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Declaration of War
The United States declares war on Great Britain. In the intervening period, Great Britain thwarted U.S. trade by commandeering American ships, blockading ports that imported U.S. goods, and forcing thousands of American sailors into service with the British Navy. British actions devastated American commercial interests, dealing a blow to the fledgling nation’s efforts to establish itself as a world power. -
Skirmish on Fort Erie and Frenchman's Creek
It was part of a two-pronged American attack on Frenchman’s Creek and Fort Erie, in preparation for a general invasion of the Niagara Frontier. American Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Boerstler was directed to attack the guard at Frenchman’s Creek and destroy the bridge over the creek along the edge of the Niagara River. This was intended to stop British reinforcements at Chippawa from interfering with the main invasion at Fort Erie. -
Capture of Fort Niagara
British troops did a surprise attack from the Niagara River to Youngstown. It ended up with American troops losing sixty-five dead and six wounded, and the British troops losing six dead and five wounded. The morning after, reinforcements arrived to burn Youngstown and the Tuscarora village before marching on to Lewiston. -
The Burning of Buffalo
After the Capture of Fort Niagara and the Burning of Lewiston, the burning of Buffalo was used as an act of retaliation for the destruction of Newark of what is now called Niagara-On-The-Lake. -
Attack on York
In York, Ontario, now present-day Toronto, 2,700 Americans stormed Fort York, defeating the 750 British and Ojibwa Indians defending what was at the time the capital of Upper Canada. Though Americans managed to capture Fort York and forced the British to retreat to Kingston, this victory came at a high cost and had little strategic benefit. -
Battle of Fort George
The Battle of Fort George was the first American victory on the Niagara front during the War of 1812. The first phase of this plan was an attack on York, the capital of Upper Canada. This would be followed by the attack on Fort George, the British fort at the northern end of the Niagara River, and finally by an attack on Kingston, the main British naval base on Lake Ontario. -
Battle of Lundy's Lane
It was an engagement fought a mile west of Niagara Falls, ending up as a U.S. invasion of Canada. British troops were reinforced from Kingston. For hours on end, each side hurled desperate charges against the other in the dusk and darkness. The losses on both sides were the heaviest in the entire war. With fewer than 3,000 men, the British had 878 casualties, 84 of whom were killed; the Americans suffered 853 casualties, with 171 killed. -
The Star Spangled Banner
During the Battle of Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key was in the harbor hearing cannon fire and the booms of explosives. After the hours of bombardment and the fear that the British could overtake the fort and head to Baltimore, Key awoke to a proud display of American patriotism and a symbol that they were not going to stop fighting. Later that week, he finished the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry." The name was later changed to what we know now today on September 20, 1814. -
The Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent is signed in Belgium between Great Britain and the United States to end the War of 1812 on the general basis of the status quo antebellum (maintaining the prewar conditions). Because the military positions for each side were so well balanced, neither country could obtain desired concessions. 4 days later, the treaty was ratified by Great Britain. -
End of War
The day President James Madison sent the Treaty of Ghent to the Senate, senators approved it unanimously. With the ratification of this treaty, the War of 1812 came to an end. Senators were relieved that the conflict was over, even though the treaty accomplished none of the war’s original objectives, which included an end to the British impressment of American sailors and the annexation of Canada.
