Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans Book

I'm afraid that prior to this book, my knowledge of the War of 1812 was largely limited to three things: 1) The Americans defeated the British. 2) The British burned Washington. 3) The Battle of New Orleans was fought after the war ended and became a smash hit song for Johnny Horton. Winston Groom's Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans provides an excellent, readable antidote to my ignorance through an engaging examination of how the battle transpired, why it was so important, and the personalities behind it.

The first half of the volume gives a breezy overview of the War of 1812 and capsule biographies of hard-nosed territorial lawyer Andrew Jackson and roguish privateer Jean Lafitte. The war was not going well for the Americans, militarily or economically, to the point that New England states were threatening secession. The British brought a militarily stronger force to take New Orleans, which would have divided the Louisiana Purchase from the rest of the young American nation and given the British a new colonial toehold. While the Treaty of Ghent technically ended the War of 1812 on the eve of the Battle of New Orleans, a British victory along the Gulf Coast would have continued the military conflict--most likely disastrously for the US.

Into this scenario came two men: Andrew Jackson and Jean Lafitte. (NB: Groom uses the French "Laffite" rather than the Anglicized "Lafitte" that is more commonly seen in Louisiana.) The book examines how each man's contribution was vital to the victory of an untrained, inexperienced, and underequipped ragtag force of American volunteers and militia against the most powerful European army of the day, fresh from victory against Napoleon. Jackson used backwoods experience, hatred of the British, tireless work, and military knowledge to establish a defensible position suited to his troops.

Groom makes a convincing case that Lafitte's contributions were essential to Jackson's victory, and that Lafitte was poorly treated after the battle. Lafitte and his Baratarian privateers brought vital munitions, gunnery skills, and knowledge of the terrain, even though he had little reason to side with the Americans. In fact, he was offered substantial incentive (including funds of about 2 million in today's dollars!) to take the British side, yet he chose the Americans who actively prosecuted him for privateering and seized his goods instead! Also important were British arrogance and inability to adapt to warfare as it was carried out in the New World, which Groom examines in passing.

Patriotic Fire is written as history for non-historians, with few citations. Groom occasionally chooses narrative over accuracy, relaying other historians' conclusion with little examination of the dissenting viewpoints. Though he clearly identifies these sections, this makes his text seem less authoritative. I found one glaring error; Thomas ap Catesby Jones did not command the CSS Virginia (incorrectly referred to as the USS Merrimac in the text) in the Civil War, as he died in 1858; Catesby ap Roger Jones assumed command of the ironclad during the battle with the USS Monitor. That said, the flow of the book is excellent; it is well-written, easy to understand, and provided a clear recounting of its subject matter.

Patriotic Fire is an interesting, enlightening look at events that are often treated as a historical footnote, despite being pivotal to the history of America.