What was unusual about the battle of new orleans?

War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans

In the late summer of 1814, Jackson moved his army south and attacked the British in Mobile, Alabama. He then set his sights on the British at the Spanish post of Pensacola, Florida. In November, he won that battle too. The British sailed on to New Orleans. In December, the persistent Jackson followed, leading a small advance party of his troops to New Orleans. What made Jackson's army so unusual?