War of 1812

Hey everyone!! Sorry for missing 2 posts in a row. I forgot about Wednesday's post, and then got too busy to post Saturday's. Here's Saturday's post.

The War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a war between Britain and America. Britain was in a war with France, and America was trying to stay neutral. Britain did not like the fact that America was trading with both sides, and began capturing American trading ships headed for France. Britain also began using the practice of impressment, or taking sailors from their ships, and forcing them to serve in the British navy. France followed the example of the British and began capturing American trading vessels headed for Britain. America stopped trading with both countries, and France finally agreed to stop harassing trade ships. 

 

Indian attacks were becoming a large concern for the western frontier settlers. General William Henry Harrison defeated Shawnee Indian chief Tecumseh in Indiana at the Battle of Tippecanoe. British rifles were found that the Indians had dropped on the battlefield. After that defeat, the Indians decided they needed the British to come help fight to keep the Americans from taking even more of their land. 

 

President James Madison declared war on June 18, 1812. American soldiers immediately invaded British-held Canada, and were chased out as quickly as they invaded. The British general in Canada, Sir Isaac Brock, also captured Detroit before retreating. 

 

In September of 1813, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry fought against and defeated the British naval squadron in the Battle of Lake Erie. This boosted the morale of the other soldiers. A few weeks later, at the Battle of Thames, General Harrison retook Detroit. Shawnee Indian Chief Tecumseh was killed in the battle. 

 

Meanwhile, Britain had finished their war with France and turned their full attention to America. First, they tried to come down Lake Champlain and capture New York City, but their plan failed, because the Americans had defeated the British squadron on the lake. Next, they landed in Chesapeake Bay and marched to Washington D.C., forcing the president and his family to flee. On August 24, 1814, the British soldiers burned the Capitol buildings and several other important buildings before leaving the town. 

 

On September 13, 1814, a large squadron of British ships bombarded Fort McHenry for 25 hours. It was during this battle that Francis Scott Key wrote the poem the “Star-Spangled Banner”, which was later set to music and made our national anthem. 

 

In late 1814, American and British ambassadors got together and worked out a treaty. The Treaty of Ghent was signed December 24, 1814. Both sides agreed to stop fighting, since they were sick of it, return all prisoners, and restore borders to what they had been before the war. However, nothing was said about the issues of impressment or the British helping the Indians. Those issues were resolved later.

Because news traveled slowly back then, the troops around New Orleans had not heard of the treaty yet. On January 8, 1815, the Battle of New Orleans was fought. The British were thoroughly defeated by General Andrew Jackson, also known as “Old Hickory” for his stubbornness. He became a hero of the war, as did Captain Isaac Hull of the U.S.S. Constitution, which did a tremendous amount of damage to the British fleet in the Atlantic. 

 

The Indians were unhappy with the results of the war, because they knew that they had lost their battle to keep their land. Britain forgot about it very quickly, considering it a minor war. In the U.S., however, it boosted national pride and self-dependance, and also encouraged expansion. The war also ended fighting in the government (at least for awhile) and destroyed the anti-war, unpatriotic Federalist party. 

 

The War of 1812 was a short war that left lasting impressions on almost all who participated in it. It also helped shape our country into what it is today. In conclusion, if this war had not happened, everything would be very different today.