Kilmeade promotes book on Battle of New Orleans
Brian Kilmeade is familiar with the challenges of the press.
As a TV news personality, the New York native is no stranger to controversy. But when comparing modern life to life during the War of 1812, he notes ire with a free press is nothing new. “The same thing that drives us crazy today, it was driving them mad back then,” he said.
The co-host of Fox News morning show “Fox & Friends” is on the road, promoting “Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: The Battle That Shaped America’s Destiny.” In the book, he and co-author Don Yaeger explore Jackson’s leadership in the victory against the British in 1814-1815. Kilmeade will sign copies today at Central Florida bookstores (1 p.m., Books-A-Million, 200 Entrance Road N., Sanford; and 5 p.m., Barnes and Noble, 1055 Old Camp Road, The Villages; free; briankilmeade.com).
The Battle of New Orleans was decisive in making sure the fledgling United States remained independent, according to Kilmeade, who is also known for his Fox News Radio program “Kilmeade & Friends.”
“There was so much at stake,” he said. Though the Treaty of Ghent had been signed while the battle was happening, ostensibly ending hostilities between the U.S. and Britain, Kilmeade says research uncovered documents that show the English were planning to hold onto New Orleans.
Yet the risk wasn’t the only factor that drew Kilmeade to this battle; it was the odds against Jackson. “We should have lost,” said Kilmeade, “and Jackson pulled off this victory.”
To do so, Jackson didn’t have much support. “In three weeks, he put together an army that didn’t even know each other,” said Kilmeade, calling Jackson’s troops a “uniquely American army in that it was all mixes of colors . ... They took out the world’s number one infantry, Britain’s, and they did it in under 45 minutes.”
Jackson is often a controversial figure. The seventh U.S. president, he was a slave owner and architect of the Trail of Tears that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Native Americans.
“He’s an impactful person; I didn’t say he was a perfect person,” said Kilmeade, 53. “I’m not looking to do the definitive biography of Andrew Jackson. I’m looking to do something on something that is significant, underappreciated and that I think we bring something new to.”
Kilmeade believes more Americans need to be familiar with this portion of history. “There’s an underappreciation of American history among Americans,” he said. “I want people to know how tentative our future was in this war that we don’t do a lot of work on in schools.”
Released in October, “Andrew Jackson” is Kilmeade’s fifth book and his third venture into historical nonfiction, following works about Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
Kilmeade hopes his efforts on American history go beyond educating to inspiring.
“I want people to close the book and know that it is accurate and you have a reason to feel pride.”