Jackson

powerful connections, Jackson was further weak-
ened politically by the affair.

Jackson lived the life of a country gentleman
from 1806 until 1812. Then the second war with
Great Britain broke upon the country and gave
him his chance for fame. The massacre by the
Creeks of the inmates of Fort Mims in the Mis-
sissippi Territory was followed by a call upon
Tennessee for assistance. Willie Blount, half-
brother to William, was then in the guberna-
torial chair, and he gave to his friend Jackson
the command of the forces sent by Tennessee to
subdue the hostile natives. The country through
which the latter had to march was naturally dif-
ficult, and without roads of any kind. The troops
under his command were militiamen and volun-
teers enlisted for short tours of duty. His sup-
plies had to be shipped down the river from East
Tennessee. The enemy gave him far less trouble
than his "friends/* but he overcame all obstacles
and accomplished the seemingly impossible by
defeating the Indians at Horseshoe Bend (Mar.
27, 1814). It was perhaps not a great feat of
generalship, but it was a supreme feat of will.
The victory established his military reputation
and brought him a commission as major-general
in the army of the United States. It was in this
capacity that he was called upon to defend New
Orleans against the veterans of Wellington whom
the British sent against that city. The military
problem was a relatively simple one, for the en-
emy had to approach the city along a narrow
strip of land lying between the river and the
marsh, and Jackson selected for his main line of
defense an old canal lying athwart this passage.
Again his main problem was tactical rather than
strategic, for his troops were motley and undis-
ciplined. Collecting his militiamen from Ken-
tucky and Tennessee, his Creoles, his negroes, and
his pirates, he threw up a palisade and manned
the canal. Thrice the British attacked with des-
perate bravery, and three of their generals were
left lying upon the bloody field of Chalmette.
Finally the thin red line recoiled, and New Or-
leans was saved But the treaty of peace had
been signed before the battle was fought (Jan.
8, 1815). The victory was without effect upon
the peace with Britain, but by no means without
effect upon the peace within the United States.
It created a president, a party, and a tradition.

This battle made Jackson the major hero of
the war, and a national figure of the first magni-
tude. He w'as now forty-eight years of age. Tall
and slender even to the point of emaciation, his
frail body supported a head of great strength.
His face was long and narrow, with a high fore-
head and hair which stood stiffly erect. His eyes

Jackson

were small and blue and kindled with a burning
fire. His nose was straight and his mouth gen-
erous and strong, but the teeth were too long
and the upper lip too heavy. The jaw was thin
and lantern, but the chin was firm and clear-cut.
It was an impressive countenance, and one alto-
gether distinctive (H. A. Wise, Seven Decades
of the Union, 1872, p. 80). The character of his
mind was even more distinctive than was his ap-
pearance. His temper was hot and his spirit
high, yet he could restrain emotions or play them
up for the sake of effect. He spoke volubly, in
a vehement and somewhat declamatory manner,
but with perfect self-possession. He was tender
and gentle with those whom he loved, and loyal
to those whom he considered his friends. He
hated his enemies with unabated fervor, and all
who opposed him were his foes. He was strong-
willed and impetuous in action, yet he reflected
carefully before coming to a decision. In polit-
ical matters he sometimes deferred to the advice
of others, but as often acted upon his own ini-
tiative. The course which he followed in such
cases depended primarily upon whether the sub-
ject were one which touched him personally, or
whether it were one upon which he could look
objectively.

Shortly after the battle, it occurred to several
keen politicians, including Aaron Burr, Edward
Livingston, and William Carroll, that the vic-
torious general had become a presidential possi-
bility. But Monroe was the incumbent and he
was scheduled for reelection in 1820. Jackson
was his friend and had no intention, of competing
with him. Though the General denied that he
sought office, it is clear that his thoughts began
to turn toward Washington. His prospects were
disturbed by the Seminole affair of 1818. In this
year Jackson was sent to chastise some Florida
Indians who were making trouble along the Ala-
bama-Georgia border. Believing that he was
acting in accord with the wishes of the admin-
istration, but without official authorization, he
followed the natives across the international line
and captured the Spanish town of Pensacola. In
addition to this, he hanged two British subjects
who had been exercising hostile influence among
the red men. The government was thus brought
face to face with the possibility of war with both
Great Britain and Spain, and it was left for
Monroe and his advisers to find a way out of
the difficulty in which the over-zealous Jackson
had involved them. The President and every
member of the cabinet save John Quincy Adams
felt that Jackson had exceeded his authority and
that his acts should be disavowed, but the Secre-
tary of State advised that the blame be put upon

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