Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans. New York: Sentinel, 2017. Print.

Those of us alive in the fifties or early sixties might recall a popular ballad called “The Battle of New Orleans.’

In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississipp’
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans

The ballad was humorous and exaggerated, but it did distill the essence of the Battle of New Orleans in December of 1814 and January of 1815. This little volume, Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans, tells a more factual story of the battle, and that it was truly miraculous in nature.

We do get some background concerning Andrew Jackson. During the American Revolution, he watched as an older brother was scalped by British soldiers. He would say that he waited twenty-five years to avenge his brother’s death.

Jackson actually was a militia general, not a colonel, in 1814. He had successfully fought Creek Indians who were attacking some settlements in Tennessee and Alabama. He made a reliable and respectful peace with their leader, Red Eagle, a.k.a. William Weatherford.

Receiving instructions from Washington to go to New Orleans to counter a possible English attack, Jackson managed to round up a team that included militias from several states and territories, free blacks, Indians, sailors from many nations, and pirates. They were still greatly outnumbered. Their ammunition was in short supply.

This would be the last battle of the War of 1812, a war that had not started out especially well for the Americans. Washington was burned. The fact that that did not turn out worse was something of a miracle itself. As the British were beginning to burn the capital city down, a strong rainstorm, likely accompanied by rare tornado, limited their actions. And, as we all know from our national anthem, Baltimore held.

What was new to this reader was the significance of New Orleans. Yes, it was the key port at the mouth of the Mississippi River and that whoever controlled that could hold down the rest of the center of the continent. That was demonstrated by Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan during the Civil War. I wonder if Scott got this from studying the War of 1812. But there was more.

Though originally settled by France, Spain was given the Louisiana Territory after the Seven-Years’ War (America’s French and Indian War). Though culturally French, it remained Spanish until Napoleon conquered Spain. As a result, since England was still fighting Napoleon in 1814, England did not recognize either the French rule of Louisiana or the Louisiana Purchase in which France sold the territory to the United States.

The admiral leading the attack on New Orleans, if the attack were successful, was to be named Governor of Louisiana. The British-proposed terms of the peace treaty with the United States being hashed out in Ghent, Belgium, included language indicating that Britain would retain whatever territory it was holding at the time the treaty was ratified.

Although the three Americans negotiating the treaty—Albert Gallatin, John Quincy Adams, and Henry Clay—had different interests and were often at odds with one another, they recognized there was substance behind the inclusion of such a statement in the proposed treaty. They warned Washington that something was likely afoot.

Indeed, a fleet of about fifty vessels was being assembled in Jamaica to attack the Gulf Coast. Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans details the fighting. Against great odds, Americans held control of Mobile Bay, so the British decided to attack New Orleans directly from the “toe” of Louisiana’s boot.

There is a lot about the culture of New Orleans. Most people in New Orleans spoke French. Fortunately for Jackson, his old friend and former congressman Edward Livingston had married into the Creole society and was an esteemed New Orleans resident.

We learn that the British approached pirate Jean Lafitte about helping them with the promise of a large sum of money and release from any outstanding warrants. Lafitte, a Frenchman at heart, did not trust them and reported to the leaders in New Orleans that he had met with them and what their plans were.

There was more intrigue, but read the book for yourself to find out.

Kilmeade and Yaeger note that among the soldiers fighting for Jackson were future congressman David (“Davy”) Crockett and future governor of Texas Sam Houston.

We also get a sense of Jackson’s skill as a military leader. He was greatly outnumbered (though the figures have gotten hazy in history) in most of his Indian battles and in his encounters with the British, but he was persistent and brave. The men who served under him admired his resourcefulness. He was practical and took reasonable advice wherever it came from. The recommendation that he build up a line around a disused canal adjacent to the River using cotton bales may have come from a slave. That made no difference to him.

The Battle of New Orleans insured that the Mississippi River would remain American. It also brought Andrew Jackson national fame and admiration. That fame plus his respect for the common man would eventually propel him to the White House.

From Kilmeade and Yaeger’s persepctive, there was one other power behind the miracle of New Orleans: the Convent of the Ursuline Nuns. Not only did the convent become a hospital for the wounded of both sides, but its sisters prayed fervently that their city would be protected. Even today every year on January 8 there is a solemn mass at the convent thanking God for His deliverance on that day in 1815.