Political life in Washington had left a bad taste in
Jackson’s mouth, and he returned to Tennessee after his
single term in Congress vowing never to run for po-
litical office again. Nevertheless, before the year 1797
had ended, he was elected to a seat in the United States
Senate. Jackson saw that his upward climb in Tennessee
would be hampered by a refusal to serve. However, after
only one year in the Senate, Jackson resigned his seat
in April 1798 and again returned to Tennessee, where
he was named as a judge on the Superior Court, then
the equivalent of a modern state Supreme Court. He
remained on this court for six years, resigning in 1804,
upon which he returned to his business ventures.
When Congress declared war against the British on
18 June 1812, Jackson was not immediately called to
serve because he had sided with former vice president
Aaron Burr in his plans for establishing a new state,
perhaps a new nation, in Florida or Texas. However, in
October 1812, Tennessee governor William Blount was
asked to provide troops to help General James Wilkin-
son defend the city of New Orleans against a British
invasion. Blount named Jackson as commander of the
Tennessee forces, but as Jackson marched toward Loui-
siana, he became involved instead in the Creek War. On
30 August 1813, a group of Creek Indians under Red
Eagle attacked and murdered some 250 white settlers in
Alabama. After several battles against the Creek, Jackson
defeated them at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on 27
March 1814.
President James Madison, recognizing Jackson’s
abilities, promoted him to the rank of major general and
commander of the Seventh Military District. Jackson
then marched his army to New Orleans, where, in De-
cember 1814 and January 1815, he defeated the British
in an important American military victory. Historian
George Bruce writes: “[The] city, held by a garrison of
6,000 Americans under General Jackson, was attacked in
December 1814 by a British force of 6,000 men under
General [John] Keane, aided by the fleet. On the 13th
the American warships lying in the Mississippi [river]
were captured by a boat attack, and by the 21st the
whole of the troops were disembarked. After a few skir-
mishes General Sir Edward Pakenham arrived and took
command on the 25th, and by 1 January 1815 a de-
termined attack was made upon the American position.
This failed and owing to supply difficulties the British
retired. On the 8th they attacked again with 5,300 men
but were again repulsed, with a loss of 1,500, including
Pakenham. The expedition then withdrew.”
The battle was a landmark victory for the American
forces, and particularly for Jackson, who was thereafter
known as “The Hero of New Orleans.” What no one at
New Orleans knew was that a ceasefire had been declared
days before the battle began, but because of the slowness
of communications, word of the peace treaty—signed at
Ghent, Belgium, on 24 December 1814—did not arrive
in time. Congress nonetheless presented Jackson with a
formal vote of thanks and a gold medal on 27 February
1815.
Jackson was then sent south by President James
Madison without specific orders, but historians gener-
ally believe it was hoped that he would find an excuse
to fight Spanish forces and capture what is now Florida
for the United States. His troops quickly captured two
Spanish forts inside Florida, and he installed one of his
commanders as the territory’s new military governor.
The Spanish lodged a diplomatic protest with Wash-
ington, and a heated debate began in the governmentAndrew Jackson
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