rrel with his intimate friend, Colonel Benton, who had helped him so
much at Washington. The difficulty with the Creek Indians arising;
Jackson with his characteristic energy helped to subjugate them. His
victory over the Indians of Horse Shoe Bend is so familiar to every
American school-boy that it is needless to relate the details. He now
gained a national reputation, and was made a major-general in the United
States army, and soon became the acknowledged military leader of the
southwest.

From now General Jackson's star grew steadily brighter, and he began to
develop the sterling qualities which he unmistakably possessed. During
the progress of the war the Spanish authorities who then controlled
Florida, had neither the power nor disposition to demand of the British
due regard to the rights of neutral territory. They seemed to sympathize
with England, as Jackson could gain no satisfaction through his
correspondence with them, and as neither the Spanish or British could be
induced to change their purpose, Jackson, as was his custom both in
politics and war ever afterward, determined to act without orders.

He immediately moved upon Pensacola, razed the town and drove the
English forces out of Florida. Returning to Mobile he learned of the
plan of the British to conquer Louisiana. He immediately marched to New
Orleans, but the city was miserably defended, and his own forces were a
motley crew, consisting of about two thousand. But Jackson made the most
of his opportunities. He learned the plan of the British from the chief
of a band of smugglers. After a few preliminary battles in which as a
whole the Americans were victorious, the British army, now twelve
thousand strong, was joined by General Packenham, who was a
brother-in-law of the great Duke of Wellington, who changed the plans of
the British army. Jackson, at this time, was joined by about two
thousand more troops, but they were poorly armed.

The British captured a whole fleet of gun-boats. This left the way
clear, and it is thought that had the British pushed in then, as Jackson
would have done, nothing could have saved the day for America. Jackson
fell back and threw up earth-works, cotton-bales and sand-bags for
protection, and waited for the enemy. On the memorable day, the eighth
of January, the army advanced; Ridpath says, "They went to a terrible
fate."

Packenham hurled column after column at the American breast-works only
to return bleeding and tor