The War of 1812 was also important because America was able to defend against the largest empire in the world for the second time. An important battle of the war was the Battle of New Orleans, which took place after the Treay of Ghent was signed. The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the conflict, was signed on December 24th, 1815. Word of the peace agreement was unable to reach New Orleans until the battle had already happened. The battle was an attack on the city of New Orleans by the British. The British were hoping to capture the city in hopes of separating Louisiana from the rest of the Untied States. Luckily, the Americans were warned about the attack by Pirate Jean Lafitte. By the time the British arrived in New Orleans, on January 8th, they meet an army of militiamen under the command of General Andrew Jackson. The 7,500 British troops were unable to break Jackson’s defenses, consisting of 4,500 men, many of whom were expert marksmen from Kentucky and Tennessee (“The Battle of New Orleans”). The battle resulted badly for the British, as they suffered extreme casualties including their commander, Gen. Sir Edward Pakenham. The American victory caused a large increase in national pride and launched the political career of Andrew Jackson. The Battle of New Orleans was the last engagement of the war and it officially ended America’s second war against Great Britain.