17. You Did Not Want to Get on Andrew Jackson’s Bad Side
Speaking of Andrew Jackson, the man was one of the toughest presidents in the country’s history. Not necessarily a good person: as a general, Jackson had been all too eager to hang his men for disciplinary infractions at the drop of a hat. He was also the only American president to have made his wealth primarily as an active wholesale slave dealer – a career considered disreputable even by many slave owners. However, one thing Jackson was good at was kicking ass and taking names.
Jackson began his ass kicking career during the American Revolution, enlisting in his local militia at age 13. A year later, a 14 year old Jackson defiantly refused to shine a British officer’s shoes, and got slashed with a sword across his face and hand as a result. That left the future president with a burning hatred of the British, and he paid them back in spades at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. There, forces led by Jackson killed, wounded, and captured about 2500 British, while suffering only 300 casualties of their own.