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VOICE ONE:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English.

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As we reported last week, the United States and Britain openedpeace talks at Ghent, in Belgium, in the summer ofEighteen-Fourteen. But Britain was in no hurry to agree on a peacetreaty. British forces were planning several campaigns in the UnitedStates later in the year. Successful military campaigns could forcethe United States to accept the kind of treaty Britain wanted.

British representatives to the talks demanded that the UnitedStates give control of its Northwest Territory to the Indians. Theyalso asked that the United States give part of the state of Maine toCanada, and make other changes in the border.

VOICE TWO:

United States representatives were led by John Quincy Adams, sonof former president John Adams. They made equally tough demands. TheUnited States wanted payment for damages suffered during the war. Italso demanded that Britain stop seizing American seamen for theBritish navy. And the United States wanted all of Canada.

The British representatives said they could not even discuss thequestion of impressing Americans into the British navy.

John Quincy Adams had little hope the talks would succeed. TheAmericans would surrender none of their territory. Old John Adams,the former president, told President James Madison: "I wouldcontinue this war forever before surrendering an acre of America."

His son, John Quincy, did not believe the British would reduceany of their demands. But another of the Americans at Ghent, HouseSpeaker Henry Clay, felt differently. Clay was right. After Britainreceived word that its military campaigns had failed at Baltimoreand Plattsburgh, its representatives became easier to negotiatewith. They dropped the demand that the United States give theNorthwest Territory to the Indians.

VOICE ONE:

Britain still hoped for military successes in America. TheBritish government asked the duke of Wellington to lead Britishforces in Canada. The duke had won important victories in the waragainst Napoleon. Perhaps he could do the same in America. The dukewas offered the power to continue the war or to make peace.

Wellington told the government he would go to America ifrequested. But he refused to promise any success. He said it was nota new general that Britain needed in America, but naval control ofthe Great Lakes that separated the United States from Canada.

"The question is," Wellington said, "can we get this navalcontrol? If we cannot, then I will do you no good in America. Ithink," said Wellington, "that you might as well sign a peace treatywith the United States now. I think you have no right to demand anyterritory from the United States. The failure of the Britishmilitary campaigns in America gives you no right to make suchdemands."

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The British government accepted this advice from its top militaryexpert. It ordered the British representatives at Ghent to drop thedemands for American territory. The Americans then dropped theirdemands for Canadian territory.

The things that led to the war no longer existed. Britain's warwith France had caused the British and French to interfere withneutral American trade. And Britain had needed men for its navy.Now, the war with France was over. No longer was there any reason tointerfere with the trade of any nation. And no longer was there anyneed to seize Americans for service in the British navy.

On the day before Christmas, Eighteen-Fourteen, the United Statesand Britain signed a simple treaty. In it, each side agreed to stopfighting. They agreed to settle all their differences at futurenegotiations.

VOICE ONE:

The war had ended. But one more battle was to be fought beforenews of the peace treaty reached the United States.

During the autumn of Eighteen-Fourteen, British soldiers atJamaica began preparing for an attack against New Orleans, at themouth of the Mississippi River. Late in November, this force ofabout seven-thousand five-hundred men sailed from Jamaica to NewOrleans.

The British soldiers were commanded by General Sir EdwardPakenham. The general did not take his men directly to the mouth ofthe Mississippi River. Instead, they sailed across a lake east ofthe city.

Early during the afternoon of December Twenty-Third, GeneralAndrew Jackson, the commander of American forces at New Orleans,learned the British force was near.

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General Jackson was a good soldierand a great leader of men. He fought in the Revolutionary War, thenstudied law. He moved west to Nashville, Tennessee. The general alsoserved in both houses of the United States Congress.

When war broke out in Eighteen-Twelve, he was elected general ofa group of volunteer soldiers from Tennessee. Jackson was a roughman. His soldiers feared and respected him. They called him "OldHickory", because he seemed as tough as hickory wood.

Jackson was given responsibility for defending the gulf coast.Earlier in the year, he had attacked Pensacola, in east Florida, andforced out several hundred British marines. Jackson believed theBritish would attack Mobile before attacking New Orleans. He leftpart of his forces at Mobile and took the others to the mouth of theMississippi.

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Jackson was a sick man when he got to New Orleans. And what hefound made him feel no better. Little had been done to prepare forthe expected British attack. Jackson declared martial law and beganbuilding the city's defenses.

Most of the work on the defenses had been completed when Jacksongot word that the British were only a few kilometers from NewOrleans. "Gentlemen," Jackson told his officers, "the British arebelow. We must fight them tonight."

The British soldiers rested. They believed it would be easy tocapture the city the next day. But Jackson rushed up guns and men,and attacked the British by surprise just after dark. Then, theAmericans retreated to a place about eight kilometers south of thecity.

VOICE TWO:

Jackson had chosen this place carefully. On the right was theMississippi River. On the left was a swamp -- mud and water thatcould not be crossed. In front of the American soldiers was an openfield.

For two weeks, the Britishsoldiers waited. They tested the American defenses at severalplaces, but found no weaknesses. Every day, Jackson had his menimprove their positions. At night, small groups of Jackson'ssoldiers would slip across the field and silently attack Britishsoldiers guarding the other side.

Finally, on January Eighth, the British attacked. They expectedthe Americans to flee in the face of their strong attack. But theAmericans stood firm.

Jackson's artillery fired into the enemy. When the British got asclose as one-hundred-fifty meters, the Americans began to fire theirlong rifles. The rain of bullets and shells was deadly. GeneralPakenham was wounded twice and then killed by a shell that explodednear him. Only one British soldier reached the top of the Americandefenses.

VOICE ONE:

The British finally retreated. They left behind more thantwo-thousand dead and wounded. Five-hundred other British soldiershad been captured. Thirteen Americans were killed. It was a greatvictory for the United States, but one that was not necessary. Thewar had ended, by treaty, two weeks earlier.

At the same time that the battle of New Orleans was being fought,New England Federalists were meeting in a special convention atHartford, Connecticut. The purpose of the meeting was to protestagainst the war, and plan for a convention to change the UnitedStates Constitution.

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VOICE TWO:

You have been listening to the Special English program, THEMAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were Maurice Joyce and StuartSpencer. Our program was written by Frank Beardsley.