The South in 1814 "That large country on our borders must be surrendered to us. And it will be - from the Floridas to Mexico!" General Andrew Jackson The Creek War The December Defense of New Orleans The Arrival of the British The Battle of New Orleans Eyewitness accounts

Jackson’s Defense With the arrival of British troops on the Gulf Coast in August of 1812, who were reportedly collecting and training Red Sticks, Jackson felt that the British campaign he had long expected, had finally begun. His intuition told him that the British would try to dislodge the Americans from Mobile, the recently- acquired Spanish possession, before contemplating a move against the more difficult target of New Orleans. With limited supplies and only two thousand regulars to protect his entire command, Jackson began an amazing series of improvised, but effective, defensive measures. Anticipating an attack, Jackson outfitted Fort Bowyer at Mobile with some new earthen batteries and more guns. Four British warships with a total of 78 guns appeared at Mobile Point in mid-September. After failing to penetrate the force with a land force made up of marines and Creeks, the British attempted a combined land and naval attack. A lucky shot by the American defenders disabled the British flagship and the operation fell apart. The British retired to their temporary base at Spanish Pensacola. Jackson was man that liked to control events around him. Realizing that he could use the British occupation of Pensacola as justification to seize the town (despite orders to the contrary from War Secretary James Monroe), Jackson marched a 4000-strong force of regulars and volunteers into Spanish Florida. They surrounded the town unnoticed by the British warships or the 500 Spanish soldiers guarding Fort San Carlos de Barrancas. After a brief resistance, the Spaniards were left to deal with Jackson’s fury as the British fleet sailed out of Pensacola Bay, blowing up what fortifications they could. Despite Jackson’s outward projection of confidence to the War Department - “I flatter myself that we have given the British such an alarm at Pensacola that they will dread an approach in this quarter” - he feared that the British might outflank him and move on Mobile. Leaving Pensacola only lightly garrisoned, he hurriedly moved the rest of his force back to Mobile. Reports from traders in the Gulf began to surface, stating that a large British force was gathering in the West Indies and planned to attack New Orleans. Initially, Jackson would not be swayed by reports from what he considered to be unreliable sources. Realizing that defending all the entrances to New Orleans would take a while, he knew he could wait no longer and risk being caught off guard. On November 22, Jackson left a large number of his regulars at Mobile, still believing that the major strike would occur there, and headed off towards New Orleans. Along the way, he sent out dispatches calling out all available militia units, including 2800 mounted Tennessee riflemen under his old friend and fellow Red Stick campaigner, John Coffee. If reports about the size of the seasoned British force were true, Jackson would need every man he could get.