Americans believed that a vastly powerful British fleet and army had sailed for New Orleans (Jackson himself thought 25,000 troops were coming), and most expected the worst. The news of victory, one man recalled, "came upon the country like a clap of thunder in the clear azure vault of the firmament, and traveled with electromagnetic velocity, throughout the confines of the land." The battle boosted the reputation of Andrew Jackson and helped to propel him ultimately to the White House. The anniversary of the battle was celebrated as a national holiday for many years, called "The Eighth", following Jackson's election as President and ended after 1861 and it continues to be commemorated in south Louisiana.
|
posted 2661 days ago