-
Declaration of the war of 1812
On June 1, 1812, President James Madison sent a letter to congress speaking about the American grievances. He was not specifically declaring war. When the House of Representatives thought for four days after voting the first declaration of war. The war officially began on June 18, 1812 when Madison signed the measure into law. -
Period: to
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict that was fought between the United States of America and the British Empire. The Americans were declared war on the layalists because of trade restrictions, impressment and insults to national honour. By the time the war ended (1814), both sides had achieved their main war goals and had suffered many losses. The British lost approximately 8,600 men and the Americans lost approximately 15,000 men in the war. -
The Battle of Queenston Heights
This is the first major battle in the War of 1812 and ended with a British victory. The American general was Stephan van Rensselaer and the British general was Isaac Brock. The first American attack was on the night of Oct.12, but it was so poorly done that Brock dismissed it as a feint. The next attempt crossed the river and the Americans took control of the battle. Isaac Brock rode out to battle, but was soon killed. Roger Sheaffe took command after Brock died and lead the British to victory. -
The Battle of Frenchtown
The Battle of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin or the River Raisin Massacre, was a series of conflicts that took place from January 18–23, 1813 during the War of 1812. It was fought between the United States and a British and Native American alliance near the River Raisin in Frenchtown, Michigan Territory (present-day Monroe, Michigan). The battle ended with an American victory, but the British launched a surprise counterattack on Jan.22 and killed many Americans. -
The Battle of York
On this day, the Battle of York was fought. An American force supported by a naval flotilla landed on the lake shore to the west, defeated the defending British force and captured the town and dockyard. The American forces subsequently carried out several acts of arson and looting in the town before withdrawing. Between 28 April and 30 April, American troops also carried out many acts of plunder. Some of them even set fire to the buildings of the Legislative Assembly! -
The Battle of Lake Erie
This famous battle happened in Lake Erie off the coast of Ohio during the War of 1812. The British captain was Robert Heriot Barclay and the American captain was Oliver Hazard Perry. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of Great Britain's Royal Navy. The British lost 41 killed and 94 wounded. The surviving crews, including the wounded, numbered 306. The Americans lost 27 killed and 96 wounded, of whom 2 later died. -
The Battle of the Thames
Henry Procter was the American general and William Henry Harrison was the American one. The Native warriors were commanded by Tecumseh. Procter prepared the British for battle. He planned to trap Harrison on the banks of the Thames and drive him off the road. The plan failed and the Americans broke through the British troops. Immediately, Procter and his men fled. Tecumseh and his followers remained and carried on fighting, but, the Indian resistance quickly dissolved and the Americans won. -
The Battle of Crysler's Farm
The American army numbered just under 4,000; the British close to 8,000. Wilkinson (the British general) received a message that the way ahead was clear.To proceed however, the American boats would next have to face the Long Sault rapids and Wilkinson determined to defeat was determined to defeat Morrison (the American general). He had been ill and couldn't command the attack himself. So, he put Brigadier General Boyd in command. The British won, even after being greatly outnumbered. -
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend
United States forces and Indian allies under General Andrew Jackson defeated the Red Sticks, a part of the Creek Indian tribe who opposed American expansion, effectively ending the Creek War. The battle raged for about five hours. Roughly 550 Red Sticks were killed on the field, while many were killed trying to cross the river. Chief Menawa was severely wounded but survived. He only led about 200 of the original 1,000 warriors across the river and into safety among the Seminole tribe. -
The Battle of Chippawa
The British general was Phineas Riall and the American leaders were Jacob Brown, Winfield Scott and Peter Porter. Early on July 5, the British started sniping at Scott's outposts. Riall thought that the American line consisted of poorly trained soldiers and expected them to fall back in disarray. The British infantry were advancing awkwardly, becoming disordered because Riall had ordered them into line formation. After 25 minutes of pounding, Riall ordered a withdrawal and the Americans won. -
Battle of Lundy's Lane
The Battle of Lundy's Lane was a battle of the War of 1812, which took place in present-day Niagara Falls. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the war,and one of the deadliest battles ever fought on Canadian soil. The British were attacked twice, once by Scott and once by Brown. Then, the British counter-attacked to gain the abandoned British cannons. All three attampts failed. On the night of the 25, the Americans having lost many men, withdrew. Thus, the British won this battle. -
The Battle of Lake Champlain
The Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812. A British army under George Prévost and George Downie was on the lakeside town of Plattsburgh. It was defended by American troops commanded by Alexander Macomb and Thomas Macdonough. Downie's squadron attacked early on the 11, but was defeated after a fight where he was killed. Prévost then abandoned the attack by land against Macomb's defences and retreated to Canada, thus, the Americans won. -
The Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a combined sea/land battle fought between British and American forces in the War of 1812. The American leaders were Samuel Smith, John Stricker and George Armistead and the British ones were Robert Ross, Alexander Cochrane and Arthur Brooke. It was one of the turning points of the war as American forces repulsed sea and land invasions of the busy port city of Baltimore and killed the commander of the invading British army forces. -
The Star-Spangled Banner Written
On this day, the National Anthem of the Untied States of America was written. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key. After witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships in Chesapeake Bay during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, he wrote the poem. -
The Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent signed on 24 December 1814, was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The treaty released all prisoners and restored all war lands and boats, resulting in several changes.The treaty made no major changes to the pre-war situation, but Britain promised to return the freed black slaves. -
The Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army commanded by Edward Pakenham, who died. The Treaty of Ghent had actually been signed on December 24, 1814 and ratified by the United States Senate on February 16, 1815. Unfortunately, word didn't get to the combatants quickly enough and about 400 lives were lost. This battle is widely regarded as the greatest American land victory of the war.
