A gripping account of the man who emerged as a national hero through his military successes, and became the seventh President of the United States.
Orphan. Frontiersman. President. The rise of Andrew Jackson to the highest office in America has become a legend of leadership, perseverance, and ambition. Central to Jackson's historic climb, long before the White House, was his military service. Scarred permanently as a child by the sword of a British soldier, Jackson grew into an unwavering leader, a general whose charisma and sheer force of personality called to mind those of George Washington a generation earlier.
As commander of the Tennessee militia in the War of 1812, Jackson became "Old Hickory," the indomitable spearhead in a series of bloody conflicts with the Creek on the southwest frontier. Slight of frame with silver hair that seemed to stand on command, Jackson once stood down a mutinous brigade as an army of one. Then came New Orleans. Author Paul Vickery chronicles Jackson's defining battle and the decisions a single, impassioned commander made to ensure a growing nation could, once and for all, be free of British might. The hero of New Orleans infused America, for the first time, with a sense of nationalism.
Jackson was decisive and unforgiving, a commander firmly in his element. In his own words, "One man with courage makes a majority." The lessons of one extraordinary general endure.
