He was the only president who was a former prisoner of war

The 13-year-old Andrew Jackson enlisted in the Continental Army as a courier during the Revolutionary War. He and his brother Robert were taken prisoner in April 1781. Being the only president who was a former prisoner of war is one of the most interesting facts about Andrew Jackson.

Jackson refused to polish his boots when a British commander asked him to do. The enraged Redcoat pulled out his sword and gashed Jackson's head and left hand, leaving a scar that would never go away. After two weeks of cruel treatment in captivity, the British freed the brothers, but Robert passed away a few days later from a disease he contracted while being held captive.

Andrew Jackson distinguished himself as a national hero during the following conflict with the British—the War of 1812. Because they believed he was as tough as the rough wood of a hickory tree, his troops called him "Old Hickory." Jackson and his troops successfully defended the city of New Orleans in January 1815. Although word of the end of the war had actually spread weeks earlier, neither Jackson nor the British were aware of it. Jackson became a hero as a result of the triumph, which continued to increase national confidence.