On November 24, 1812, Maj General Andrew Jackson issued a call to arms for the defense of New Orleans and the lower Mississippi. These men were ordered to provide themselves with hunting shirts of dark blue or brown, as well as rifles and a blanket. Men who answered this call saw action in many battles, with both the hostile Indians and the British, from Callabee Creek and the bloody Horseshoe bend and finally on to meet the British at New Orleans.
In the spring of 1814, a fort was erected at the junction of the rivers, where the French Fort Toulouse had once stood. It was here that the remaining hostile Indians signed the “Treaty of Fort Jackson.”
Today, a group of reenactors can show the public what life was like for these men. They portray the unit known as “Donelson’s Rangers,” who were also the lifeguard of General Jackson.
The group is dedicated to the recreation of the life of the militia soldier at garrison in 1814. They regularly participate in many events, including those at Horseshoe Bend, and Chalmette National Battlefield, New Orleans. There is also a regular monthly muster, during which the unit depicts the clothing, weapons, and drill of the militia units of the time. It is the attention to small details that makes this program outstanding.