Illustrated throughout, this compact volume explores one of the most famous battles of the War of 1812.The conflict that broke out in 1812 seemed born of an almost subconscious desire for a war to complete the separation of America from England begun by the War of Independence. The war when it came was bloody and hard fought. In one last attempt to break the deadlock the British sent Major-General Sir Edward Pakenham to capture New Orleans. The troops he commanded were elite, veteran regiments. Andrew Jackson, leading the defenders, commanded a mixed force including militia, free Black battalions, Native Americans and a group of local pirates.This book describes how this mixed force decisively defeated the British veterans in a battle that has become part of American legend.