Helping him is a devilish French pirate, Jean Laffite, who rebuffs a substantial bribe from the British and together with his erstwhile enemy saves the city from invasion . . . much to the grateful chagrin of New Orleanians shocked to find themselves on the same side as the brazen buccaneer. Winston Groom brings his considerable storytelling gifts to the re-creation of this remarkable battle and to the portrayal of its main players. Against the richly evocative backdrop of French New Orleans, he illuminates Jackson’s brilliant strategy and tactics, as well as the antics and cutthroat fighting prowess of Laffite and his men.
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Background Information
New Orleans, near the mouth of the Mississippi, was the principal city in French America and became the capital of the state of Louisiana. The final battle of the War of 1812 took place after the peace had been signed, but the victorious Andrew Jackson hadn't heard the news. Andrerw Jackson represented a break with the aristocratic tradition of American politics and the rise of the common man..