Early in 1813 the governor of Tennessee, Willie Blount, ordered Jackson to New Orleans, Louisiana. Jackson got as far as Natchez, Mississippi, when the War Department nullified the order. Jackson was stranded without food, supplies, or equipment for his 2500 soldiers. Instead of disbanding his command as ordered, Jackson personally led his troops back to Tennessee. The men admired their leader's concern for their welfare. They said he was as tough as hickory. And so Jackson became known as Old Hickory.


In 1813 the Upper Creek, who were allied with the British, killed 250 settlers at Fort Mims, in what is now Alabama. Jackson was ordered to lead a force of 2000 men against them. His soldiers were poorly trained, and the federal government had again failed to equip him with food and supplies. Jackson held his command together by force of will. The decisive battle came in March 1814 at Horseshoe Bend on the Tallapoosa River. After allowing the Creek women and children to cross the river to safety, Jackson wiped out the Creek forces.

Later he dictated a treaty that forced the Upper Creek to cede 9 million hectares (23 million acres) of their land to the United States. One-fifth of the area of Georgia and three-fifths of Alabama are made up of this American Indian land.

In May 1814 Jackson was made a major general in the regular (federal) army.



He was ordered to New Orleans to defend the city against a British attack. Before going, Jackson decided to march on the British military base at Pensacola, Florida. Before the War Department could send the necessary orders, Jackson had captured the base and had arrived in New Orleans.



Jackson found the city virtually defenseless. He declared martial law (rule by the military) and set up defenses. Jackson's command of 5000 included blacks, Creoles, Frenchmen, and pirates, as well as sharpshooting Tennessee and Kentucky militia. The British seemed to have the advantage, with an army of 8700 veterans of European warfare, led by Lieutenant General Sir Edward Pakenham, who had fought with success against France in the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). On December 13, 1814, the British quietly landed troops for a surprise attack on Jackson's exposed flank. Jackson heard of the plan that afternoon. The same night he launched his own surprise attack and blunted the British offensive. He then set up a defense behind a dry canal. On January 8, 1815, the British attacked in force. The American defenders held, and the British were thrown back with more than 2000 casualties. American casualties were 13 dead, 39 wounded, and 19 missing.



The Battle of New Orleans actually came after the war, which had been ended two weeks earlier with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. Because of the slow communications of the time, neither side in the battle knew that. However, Andrew Jackson was now a national hero. His military exploits had captured the imagination of the nation.

In 1815 Jackson was named commander of the Army of the Southern District. Two years later he was ordered to lead an expedition against the Seminole people, who were raiding settlements in southern Georgia and then returning to the sanctuary of Spanish Florida. Jackson was instructed to end the raids by any necessary means. In 1818 Jackson pursued the Seminole into Florida. He seized a military post at Saint Marks, and he executed two British subjects, Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert Chrystie Ambrister, for inciting the Seminole against American settlers. Then, learning that the Seminole had fled toward Pensacola, Jackson made a forced march and captured the post a second time.



Both Spain and Britain were incensed by Jackson's activities in Florida. Many members of Congress and several in the Cabinet of President James Monroe wished Jackson reprimanded and his action repudiated. Only Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, who was then negotiating with Spain for the purchase of Florida, defended Jackson. He convinced Monroe to disregard the advice of those who argued that an apology was the only way to avert war with Spain and Britain.

Jackson's Florida campaign increased his popularity, especially in the West, and it undoubtedly influenced Spain's decision to sell the territory. In 1819 Adams concluded the purchase of Florida, and in 1821 Monroe appointed Jackson governor of the newly organized Florida Territory.



Florida Map Today

Jackson was reluctant to leave the Hermitage, but he did so to vindicate his actions in Florida. He was also interested in procuring jobs for his friends. After four months as governor, however, Jackson resigned and returned once more to private life.



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