What challenge did Andrew Jackson face on January 8, 1815?

From 1812 to 1814, the United States under President Monroe fought the British in the War of 1812. The US was largely unprepared for the war and suffered numerous losses—the British were even able to invade and burn Washington, DC—yet by the end of 1814, the British were ready to negotiate a treaty to end the war. However, news traveled slowly at this time, and while diplomats met in Belgium to negotiate a treaty, British forces in America mobilized to invade New Orleans and capture the Mississippi River. Standing in their way was Andrew Jackson, a major general in the US Army with experience fighting Native Americans and British redcoats along the coasts of Alabama and Louisiana. In New Orleans, Jackson led a ragtag army of Native Americans, free blacks, and pirates against the experienced British forces, who greatly outnumbered Jackson and his army. Jackson and his men were able to inflict heavy casualties on the British while only losing about 100 men. The British withdrew their troops, and Jackson was heralded as a hero for defending New Orleans and preventing the British from capturing the Mississippi. About a month later, news of the Treaty of Ghent finally reached the US, officially ending the war.