Jackson called a conference of engineers to find out how best to seal off New Orleans from invasion. As New Orleans was largely surrounded by swamps, one method was to fell huge trees to clog the smaller waterways leading to the city. This was done, but not thoroughly enough, so the British did come through in boats. Jackson also accepted the services of Jean Lafitte, a famous local pirate, and 600 free blacks of New Orleans, …showed first 75 words of 241 total…

…showed last 75 words of 241 total…S. had declared war, lost much, fought for the most part incompetently, and had to sign a treaty ratifying the old status quo. The battle was thus an enormous boost to U.S. morale, and was the main personal factor that put Jackson in the White House 14 years later. It also was a show of strength by a formerly weak-looking nation, increasing the United States' negotiating powers with Spain, Mexico, and Britain in the future.