officer
after officer was picked off by those unequalled marksmen, the field was
covered with dead and dying. Even the British saw, at last, the folly of
the movement, and retired sullenly to their lines. For a week they lay
there; then, abandoning their heavy artillery, they marched back to
their ships and sailed for England. The men who had conquered the
conquerors of Europe had themselves met defeat.

The battle had lasted less than half an hour, but the British left
behind them no less than twenty-six hundred men--seven hundred killed,
fourteen hundred wounded, five hundred prisoners. The American loss was
eight killed and thirteen wounded.

News of this brilliant victory brought sudden joy to a depressed people,
for elsewhere on land the war had been waged disgracefully enough, and
Jackson's name was on everyone's lips. His journey to Washington was a
kind of triumphal march, and his popularity grew by leaps and bounds.
People journeyed scores of miles to see him, for there was a strange
fascination about the rugged old fighter which few could resist, and
already his friends were urging him as a candidate for the presidency.
There could be no doubt that he was the people's choice, and at last, in
the campaign of 1823, he was formally placed in nomination, his chief
opponent being John Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts. The result of that
contest has already been told. Jackson received more electoral votes
than any other candidate, but not enough to elect, and the contest was
decided by the House of Representatives. On that occasion, Henry Clay
came nearer committing political suicide than ever again in his life,
for he threw his influence against Jackson, and lost a portion of
his popularity which he never recovered.

Jackson bided his time, and spent the four years following in careful
preparation for the next contest. So well did he build his fences that,
when the electoral vote was cast, he received the overwhelming majority
of 178 votes to 83 for Adams.

Never before had the city of Washington seen such an inauguration as
took place on the fourth of March following. It seemed as though the
whole population of the country had assembled there to see the old
fighter take the oath of office. Daniel Webster wrote of it, "I never
saw such a crowd here before. Persons came five hundred miles to see
General Jackson and really seem to think that our country is rescued
from some dreadful danger." As, perhaps, it was.