping the local militia. When the British capture the young brothers in August 1780, a lieutenant tries to make Andrew clean his boots. The scrappy captive replies, Sir, I am a prisoner of war and claim to be treated as such. The irate officer knocks young Andrew upside the head with his sword. This gives the young southerner lifelong scars. He nearly dies as a smallpox-ridden, starved POW, and the war also claims the lives of his mother and two brothers. Andrew's left a lonely, orphaned 14-year-old with a chip on his shoulder towards the British, whom he holds responsible for the death of his entire family. Despite, or maybe because of his rough background, iron will, and coming from a world where men fight for their honor, Andrew finds love in and marries the divorcee

Rachel Donaldson, practices law, gets elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, then to the Senate, then serves on the Tennessee Supreme Court, and he also becomes a major general in the Tennessee militia. This is where he gets his nickname, Old Hickory. In early 1813, Andrew has over 2,000 Nashville men some 500 miles away from home when they receive orders to disband. Andrew refused to leave his men stranded. He makes his officers dismount to let the injured ride. He even gives up his own horse. Not a man, sir, must be left behind, he instructs Dr. Samuel Hogg. As he walks beside his men, proving he will never abandon them, they start saying he's as tough as Hickory would. Hence the name, Old Hickory. And the war soon adds to Old Hickory's reputation as an Indian fighter.

Now let's acknowledge this straight up. Andrew's a controversial figure in American history, and a major part of that is due to Indian removal. We'll get to that, but we're almost two decades away from his presidency, so we're not there yet. For now, we need to understand that, while definitely not even close to blameless, white settlers are scared. Because even though Indian violence, including massacres, are predicated on a fight for their land, for their survival as a people, and often in response to white settler violence, the United States citizenry doesn't generally think of any of that. They certainly don't in 1813, when Red Stick Creek warriors kill some 250 white Americans at Fort Mims. I'm not one for giving warnings, but really, this is grotesque,

so you might want to take the earbuds out for 10 seconds. Ready? I warned you. Okay, according to an Alabamian historian, the settlers were, quote, Butchered in the quickest manner, and blood and brains bespattered the whole earth. The children were seized by the legs, and killed by batting their heads against the stockading. The women were scalped, and those who were pregnant were opened up while they were alive and the embryo infants let out of the womb. Close quote.

I find zero joy in sharing such quotes. I only hope it helps you see how Andrew's troops killing almost every one of the over 800 red stick braves at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on March 27, 1814 makes him quite popular. White Americans see it as justice for the Fort Mims massacre, and Andrew is rewarded by being elevated from Major General in the Tennessee Militia to Major General in the U.S. Army. And you know, I just can't help myself, can I complicate the story a bit? Amid these battles with the Creeks, Andrew adopts a small Indian boy orphaned by the war. I know, this might seem contradictory. Get used to that. Part of this is that the aggressive general has a massive soft spot

for children. He can't stand to see them suffer. But let me add that if I had to pick five adjectives to describe Andrew Jackson, contradictory would be one of them. And we'll delve more into that and the details on who this backwoods native Carolinian is later. But for now, we need to follow newly minted U.S. Army General Andrew Jackson to his pressing new assignment to defend America's Gulf Coast. Now, as we do so, you need to know that the British have wanted to attack here since 1812. Back then, they hoped doing so would take some pressure off the Canadian front. That's less of a concern by 1814, but there are still several good reasons to attack the region. One, the Gulf Coast has few defenses. Two, it's less populated, and that always makes conquest

easier. Three, many living here aren't the most loyal Americans. These include Indians, free and enslaved African Americans, French and Spanish inhabitants who haven't made peace with how the 1803 Louisiana Purchase made their homes American soil. Oh, and we have some thousand pirates. Finally, if the weaknesses and disloyalty of the region haven't sold the British on invading, there's a solid fourth reason. The relatively large city of New Orleans is crucial to American trade. If the British can take it, they'll have a huge bargaining chip in the ongoing peace talks. So as you can see, when Little Jemmy's administration asks Andrew to take command on the Gulf Coast in May 1814, it's asking him to

shoulder a rather heavy burden. But he's got this. First, we have the successful defense of Mobile. This town sits in the aptly named Mobile Bay and will soon form part of the state of Alabama's southern coast. But right now, this is still the part of the state of Alabama's southern coast. But right now, this is still the Mississippi Territory. Andrew's not the commander in the battle here, so we'll be quick about it. In August, he sends Major William Lawrence to shore up Fort Boyer, which is Mobile's main defense from a potential naval attack. It's a good call. Come September 12th, the British try to take Mobile, but Fort Boyer prevents that from happening.

Meanwhile, Andrews noticed that West Florida Governor Mateo Manrique is allowing the British to have safe harbor in the town of Pensacola. Well, that's strange since Spain's supposedly neutral in this war. With orders from D.C. not to risk upsetting the Spanish arriving too late to impact Andrew, the gaunt general marches some 4,100 men to the Spanish town, arriving on November 6th. Grossly outnumbered, Governor Menorique doesn't dare to engage the American force, and within the next few days, the British in Pensacola see but one option. They quickly destroy the town's forts,

weigh anchor, and run. Now two for two on the Gulf Coast, Old Hickory makes his way to New Orleans. Not only does he have intel indicating a British attack, but he receives a distressing letter from the governor of the barely a state Louisiana on November 11th regarding the city. The governor reports, quote, I am not at the head of a united and willing people. Native Americans, native Louisianans, Frenchmen and Spaniards, with some Englishmen, compose the mass of the population. Among them, there exists much jealousy. Close quote. Ah, remember what I said a few minutes ago about the diverse and not jazzed-to-be-American population down here? Now we're seeing that dynamic at play. Marching his men at the almost unbelievable pace of more than 25 miles a day, they make it to the Big Easy on December 1st.

Okay, as Andrew saunters into New Orleans, let me pause for a second to remind you again that as controversial as he'll be in the 21st century, Old Hickory has a serious cool factor going on. His scrappy, non-elite, man-of-the-people ways combined with win after win is making him quite popular. So even though the future birthplace of jazz has minimal defenses and a diverse population with questionable loyalty to the U.S., Andrew quickly makes his lemons into lemonade. With his mere arrival, New Orleanians excitedly hail one another by saying, Jackson's come! Jackson's come! And from day one, Andrew's comforting civilians,

especially ladies who are worried about British pillagers sacking the city in search of, quote, beauty and booty, close quote. Now, despite what you might think, that means ladies and loot. And not to be crass, but to be very clear, we could also say rape and pillage. Because of these fears, the high society Mrs. Louise Livingston invites Andrew over to dine with a group of posh young women. Think southern bells of French and Spanish descent, all of whom are a bit nervous. Not just about the potential

rape and pillaging, but about meeting old Hickory. After all, Andrew's reputation as a fierce warrior who defeated Creek Indians precedes him. They hope he'll protect them, but they also expect he'll be uncouth, uncivilized, a barbarian. So when the six-foot gray-haired general arrives and acts the perfect gentleman, they just don't know what to make of it. If it weren't for his backwoods drawl, you'd think he grew up in high society. When he leaves, the ladies look at their hostess, Mrs. Livingston, nearly in shock as they ask her, quote, is this your backwoodsman? Why, madam, he's a prince. Close quote. What can I say? I told you, Andrew comes across as a

walking contradiction. As the first half of December passes, Old Hickory is also accomplishing the impossible on the defensive side of things. Not only is he arranging for proper defenses around the city, but with the help of local leaders, he's bringing together American forces, including New Orleans disparate communities, to form an army that can defend it. General the city, but with the help of local leaders, he's bringing together American forces, including New Orleans' disparate communities, to form an army that can defend it. General John Coffey, from the brawl at the start of this episode, shows up with 850 mounted Tennessee riflemen. Another 2,300 are on their way from Kentucky, and we have 2,000 able-bodied men from New Orleans itself. There's also battalions of free black troops,

many of whom are refugees from the Haitian Revolution of the 1790s. And my personal favorite, the pirates. Yeah, seriously. Andrew initially wants nothing to do with them, calling the thousand or so local pirates, quote, hellish banditi, close quote, but the needs of war make curious bedfellows. The pirates are solid artillerymen, know the local terrain, and bring much needed arms. In fact, Andrew tells us that, quote, I procured from them, the pirates, 7,500 flints for pistols and boarding pieces, which was solely the supply of flints for all my militia, and if it had not been for this providential aid, the country must have fallen. Close quote. Okay then, so following the example of their leader, Jean Lafitte, these outlaws agree to ditch the black flag for

the stars and stripes. For a price, of course. They want pardons, but you know what? Given the current need, these pardons are given gladly. And with this motley crew, Andrew prepares to receive his enemy. Ah, yes, the enemy. As Andrew pieces together his defenses, a British force under the command of our old friend, Admiral Cochran, is coming. You remember him from the last episode, right? This is the same Admiral who failed to take Baltimore's Fort McHenry. His failure inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star-Spangled Banner. Did that jog your memory? Good. Admiral Cochran is far from Baltimore at this point. He's down in the Caribbean at the British-controlled island of Jamaica, reworking his plan of attack for the city of New Orleans. He had planned a joint operation headed by himself and Robert Ross.

But with Ross's tragic death at the Battle of Fort McHenry and a lack of proper supplies from London, Cochran has to recalibrate. So here he is at Negril Bay, Jamaica, where apparently no one can keep a secret. Word of the attack is soon reported in American and British newspapers. But Cochran is no quitter. In spite of these setbacks, and American victories at Mobile and Pensacola, the British Vice Admiral loads an entire army on his ships and sets sail for New Orleans. The troops, some of whom saw action in the Chesapeake and some of whom served on Napoleonic battlefields, leave Jamaica on November 27th and

sail to Grand Cayman Island, then pass Cuba. And on December 13th, they reach Cat Island, about 80 miles northeast of New Orleans. Hmm, this route sounds a bit like the one you took on that Caribbean cruise last Christmas, right? I'm going to guess these British soldiers are having less fun, but they might be drinking about as much as you did. Anyway, after a little reconnaissance, Cochrane decides the best way to get at New Orleans is through Lake Bourne. The 60-mile wide lake sits just east of New Orleans. Its name, which means one-eye in French, likely alludes to the lake's significant opening into the Gulf. Although the more exciting theory

is that a one-eyed monster lives in these shallow waters. Sorry, I was starting to channel lore podcast Aaron Manke, but we'll leave the supernatural stuff to him. Big fan, Aaron. No disrespect. At any rate, if Cochran can take control of Lake Bourne, British troops will be able to disembark a mere 15 miles from the Big Easy. And the only thing standing in his way is a small, almost insignificant flotilla of American vessels commanded by Lieutenant Thomas App Catsby Jones. That's a long name, so we'll use his nickname, Tack Jones. The young 20-something Tack Jones knows this is a David versus Goliath situation. He has two vessels with one gun each, the USS Seahorse and the USS Alligator, and a whopping five Jefferson-style

gunboats. Now, I don't know if you recall when we talked about the Sage of Monticello's cheap gunboats in episode 21, but in case you've forgotten, here's all you need to remember. They're small, and they kind of suck. Like his flagship, number 156, these ships have crews of roughly 40 or less and five guns apiece. Well, all of them have five, except for gunboat 163, which only has three. Across these five vessels, Tack Jones has a grand total of 23 guns and 182 men. Yeah, that should stop the British, right? Well, maybe he can't stop then, but he'll sure as hell go down trying. By December 12th, Admiral Cochran's British fleet is sitting about 50 or so miles east of Lake Bourne, near Ship Island.

He knows he needs to take out Tack Jones' gunboats before the attack on New Orleans can proceed. So he sends out 42 launches, think big rowboats, with one cannon apiece to deal with the Americans. Now I know these sound small, but to be clear, the Admiral just sent out 42 guns and roughly 1,000 men. That's twice as many guns and five times as many men as Tack Jones has to work with. The American flotilla notices the British boats on December 13th at 10 a.m. It's long and arduous, but by that afternoon, the British Marines have rowed a good chunk of the distance between their fleet and the American gun boats. But at 3.45 p.m., three of the 42 boats notice the much closer, single-gun USS Seahorse trying to remove US supplies from the Bay of St. Louis.

They break off from the other boats and attack it. The outgunned but brave crew of the Seahorse quickly begin firing deadly grapeshot at their British assailants. It's a gutsy move and shocks the British sailors. They fall back to regroup. The seahorse uses this small reprieve to position itself near two six-pounder American batteries mounted on the mainland before the three British boats can return with four others as backup. Aided by the two shoreline batteries, the seahorse holds its own as it exchanges fire with seven single-gun British rowboats. One of them is hit hard and barely stays afloat. But after half an hour of this, the Americans know it's not a question of if, but when they fall to the British.

And so, at 7.30pm, the seahorse's sailing master, William Johnson, evacuates his crew and blows up the vessel. As Tack Jones sees the explosion from far across the water, he rightly assumes William has scuttled the seahorse and the supplies in the Bay of St. Louis are destroyed. The next morning, December 14th, there's no wind. Not the slightest breeze. That means Tack Jones can't really move his gunships. He had hoped to fall back to a position where American batteries could support him, but he'll have to make do. With the 42 single-gun British rowboats only nine miles out, he brings his commanders aboard number 156 to give them the plan. They'll form a line between the mainland to the north and Madure Island to the south in order to, as Tack Jones

puts it, quote, give the enemy as warm a reception as possible, close quote. But with the capture of the single gun USS Alligator at 930 that morning, he'll have nothing but his five gunboats to do this. I want you to picture this scene. The Americans stand on their gunboats, watching as over 40 cannon-mounted boats bring a thousand British Marines their way. I imagine it's like staring down an angry swarm of bees, knowing that anyone by itself is simply annoying, but united, they're deadly.

The British row as the Americans open fire. By 10.50 a.m., the British Marines and American gunboats are exchanging heavy fire. After an hour of this, three rowboats get close enough to Tack Jones's gunboat, number 156, to try to board. It's a complete failure. The young commander reports that the boarding parties, quote, were repulsed with the loss of nearly every officer killed or wounded, and two boats sunk. Now, I need to tell you that the current has pushed boats 156 and 163 out ahead of the line, which of course screws up their defense formation.

That's also why the British are going to keep trying to board 156. It's exposed. So a second boarding party of rowboats tries its luck. Tack Jones tells us it doesn't do any better than the first, as it, quote, shared almost a similar fate. Close quote. But about noon, the gunboat finally falls.

Once that happens, it's all over. The British Marines turn number 156's guns on the other American boat next to it. Within the hour, the remaining four gunboats fall like dominoes. Tack Jones has lost, as I trust he knew he would judging from his report's description of the casualties. Quote, in this unequal contest, our loss in killed and wounded has been trifling compared to that of the enemy. Close quote. Fair enough, I suppose. But Tack Jones's greatest accomplishment was simply slowing the British down. He's given Andrew Jackson, who, with the loss of Lake Bourne, declares martial law in New Orleans, valuable days to continue preparing the city's defenses. But with control of the lake, the British are now dangerously close to the city. On December 16th, the Marines who rode 50 miles to engage Tack Jones' gunboats, finally make landfall. They do so on the barren

and available Ile-aux-Pois, today known as Pearl Island, located on the northern side of Lake Bourne. Meanwhile, two officers head across the lake to its western edge, where they explore Bayou Bienvenue. They know that, if they can navigate through this bayou, they'll come out near the plantations just south of New Orleans itself. And the officers are in luck. They soon find a Spanish and Portuguese fishing village whose fishermen are more than happy to serve as local guides for the British invasion. Now it takes a few days for the British to prepare, but by December 22nd, they've got an army landed and ready to attack, sitting on Pearl Island. Starting around 9pm, General John Keane uses the cover of night to move 1,600 of these men across Lake Bourne. They're soaked and frozen by the rain, but the whole party makes it to Bayou Bienvenu

in perfect secrecy. Aided by the Spanish and Portuguese fishermen, General Kane's men easily pass through the bayou and capture the Villery plantation. This is quite the prize. Located only eight miles south of New Orleans, it serves as the British headquarters for the rest of the campaign. They also capture local militia major Gabriel Villery, but not for long. Waiting for the right moment, he jumps out of a window and dashes for the woods. Gabriel's loyal dog stays by his side, but as they hide among the trees, the Irish setter won't stop barking. This is going to give them away. Knowing the safety of New Orleans may depend on him warning General Jackson, Gabriel does something I'm sure he never planned on. He clubs his own dog to death. The major now hides in a tree and waits for the British to give

up. After they leave, Gabriel books it to the De La Ronde plantation, where he's joined by two others, and together they make it to Andrew's headquarters at 106 Royal Street. As Gabriel's group and still others bring news of the British landing, the ever-aggressive old hickory proclaims, By the Eternal, they shall not sleep on our soil. Gentlemen, the British are below and we must fight them tonight. Andrew calls men in from fortifications across the city and region, assembling a force of 2,100 that very afternoon. As the sun sets, he has dragoons out serving the enemy. While doing so, they capture a black man hired by the British to post flyers. Written in French and Spanish,

they read, quote, Louisiana's remain quiet in your houses. Your slaves shall be preserved to you and your property respected. We make war only against the Americans. Ah, yet another reminder of how diverse and divided this region is, and the fact that the British are trying to take advantage of this. The dragoons take down all the flyers they see. The American offensive starts at 7.30pm. The British, camped out at and near the Villery Plantation are surprised to see a ship sailing on the Mississippi River. They hail it, but get no response. It simply drops anchor and turns a broadside toward them. It's at this point some of the British hear a voice from the ship call out, give them this for the form of broadside after broadside of grapes shot in cannonballs.

According to British Captain John Cook, the balls boring down while piles of arms knocking kettles off the fires, scattering blazing beams of wood about, maiming some soldiers and sending others whence no traveler returns. This was enough to put one of Caesar's legions in a panic. Close quote. And as the Carolina sows death, destruction, and confusion among British troops, Andrew and his dear friend General Coffey attack. It's so dark, the British and American troops rely on the flash of discharging guns to see whom or what they're shooting at.

By 9 p.m., artillery on both sides cease fire for fear of hitting their own men. Soon, the pistols and muskets go silent too. As the hours pass, the fight turns into pure, gruesome hand-to-hand combat. Andrew doesn't withdraw his forces until the next morning, December 24th at 4 a.m. And while I'm not sure what time the Treaty of Ghent is signed that day, it is worth wondering, given the time difference, were diplomats writing their names as men fought in the dark and died eight miles south of New Orleans? Old Hickory's aggressive response to the British landing at the Villery plantation was spot on. In hindsight, British General Keane should have advanced on New Orleans the same day he took the plantation, December 23rd. He very well might have beat Andrew then and there. Instead, he let Andrew bring his combined

forces together to hit him hard that night, and the British not only suffered 275 casualties to the Americans' 215, but they lost their edge as fear and trepidation gripped the already cautious General Keene. That's why the next day, December 24th, Christmas Eve, General Keene still fails to press Andrew. Huge mistake. This lets Andrew fall back two miles to Canal Rodriguez. And this is really important, so listen up. Situated between the British and New Orleans, this canal runs from the Mississippi River on the west right up to the bayous and Cypress Swamp on the east. Old Hickory decides this is the perfect place to set up defenses. Canal Rodriguez is now Line Jackson. But as Andrew turns this canal into a fortification,

we have a new commander showing up, Major General Sir Edward Pakenham. Sent to replace the valiant General Ross who died in the last episode of the Battle of Baltimore, General Pakenham. Sent to replace the valiant General Ross who died in the last episode of the Battle of Baltimore, General Pakenham arrives on Christmas Day. He is the capable and seasoned brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington we quoted earlier. Wellington says of him, quote, he might not be the brightest genius, but my partiality does not lead me astray when I tell you he is one of the best we have. Close quote. Nice backhanded compliment, Duke. I'd put it this way. Unlike General Keene, Pakenham actually has guts. Nonetheless, General Pakenham has inherited quite a mess. He has zero element of surprise, and Andrew's hodgepodge of American regulars,

militia from various states, Spaniards, Frenchmen, free blacks, and Andrew's hodgepodge of American regulars, militia from various states, Spaniards, Frenchmen, free blacks, and pirates hold not just New Orleans, but their new line Jackson along Canal Rodriguez. So first things first, General Pakenham's got to take out the USS Carolina. That 14-gun ship is still sitting in the Mississippi River, firing on any Brit that dares to step within its range. In the early morning of December 27th, General Pakenham takes care of that. With impeccable accuracy and a bit of luck, he has artillery fire some hot shot, that is, heated cannonballs, at the ship. One ball lands in a main hold, just where none of the crew can reach it. This one shot starts a fire that takes out the whole ship.

An hour later, the flames lick the powder magazine and the USS Carolina explodes. And with that, General Pakenham can finally move forward enough to do some reconnaissance. And he tries to do this recon the next day on December 28th. I'll stay light on the action here, but this turns into a small conflict itself. Andrew's last remaining ship, the aptly named 22-gun USS Louisiana, which is sitting still farther up the Mississippi than the now-destroyed Carolina was, opens fire on the advancing British. And so do Andrew's men along Line Jackson.

The British are floored when, as they get close enough to engage Andrews' men, they finally see the canal between them. It's basically a freaking old-school medieval moat. They're screwed. American artillery pick off the poor British soldiers as they retreat. Casualties aren't too heavy though. Roughly 55 for the British and 35 for the Americans. I guess we could say General Pakenham got his reconnaissance. After all, he did learn about Canal Rodriguez. But at the same time, Andrews learned where his line is weak. Following the attack, he extends it even farther. The line's now over a mile long. And he adds more artillery and secondary lines in case his men have

to fall back. A few days later, on New Year's Eve, 1814, the British try to weaken the increasingly daunting line Jackson with artillery. They bring out their guns, but just seem to be having an off day. They miss every target of value. And while they had the element of surprise initially on Andrew's New Year's celebrating troops, his pirates and other artillerymen quickly ditch the parting and get to returning fire. It makes for a long day of flash with little significance. It comes to an end when the British simply run out of cannonballs and have to retreat. It takes a week for General Pakenham to resupply and get the reinforcements needed to take on Andrew one more time on January 8th, 1815. Now I'll be honest with you, sources do not come close

to agreeing on how many troops General Pakenham ultimately has, but on the low end, we're talking in the neighborhood of 5,000. On the high end, 8,000. Whatever number you go with, though, the British outnumber the ad hoc assortment of troops we're calling Americans. Andrew's got about 4,500 men to work with. Only 3,500 are on the line, while the other 1,000 or so are in reserves. By this point, Andrew's fortifications more than make up for his numerical disadvantage. His earthen parapet is five feet tall and the canal in front of it is four feet deep and ten feet wide. It's weakest on the side by the Mississippi River, but of course the USS Louisiana is also hanging out nearby that.

Basically, there's no point on this line that I would look at and say, oh yeah, attacking this is a good idea. And yet that's just what General Pakenham is about to do. So here's the plan. During the night of January 7th, 1815, Colonel Thornton will ferry across the Mississippi River to take the guns on the West Bank. Now, this isn't Line Jackson. This is Line Jordan. And the British think they can have success here. Colonel Thornton will then fire across the Mississippi at Line Jackson. As they do this, which should happen before dawn, main British forces will launch a frontal assault at the same spot on the line. The British hope this combined force will break Line Jackson and give them a victory. Let's see how that goes.

So it's the night of January 7th and Colonel Thornton's way behind schedule. They can't launch their boats. They're supposed to just row out on the Mississippi all smooth like from the canal that the British have dug for this very attack. But during the night, it turns out their engineers weren't the best. The dam or canal fails, leaving the water level too low to be of use. Colonel Thornton's men now have to drag their boats over land before reaching the Mississippi. This puts them hours behind schedule. There's no way they're taking those guns on the West Bank before dawn. Oh, poor General Pakenham. We can

easily judge him for continuing the attack, but let's keep in mind that this machine is in motion. It's not easy to call off a complicated attack with thousands of men at play, so it moves forward. But since Colonel Thornton doesn't seize the guns in time to attack Lion Jackson, this British attack is no more successful than those on December 28th or December 31st. The one big difference is that this one's a gore fest of carnage. As the morning fog clears, American artillery open fire on the still distant British troops. As the British draw closer, the American riflemen join in. And once the attacking force is within 100 yards, we have American muskets. As these poor

soldiers try to cross Canal Rodriguez, place ladders against line Jackson's parapets, and mount an attack, the Americans cut them down left and right. Dead and wounded redcoats drop in droves. The battle, or rather the slaughter, lasts for approximately two hours. When it's over, General Jackson watches in amazement as British soldiers rise from under their fallen comrades. To quote him, I never had so grand and awful an idea of the resurrection as on that day. After the smoke of the battle had cleared off somewhat, I saw in the distance more than 500 Britons emerging from the heaps of their dead comrades, all over the plain, rising up and coming forward and surrendering. To put that another way, William P. Lawrence of

the Tennessee Militia says, quote, I could have walked on the dead bodies of the British for one quarter of a mile without stepping on the ground. British casualties are astronomic. 484 are missing, 1,262 are wounded, including the timid General Keane, while 289 are dead. And that includes General Pakenham. As for the Americans, they suffer additional losses on the West Bank when Colonel Thornton finally gets there, too late for the plan to work. But on Line Jackson itself, we have 19 missing, 39 wounded, and a mere 13 dead for a grand total of 71 casualties. New Orleans has zero impact on the, at this point, finalized but not yet ratified peacemaking Treaty of Ghent. Frankly, it's not even the last battle.

Our favorite ship, the USS Constitution, is going to take out two British ships at once next month in February 1815. But the Battle of New Orleans does impact the combined future of Andrew Jackson and the United States. Andrew doesn't just come out of this an American hero. His status is only rivaled by the nation's premier founding father, George Washington. And we're a ways from this, but really, it's only with the popularity created by this impressive victory at New Orleans that someone like Andrew, a non-elite, poorly educated, impoverished, backwoods orphan, could ever ascend to the presidency. And so, with a treaty that changes nothing, the war draws to an end, leading both sides, even into the 21st century, to claim they won. But more importantly, the United States feels more sure of itself. It's finally over its mommy

issues with the mother country, Britain. And as the Federalist Party dies, we enter the era of good feelings where everyone is a democratic republican. Too bad those good feelings will end as we say goodbye to the last of J.B. Audio Design. Musical score, composed and performed by Greg Jackson and Diana Averill. For a bibliography of all primary and secondary sources consulted in writing this episode, visit historythatdoesntsuck.com. Join me in two weeks, where I'd like to tell you a story. Thank you. Seconder, Nick Caffrell, Noah Hoff, Owen Sedlak, Paul Goringer, Randy Guffrey, Reese Humphries-Wadsworth, Rick Brown, Sarah Trawick, Samuel Lagasa, Sharon Theisen, Sean Baines, Steve Williams, Creepy Girl, Tisha Black, and Zach Jackson.