Battle of New Orleans

In the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, 5,000 British soldiers charged in a frontal assault against General Andrew Jackson and his sharpshooters from his native state of Tennessee. Sharpshooters from Kentucky also joined them, as did the French pirate Jean Lafitte and his men.

In a mere half-hour, over 2000 British were killed at a cost of only 8 American lives. This provided the young country of America with her first huge victory in battle and, even though the War of 1812 had technically already ended prior to this battle, it made General Jackson a national hero.

General Jackson wrote to Robert Hays about this battle, "It appears that the unerring hand of Providence shielded my men from the shower of balls, bombs, and rockets, when every ball and bomb from our guns carried with them a mission of death."

General Jackson said to Secretary of War James Monroe, "Heaven, to be sure, has interposed most wonderfully in our behalf, and I am filled with gratitude, when I look back to what we have escaped."

General Jackson later credited God for giving him a sign. "I was sure of success, for I knew that God would not give me previsions of disaster, but signs of victory. He said this ditch can never be passed. It cannot be done."