Osprey's examination of the War of 1812, which was the product of the United States' wish to free itself from the British Empire. The conflict that broke out in 1812 seemed born of an almost subconscious desire for a war to complete the separation of America from England begun by the War of Independence (1775-1783). The war, when it came, was bloody and hard fought. In one last attempt to break the deadlock the British sent Major-General Sir Edward Pakenham to capture New Orleans. The troops he commanded were elite, veteran regiments. Andrew Jackson, leading the defenders, commanded a mixed force including militia, free Negro battalions, Indians and a group of local pirates. This title describes how this mixed force decisively defeated the British veterans in a battle that has become part of American legend.