Andrew Jackson

Through Andrew Jackson, the American people were vicariously purged of shame and frustration. At a moment of disillusionment, Andrew Jackson reaffirmed the young nation's self-belief; he restored its sense of national prowess and destiny. It means nothing, however, to say that Andrew Jackson reinvigorated American nationalism without exploring further the terms in which the United States celebrated its self-love. What needs stressing at this point is that the various concepts which give substance to the abstraction, nationalism, were articulated in terms of Andrew Jackson, so that Andrew Jackson easily became a counter for the ideas themselves.

On February 16, 1815, twelve days after the National Intelligencer, Extra had announced the Almost Incredible Victory of Andrew Jackson at New Orleans, Mr. Troup, of Georgia, rose to address the House of Representatives. The occasion was the proposal of a resolution offering the thanks of the House to General Jackson and his brave associates for their glorious defense of New Orleans. 'Mr. Troup of Geo. said that he congratulated the House on the return of peace - if the peace be honorable, he might be permitted to congratulate the House on the glorious termination of the war. He might be permitted to congratulate them on the glorious termination of the most glorious war ever waged by any people. To the glory of it Gen. Jackson and his army have contributed not a little.'

The Battle of New Orleans was the sort that stirs the imagination. Hastily summoned to New Orleans, Andrew Jackson took command of an ill-organized and ill-equipped body of men recruited from the city of New Orleans and the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The force under Jackson was vastly outnumbered and, except for his own Tennessee troops, had little or no battle experience. Facing them was the finest body of troops at England's command, veterans under Wellington of the peninsular campaign in Spain, led by one of Britain's foremost generals, Sir Edward Packenham. The result still seems incredible.Thus, we have national pride apparently resting upon three main concepts, which for brevity may be designated as 'Nature,' 'Providence,' and 'Will.'

Taken over almost immediately for political purposes, the song is the final expression given to a widely held assumption why Andrew Jackson was able to defeat the British at New Orleans. In 'The Hunters of Kentucky' version of the battle, the terrible slaughter inflicted upon the British was the result of the skill of the frontier rifleman. As might be anticipated from the fact that it worked its way into a popular song, this version of the Battle of New Orleans was widely current from 1815 until it received its classic enunciation in Ludlow's presentation in 1822.

Before we examine 'The Hunters of Kentucky' version of the victory at New Orleans and its popular acceptance, it can be flatly asserted that Jackson's overwhelming victory can in no way be attributed to the sharpshooting skill of the American frontiersman. So what we have in 'The Hunters of Kentucky' is the imputation to a historical event of a cause which has no basis except in the widespread desire of Americans to believe their own imaginative construction of the battle.