{"product_id":"andrew-jackson-and-the-miracle-of-new-orleans-isbn-9780735213241","title":"Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans","description":"\u003cb\u003eNow in paperback with a new afterword.... Another pageturning \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller by the authors of \u003ci\u003eGeorge Washington's Secret Six \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eThe War of 1812 saw America threatened on every side. Encouraged by the British, Indian tribes attacked settlers in the West, while the Royal Navy terrorized the coasts. By mid-1814, President James Madison’s generals had lost control of the war in the North, losing battles in Canada. Then British troops set the White House ablaze, and a feeling of hopelessness spread across the country.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInto this dire situation stepped Major General Andrew Jackson, who feared that President Madison’s men were overlooking the most important target of all: New Orleans. If the British conquered New Orleans, they would control the mouth of the Mississippi River, cutting Americans off from that essential trade route. The new nation’s dreams of western expansion would be crushed before they really got off the ground.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJackson had to convince President Madison and his War Department to take him seriously, even though he wasn’t one of the Virginians and New Englanders who dominated the government. He had to assemble a coalition of frontier militiamen, French-speaking Louisianans, Cherokee and Choctaw Indians, freed slaves, and even some pirates. And then he had to face the most powerful military force in the world, in the confusing terrain of the Louisiana bayous.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs they did in their previous bestsellers, Kilmeade and Yaeger make history come alive with a riveting true story that will keep you turning the pages. You’ll finish with a new understanding of one of our greatest generals and a renewed appreciation for the brave men who fought so that America could one day stretch “from sea to shining sea.”“Riveting history that reads like a stay-up-all-night thriller. Don’t miss this book!”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e–Brad Thor\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eUse of Force\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A tale as improbable as it is spellbinding, told with deft touch and insightful clarity. Brian Kilmeade has done it again.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e–General Stanley McChrystal (U.S. Army, Retired)\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eTeam of Teams\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \" The scholarship is impeccable, the topic immensely important, the story masterfully crafted. This little gem of a book belongs on the bookshelf of every history buff. What a triumph!\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e–Jay Winik\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eApril 1865 \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003e1944\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"A wild, page-turning history of one of America’s most fascinating battles.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e–Brad Meltzer\u003c\/b\u003e, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe President’s Shadow\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Brian Kilmeade, who has a gift for narrative and an intuitive feel for great stories, has written an exciting account of New Orleans and how that battle changed America down the decades.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e–Jon Meacham\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThomas Jeffersonr\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Lion\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDestiny and Power\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eFranklin and Winston\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"A riveting introduction to one of the seminal battles in U.S. History.  The War of 1812 folk legend of Old Hickory rides high on his horse again in this engrossing overview for readers of all ages. Highly recommended!\" \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e–Douglas Brinkley\u003c\/b\u003e, Professor of History at Rice University and author of \u003ci\u003eRightful Heritage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Kilmeade shows how the patriotism of Jackson and his generation made America great in the first place. A terrific read.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e–Jane Hampton Cook\u003c\/b\u003e, presidential historian and author of \u003ci\u003eThe Burning of the White House\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “The reader gets an inkling of the grit that made America great.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e–Erik Prince\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eCivilian Warriors\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRIAN KILMEADE \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003eDON YAEGER\u003c\/b\u003e are the coauthors of \u003ci\u003eGeorge Washington's Secret Six\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates\u003c\/i\u003e, both \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestsellers. Kilmeade cohosts Fox News Channel's morning show \u003ci\u003eFox \u0026amp; Friends \u003c\/i\u003eand hosts the daily national radio show \u003ci\u003eThe Brian Kilmeade Show\u003c\/i\u003e. This is his fifth book. Yaeger has written or cowritten twenty-five books.Chapter 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Freedoms at Risk\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e These are the times which distinguish the real friend of his      country from the town-meeting brawler and the sunshine patriot. .      . . The former steps forth, and proclaims his readiness to march.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e -Major General Andrew Jackson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On June 1, 1812, America declared war. After a hot debate, James      Madison's war resolution was passed by a vote of 19-13 in the      Senate and 79-49 in the House of Representatives, and, once again,      the new nation would be taking on the world's premier military and      economic power: Great Britain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Twenty-nine years had passed since the colonists' improbable      victory in the Revolutionary War, and for twenty-nine years the      British had failed to respect American sovereignty. Now, the      nation James Madison led had reached the limit of its tolerance.      Great Britain's kidnapping of American sailors and stirring up of      Indian tribes to attack settlers on the western frontier had made      life intolerably difficult for many of America's second      generation, including those hardscrabble men and women pushing the      boundaries westward.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Though reluctant to risk the new nation's liberty, Madison was now      ready to send a message to England and the world that America      would stand up to the bully that chose to do her harm. The      unanswered question was: Could America win? Less than thirty years      removed from the last war, and with virtually no national army,      were Americans prepared to take on Britain and defend themselves,      this time without the help of France? The world was about to find      out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In fact, so many Americans opposed the war that the declaration      posed a real risk to the country's national unity. The Federalist      Party, mainly representing northerners whose economy relied on      British trade, had unanimously opposed the war declaration. Many      New Englanders wanted peace with Britain, and it was likely that      some would even be willing to leave the Union in order to avoid a      fight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Yet peaceful attempts at resolving the conflict with Britain had      already been tried-and hadn't helped the economy much. Five years      earlier, when a British ship attacked the U.S. Navy's Chesapeake,      killing three sailors and taking four others from the ship to      impress them into service to the Crown, then president Thomas      Jefferson had attempted to retaliate. To protest this blatant      hostility, Congress passed the Embargo Act, prohibiting overseas      trade with Great Britain. Unfortunately, the act hurt Americans      more than the British. In just fifteen months, the embargo      produced a depression that cruelly punished merchants and farmers      while doing little to deter the Royal Navy's interference and      hardening New England's resistance to conflict. Further attempts      at legislative pressure in the early years of James Madison's      presidency had little effect, and British impressment had      continued. By the time of the war declaration in June 1812, the      number of sailors seized off the decks of American ships had risen      to more than five thousand men.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e To many, including Andrew Jackson, then forty years old, the      attack on the Chesapeake alone had been an insult to American      pride that demanded a military response. As Jackson wrote to a      Virginia friend after learning of the Chesapeake's fate, \"The      degradation offered to our government . . . has roused every      feeling of the American heart, and war with that nation is      inevitable.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Yet America had waited, and the losses at sea mounted. At the same      time, attempts to pacify the British had only resulted in further      losses in America's new territory, \"the West,\" which ran south to      north from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, bounded on the west by      the Mississippi. There British agents were said to be agitating      the Indians. For many years, the Five Civilized Tribes in the      region (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole) had      maintained peaceful relations with the European arrivals. But as      more and more white settlers moved into native territories,      tensions had risen and open conflict had broken out. In some      places, travelers could no longer be certain whether the Native      Americans they encountered were friendly; for inhabitants of the      frontier, that meant the events of daily life were accompanied by      fear. Stories circulated of fathers who returned from a day of      hunting to find their children butchered, and of wives who      stumbled upon their husbands scalped in the fields.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A major Shawnee uprising in the Indiana Territory in 1811      escalated the fear. And as the bloodshed increased, there were      reports that the British were providing the Indians with weapons      and promising them land if they carried out violent raids against      American settlers. For Andrew Jackson, the threat had become too      close for comfort when, in the spring of 1812, just a hundred      miles from his home, a marauding band of Creeks killed six      settlers and took a woman hostage. Jackson was certain the British      were behind the attack on the little settlement at the mouth of      the Duck River.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Westerners like Jackson fumed at the government's inability to      resolve the country's problems, but their clout in Washington was      limited. The decision makers from Virginia and New England had      little sympathy for their inland countrymen. Eastern newspapers      poked fun at the hill folks' backward ways, and much of the      territory west of the Appalachian Mountains remained mysterious      and wild, with few good roads and even fewer maps. The dangers      faced by westerners were not felt by easterners, and their      anguished demands for retaliation were scorned and dismissed by      those whose wallets would be hurt by the war.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But eventually, despite many politicians' disdain for their hick      neighbors to the west, Washington politics had begun to shift      along with the nation's growing population. The West had gained      new influence in the elections of 1810 and 1811, when the region      sent a spirited band of new representatives to the Capitol. These      men saw British attitudes toward the United States as a threat to      American liberty and independence; they also saw the need for      westward expansion, a move that the British were trying to thwart.      Led by a young Kentuckian named Henry Clay, they quickly gained      the nickname War Hawks, because, despite the risks, they knew it      was time to fight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Clay became Speaker of the House and he, along with the War Hawks      and like-minded Republicans from the coastal states, put pressure      on the Madison administration. Now, after years of resistance,      Madison listened, and with Congress's vote, the War of 1812 began.      America decided to stand up for its sovereignty on the sea and its      security in the West.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The War Hawks in Washington were ecstatic about the declaration of      war, and so was Jackson in Tennessee. At last he would have the      chance to defend the nation he loved, to protect his family and      friends-and, personally, to take revenge on the nation that had      left him alone and scarred so many years before.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Boy Becomes a Man\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A quarter century before, Jackson had swallowed his grudge. When      the Treaty of Paris made U.S. independence official in 1783, the      orphaned sixteen-year-old adopted America as his family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Relatives had taken him in after his mother's death. He became a      saddler's apprentice, then, his ambitions rising, he clerked for a      North Carolina attorney. Andrew Jackson's cobbled-together      upbringing would serve him well, though he also gained a      reputation as a young man who loved drinking, playing cards, and      horse racing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Admitted to the bar to practice law at age twenty, a year later he      accepted an appointment as a public prosecutor in North Carolina's      western district. That took him beyond the boundaries of the      state, to the other side of the Appalachians. Jackson arrived in a      region that, a few years after his arrival, became the state of      Tennessee.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The red-haired, blue-eyed, and rangy six-foot-one young man made      an immediate impression in Nashville, a frontier outpost      established just eight years earlier. As Jackson put down roots,      he became one of its chief citizens as his and his city's      reputations grew. His rise gained momentum after he met Rachel      Donelson, the youngest daughter of one of Nashville's founding      families. Dark-eyed Rachel was the prettiest of the Donelson      sisters and full of life. It was said she was \"the best      story-teller, the best dancer, . . . [and] the most dashing      horsewoman in the western country.\" Jackson was smitten, and after      she extricated herself from a marriage already gone bad, he took      her as his wife.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As a lawyer, a trader, and a merchant, Jackson bought and sold      land. By the time Tennessee joined the Union, in 1796, he had won      the respect of his neighbors, who chose him as their delegate to      the state's constitutional convention. Jackson then served as      Tennessee's first congressman for one session before becoming a      U.S. senator. But he found life in the political realm of the      Federal City frustrating-too little got done for the decisive      young Jackson-and he accepted an appointment to Tennessee's      Supreme Court. In the early years of the nineteenth century, he      divided his energies between administering the law and      establishing himself at his growing plantation, the Hermitage, ten      miles outside Nashville. \"His house was the seat of hospitality,\"      wrote a young officer friend, \"the resort of friends and      acquaintances, and of all strangers visiting the state.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e His next venture into public service would suit him better: thanks      to his strong relationships and sound political instincts, he was      elected major general of the Tennessee militia, in February 1802.      Maintained by the state, not the federal government, the militia      was provisioned by local men who supplied their own weapons and      uniforms and served short contracts of a few months' duration.      Leading the militia was a good fit for Jackson's style, because it      gave him the chance to serve the people he loved with the freedom      he needed and the challenge he craved.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e General Jackson repeatedly won reelection as well as the deep      loyalty of his men. They liked what he said. He was often      outspoken, and many shared his uncompromising views on defending      settlers' rights. With rumors of war, he was ready to defend his      people and was just the man to rally westerners to the cause of      American liberty. \"Citizens!\" he wrote in a broadside. \"Your      government has at last yielded to the impulse of a nation. . . .      Are we the titled slaves of George the Third? The military      conscripts of Napoleon the great? Or the frozen peasants of the      Russian czar? No-we are the free-born sons of America; the      citizens of the only republic now existing in the world.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jackson understood the stakes of the war, and he recognized the      strategy as only a westerner could. Of critical importance to      victory in the West was a port city near the Gulf Coast. As      Jackson would soon say to his troops, in the autumn of 1812,      \"Every man of the western country turns his eyes intuitively upon      the mouth of the Mississippi.\" Together, he observed, \"[we are]      committed by nature herself [to] the defense of the lower      Mississippi and the city of New Orleans.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The City of New Orleans\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e New Orleans was important-so important, in fact, that upon      becoming president a dozen years earlier, Thomas Jefferson had      made acquiring it a key objective. Recognizing the city's singular      strategic importance to his young nation, he wrote, \"There is on      the globe one single spot, the possessor of which is our natural      and habitual enemy. It is New Orleans.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Knowing that Napoleon's plan for extending his American empire had      suffered a major setback in the Caribbean, where his expeditionary      force had been decimated by yellow fever, Jefferson sensed an      opportunity. He dispatched his friend James Monroe to Paris,      instructing him to try to purchase New Orleans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Monroe had succeeded in his assignment beyond Jefferson's wildest      dreams. Recognizing his resources were already overextended in his      quest to dominate Europe, Napoleon agreed to sell all of      Louisiana. That conveyed an immense wilderness to the United      States, effectively doubling the size of the new country. The      Louisiana Purchase had been completed in 1803 and, at a purchase      price of $15 million for more than eight hundred thousand square      miles of territory, the land had been a staggering bargain (the      cost to America's treasury worked out to less than three cents an      acre).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Louisiana city of New Orleans was the great gateway to and      from the heart of the country. America's inland waterways-the      Ohio, the Missouri, and the numerous other rivers that emptied      into the Mississippi-amounted to an economic lifeline for farmers,      trappers, and lumbermen upstream. On these waters flatboats and      keelboats were a common sight, carrying manufactured goods from      Pennsylvania, as well as crops, pelts, and logs from the      burgeoning farms and lush forests across the Ohio Valley,      Cumberland Gap, and Great Smoky Mountains. On reaching the      wharves, warehouses, and quays of New Orleans, the goods went      aboard waiting ships to be transported all over the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Although Louisiana became a state in April 1812, the British still      questioned the legitimacy of America's ownership of the Louisiana      Territory-Napoleon had taken Louisiana from Spain and, to some      Europeans, it remained rightfully a possession of the Spanish      Crown. Jackson feared that sort of thinking could provide the      British with just the pretext they needed to interfere with the      American experiment-capturing New Orleans would be the perfect way      to disrupt America's western expansion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Now that America had finally gone to war, many nagging practical      questions hung in the air in Washington. Who would determine      America's military strategy? Who would lead the nation to war? The      generals of the revolutionary generation were aging or dead. The      passing of George Washington had sent the nation into mourning      thirteen years before, and no military leader had the stature to      take the general's place. Although the country had prevailed in      the previous decade in a war on the Barbary Coast of North Africa,      defeating pirate states that had attacked its shipping and held      its men hostage, this was a bigger fight for even bigger stakes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Although neither Mr. Madison nor the members of Congress could      know it in June 1812, the burden of protecting the West would      eventually settle onto the narrow but resilient shoulders of      General Andrew Jackson, a man little known and less liked outside      his region. But first Jackson had to convince the men in      Washington that a general from the backwoods was the one to lead      the fight. That would be anything but easy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e How to Lose a War\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Resolved, that we consider the war commenced against        Great Britain under existing circumstances unnecessary,        impolitic and ruinous.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - Citizens of Lincoln County, Maine, August 3, 1812\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Boston Evening Post soon dubbed the conflict \"Mr. Madison's      War.\" With no template to follow-he was the first American      president ever to sign a formal declaration of war-James Madison      was largely on his own.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There was nothing battle-hardened about Madison. Soft-spoken as      well as short, he weighed perhaps 120 pounds. Genteel in manner,      he was sickly and bookish, with a face that bore the age lines of      a man of sixty-one years. He was a far cry from the strategist      George Washington had been and had little choice when it came to      military matters but to rely on the advice of his counselors. Many      of them also lacked war experience.","brand":"Sentinel","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303095029989,"sku":"NP9780735213241","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780735213241.jpg?v=1767721565","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/andrew-jackson-and-the-miracle-of-new-orleans-isbn-9780735213241","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}