The Battle of New Orleans was fought 210 years ago today...

On January 8, 1815, a ragtag American army made up of militia, natives, slaves, Haitians, and even pirates defeated the mighty British army in the fields and swamps outside the city of New Orleans. This victory would make famous the already celebrated General Andrew Jackson, catapulting him to the presidency a mere nine years later. The battle itself was a lopsided affair. Despite outnumbering the forces opposing them, the British got absolutely wrecked while attempting frontal assaults against prepared positions. The red coats would suffer 2,037 combined casualties within a matter of minutes (291 killed, 1,262 wounded, and 484 missing/captured). American losses would stand at just 71 (13 killed, 39 wounded, 19 missing/captured).

While known to history as the last battle of the War of 1812, the conflict itself had actually come to an end several weeks prior when diplomats signed a treaty ending the war at Ghent in modern day Belgium on Christmas Eve. News of this would not reach the Americas for several months, however.

Here's a video explaining the battle from the battlefield itself: