Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) - known to his Creek enemies as “Mad Dog Jackson” or “Old Mad Jackson.” After the Fort Mims attack, he railed against the “horrid butcheries” committed there, and called for a “spirit of revenge.” Jackson’s desire for revenge never softened. He drove himself and his volunteers hard, and exacted enormous punishment from the Creeks (friend and foe) when he finally won the war. Jackson’s reputation as a war hero began with the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and continued to grow. With the successful completion of the Creek War, Jackson was promoted to Major General in the United States Army for the duration of the War of 1812. He soundly defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans. The American victory in the War of 1812 dashed any lingering British hopes of dominating the continent, and accelerated the westward movement of the American frontier.Sam Houston (1793-1863) - Wounded at horseshoe bend, Sam Houston went on to become governor of Tennessee, and later th...
