While Dee Brown's take on the characters involved in the Battle of New Orleans is entertaining, calling it "non-fiction" is like calling the blockbuster film "Titanic" a "documentary." The most egregious error is also the most common: he misspells "Lafitte" as "Laffite." Another random untruth, though at one time rumored to be factual, is the statement that Dominique You is a Lafitte brother named Alexandre (page 58). We do not know much about the origins or history of the brothers Pierre and Jean Lafitte, but no evidence suggests that a third brother was part of their circle in the Americas.

Too much dialogue is presented in quotation marks when there is no way of knowing the exact conversations that took place. While the author does note that "instances of direct dialogue in this book have been reconstructed from historical reports of the period" (page 6), none of these sources is mentioned within the book. I found one story related within to be particularly interesting because of its mundane nature and my ability to compare it to the same story in another book I recently read, "The Pirate Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans" by Robert Tallant. Dee Brown retells a story of Jackson drinking coffee with his men:

"The fragrant odor of coffee filled the damp air. 'That smells like better coffee than we get at headquarters,' Jackson said gruffly. Dominique You arose slowly, pushing his cap back, the glow of coals lighting his grinning face. 'Did you smuggle it, Captain Dominique?' Jackson asked...'Maybe so, General, maybe so.' The former pirate filled a steaming cup and offered it to Old Hickory" (page 114).

In Robert Tallant's relation of the story, he tells us:

"'That smells good,' said the General. 'It is better coffee than we get. Where did it come from? Did you smuggle it in?'...Dominique You shrugged, grinned up at Jackson. 'That may be,' he said. He turned to the Baratarian beside him. 'Fill up a cup for the General,' he told him" (page 147),

I was also dismayed by the organization and chronology. Chapter 10 tells of Major Villere's escape from the British, who surprised him at his plantation. Only a few pages later, Chapter 11 backtracks chronologically and tells of the British moving toward New Orleans and coming upon the Villere Plantation. Certainly, the two perspectives of the opposing sides could have been interwoven into a smooth and consistent story line.

Aside from its entertainment value, the book has some respectable inclusions. It begins with "About the Book," includes a map (if wanting for detail), a contents page, an Index, and a paragraph about the author. ( )