Washington had been captured and her princi pal public buildings burned, and New Orleans, the Crescent City, would now, it was thought, be the next point of attack by the British.
To New Orleans, therefore, “to defend a defenseless city, which had neither fleets nor forts, means nor men,” came Jackson.
His entrance into the city was quiet and unostentatious and so devoid of the pomp and pageantry of a victorious general as to cause question in the minds of some as to whether or not this was the man expected. His dress was plain in the extreme, and bore upon it no insignia of rank; yet those there were, of insight, who saw in his every aspect the man of power.
From eye and posture and gesture emanated a certain indefinable force that attracted men to him, and created in them an enthusiasm for his cause. Old and young who came under his influence were ready to do his bidding.
To the terrified women and children of New Orleans who appealed to him for protection from the enemy, he replied:—
“The British shall not enter the city except over my dead body. ”
His words and his presence inspired confidence. And when his flag was run up above his headquarters in Royal Street a sense of security was felt by the inhabitants.
The conditions about him, however, were far from promising, and to a less determined spirit than that of Jackson would have been appalling.
The troops under him were few in number and poorly equipped for battle. The Crescent City was ill equipped for defense. The governor and the Legislature were at loggerheads.
As was his way in a crisis, General Jackson took matters into his own hands.