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

Definitely a fun read. Like most of Winston Groom's historical works, it's not aimed at historians or buffs of the period or war in question but at the general reading public and on that level it works very well. Certainly,we get strong portraits of the various personalities and very entertaining descriptions of the battle itself. Scholars and other more serious readers though should probably look elsewhere.Certainly Andrew Jackson was not only the man of the hour but probably the best possible man for the occasion, with a deep seated hatred for the British and remarkable determination. But Jean Laffite seems to have been a far more interesting personality and surprisingly devoted to his new nation, especially so given that the government of Lousianna was spending a lot of time and energy trying to prosecute him just prior to the battle. Not to mention the Britsh commander spent a lot of time and energy to recruit him to their side with a very lucrative offer. Andrew and Jean made a very odd couple indeed and it took some time to convince General Jackson could be trusted or had anything to offer. But the book makes it pretty clear it probably would not have gone our way, much to th e surprise of the US public and the British army without Monsieur Laffite, .Interestingly enough, Winston Groom feels strong emotional ties to the battle as one of his ancestors figured prominently in the outcome. His feelings make this a very personal work for him as he makes clear in the book.

If you read the sample, this is a good example of not judging a book by the sample! I was interested in the Battle of New Orleans after finding some family connections to the campaign. This book was priced low enough that I took a chance... after reading the sample which discussed the authors personal connection to the battle I expected to see a book focused on that aspect rather than a general overview of the campaign. With that said, this was exactly to book I was looking for an I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand this battle and the War of 1812 in general and the Battle of New Orleans specifically. It should be noted that the writing is excellent and the author also wrote Forrest Gump and another non-fiction book that was nominated for a Pulitzer.I would recommend that the author extend the sample to include the at least one additional chapter so the sample reader could properly evaluate this book.*Will look harder at the authors other historical non-fiction books.

Andrew Jackson has fallen out of favor in recent years since he was a ruthless warrior and (gasp!) a slave owner, but he was a product of his times and his foundational distrust of Central Banking has and will continue to stand the test of time. I was especially interested in the story of the Laffite brothers and their contribution to the Battle of New Orleans. I think Jackson's failure to reward their contributions, especially Jean's, was a tremendous moral failing.The battle descriptions are phenomenal, utilizing letters and diary entries from both sides to bring the harsh realities of war to life. When one considers how the Americans defeated the most feared army and navy in the world, with a rag tag militia and a small contingent of regular troops, it is really quite an amazing story. For the most part, Americans today are far too soft to be able to do what our ancestors were able to accomplish under terrible circumstances.

The Battle of New Orleans which pitted the British Army that defeated Napoleon, against a ragtag force of Kentucky and Tennessee woodsmen, citizen militia of New Orleans, Choctaw Indians, amd of course the Baratarian Pirates of Jean Laffite, a motley crew indeed. It did not go well for the British that day, and preserved the Louisiana Purchase.

We took the Steam Boat from New Orleans to Memphis for the Civil War Tour. Being in New Orleans for the first time required taking a tour of the Chalmette Battlefield to be on the site of the greatest American victory overshadowed by the events half a century later in the Civil War. This is the place that restored American esteem after the disastrous defeats of the War of 1812 in the East, save for the defense of Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Our history is being lost, as far as I can tell, in the schools our children and grandchildren are now matriculating through. How to instill in them the grand traditions of our Republic and what it took to create and preserve it is becoming an ever more daunting task. This well written book is worth having available. It wasn't just the final day with the one large attack. What faced Andrew Jackson and how the many smaller battles figured into the tactics and heroism on both sides is well worth knowing and noting.

As a Louisiana resident for the past 4 decades, I've visited the Chalmette Battleground. But, I really didn't know much about it. The next time I go there, it will be with a new sense of history and of respect. This is a great read for all those interested in early American history. Also, I have great respect for Jackson.

Fantastic quality, well packaged for clean delivery and on time. They even added a National Park flyer from the Chalmette Battlefield, who does that... nice! Greatly appreciated.

I learned a lot about this final land battle of the War of 1812 from this book and gained a new respect for the military qualities of Gen. Andrew Jackson. Also learned about the contributions of Jean Lafitte and his privateers to the victory on the day of battle in January 1815.