The Papers of Andrew Jackson, Volume III, 1814-1815

This third volume of The Papers of Andrew Jackson documents Jackson’s rise to national prominence through his military leadership in the War of 1812. With the spread of news of his victory over the British forces at New Orleans on January 8, 1815, he became a national hero. Not since George Washington had anyone so captured the heart and imagination of the American people.

Covering two years, 1814-1815, the documents of this volume chronicle Jackson’s roles as Creek Indian fighter, United States army commander, and Indian treaty negotiator, first as one of two major generals in the Tennessee militia, later as commander of the 7th Military District, and, after mid-1815, as one of two major generals in the United States Army and commander of the Southern Division.

The commanding officer that emerges is one supremely devoted to duty, honor, and country, but one whose ability to meet his obligations was hampered by short terms of enlistment, desertions, inadequate supplies and munitions, and occasionally government neglect. Jackson’s intense commitment to his military tasks, especially his decisions to invade Pensacola in the fall of 1814 and to continue martial law in New Orleans in the spring of 1815 after the British withdrawal, caused some concern for Washington. That uneasiness was shortlived, however, and in no way demeaned his military achievements during the Gulf campaign or impeached his reputation.

Jackson’s military obligations during these years dictated a sacrifice of the joys of family and the comforts of home. Yet, the documents reveal a loving and loyal family man, always eager to reunite with the wife and the son he had left at the Hermitage. But the Hermitage Jackson returned to in 1815 was not the same he had left in 1814, nor was he the same man. The farm had suffered neglect in his absence and he was short of cash. Jackson was no longer a regional figure, able to enjoy the peace and quiet of his farm and family. He had become perhaps the most popular man in the country, and his actions in these two years would be subjected to intense scrutiny as he became a leading presidential contender.