A reader recently submitted a question that, on the surface, seems simple enough. They wondered, “Did the Choctaw tribe fight alongside Gen. Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans?”

The short answer is yes, but the in-depth response is far more interesting. To understand it fully, we need to look at the years before and after Jackson’s famed victory.

The Battle of New Orleans, which took place in January 1815, was the culminating skirmish in the larger War of 1812 between the United Kingdom, the United States and their respective North American allies.

War broke out between the countries for several reasons. One was that Britain — which was engaged in the Napoleonic wars with the French — attempted to restrict trade between France and the young United States. The Americans believed

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