Patriots

By January 1815, the Patriot War had failed completely. Southerners interested in Florida took heart, however, in a new military hero, a man who appeared far more capable than the hapless Patriots of seizing the territory. In two breathtaking battles, General Andrew Jackson had secured the peace of the South. First, he defeated rebellious Creeks at Horseshoe Bend (1814). Then, of greater strategic significance, he defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans (1814-15), concluding the War of 1812. 

The daring general now commanded the Army of the Southeast and was the glory of the nation. His next target was Spanish Florida.