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Thesis:
The War of 1812 consisted of many important military encounters that helped categorize the Canada and American known today. This timeline does not cover all of the war but has picked 15 events that were not only important in relation to the war but defining in regards to the development of both countries. This timeline has taken a more weighted focus on the beginning of the war and highlights the expectations each county had going into the war while ending with a brief look at the outcome. -
June 1812 - War Is Declared
What started The War of 1812? On the American side a declaration of war did not come about because of one single event but rather a series of complaints concerning “impressment, trade and Native Americans” from President Madison which branched from an overreaching concern for the British to gain serious respect for the United States as a sovereign independent nation (Hattendorf, 2013).
Image: Map of Upper and Lower Canada as well as the north east of America and Maritimes (Turner, 1999) -
A Mere Matter Of Marching .... or not?
Shortly after the declaration of War the Americans attempted simultaneous invasions towards Detroit, Niagara River, St Lawrence river, and Montreal Thomas Jefferson believed “the acquisition of Canada this year … will be a mere matter of marching … and the final expulsion of England from the American continent”. This was not the case (Benn, 2003).
Date: This took place after the declaration of war but before mid-July -
Capture of Fort Mackinac
This is a unique military encounter as no blood was shed and it was not only an easy victory for the British but much more than that. This win ensured that fur trade in the north was secured but also was huge in recruiting Indigenous people living in the area to join the Britsh side of the war which was imperative for their success since they had a much smaller population than the Americans (Benn, 2003).
Image: a depiction of Fort Mackinac in 1813 (Benn, 2003). -
Queenston Heights
The Battle of Queenston Heights is a very significant point in the war because it marks a time where both sides faced a win and a loss. Brock and his troops had just won a battle in Detroit which sparked more tension and lead the Americans to Queenston Heights. In short, the Americans took control and Brock quickly gathered his troops Brock was shot and killed but his back up arrived and the Americans surrendered (TheCanadianEncyclopedia). Image: Painting of Sir Isaac Brock (Turner, 1999) -
British/ American Military Dynamic: October- December
The Americans continued various attempts along the Niagara River to capturing Canadian land but struggled to hold up against the aboriginal troops on the British side. As nearing years end the Americans were not impressed with the outcome of their attempts at Detroit, Niagara, and Montreal and they came to the realization it would not merely taking marching to takeover British Canada as Jefferson had suggested (Benn, 2003). -
The Battle of Frenchtown
The battle of Frenchtown was the name of two attacks on Fort Detroit. The take over of the fort was critical because the location of Fort Detroit was important if the Americans wanted a chance at breaking up Upper Canada. The first attack on January 18th left the Americans in control but was challenged on the 22nd when the British and Aboriginal forces returned victoriously. This battle was deemed to be a massacre based on the many deaths
Information and image: (theCanadianencyclopedia) -
Attack on Ogdensburg
Ogdensbug is an important military encounter because the British were strategically trying to weaken the chances of the Americans attacking in the St Lawrence region. If the Americans succeeded in that region they would have easy access to Upper Canada and become a huge threat to the British (Benn, 2003). -
Spring 1813: On The Sea - Navy Encounters From March- September
Warren and troops established a large blockade that affected economic trading. From March to September this blockade gained control of 138 ships. This is critical because with British keeping 138 of their ships at their ports the Americans did not have much power on the coast and they could not really resist. This was not a permanent blockade and it lost some of its power in 1814 but was still successful and critical when looking at the military encounters (Hattendorf, 2013)
Image: (Turner,1999) -
The Battle of York
The battle of York was a hard loss for the British but a significant win for the Americans. This win was much needed in order to boost the stamina of the soldiers and civilians and continue support of the war. This was also critical for the Americans as it was used heavily by the Republicans in the election in order to boost party support. This win was accomplished by using 16 Americans ships that came to the coast of York (Toronto) (thecanadianencyclopedia).
Painting of the battle (Benn, 2003) -
Fort George
The two day battle at Fort George is a critical point in the war because it marks a win by the Americans that put them in a position to reach Upper Canada and potentially divide the province. Fort George was also the starting point of may battles that closely followed in the region.
Image: This map demonstrates the strategic placement of the forts and brings a clearer understanding as to why certain takeovers were so critical based on their location (Benn, 2003). -
Fort Niagara
The attacks on Fort Niagara were part of the last battles of the year and were critical because it was part of what cleared the Americans out of the region entirely at the time. The British captured 400 American men during this time and only had 11 casualties of their own. This was seen as a large success.The Americans felt they were finishing this year better than last but the British still seemed to have an upper hand (Benn, 2003). -
Battle of Chippawa
This battle was a shootout between American and British troops which left the Americans victorious. This was not necessarily one of the most important military encounters but it was the first time that the Americans beat the British with equally sized armies (thecanadianencyclopedia). -
Battle of Lundy's Lane
The Battle of Lundy's Lane was indeed critical to the war but was unfortunately also one with many casualties. It is understood that 900 people died. Why this is such a critical military encounter is because it was the final defeat of the Americans having access to Upper Canada and the Americans withdrew from Fort Erie (thecanadianencyclopedia) The image demonstrates the mass violence people in this battle experienced(Turner, 1999). -
The Treaty of Ghent
After much deliberation, the Treaty of Ghent was signed and the war came to an end. It is interesting noted that because of the lack of communication technology some areas did not realize the war was over until into the spring. Besides that, it is understood that a lot returned to the way it was before the war once it had ended (Benn, 2003). -
Who Really Won?
According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, their were no clear winners or losers but this war was defining for both countries. The myth that the war was won by civilian soldiers helped form a Canadian identity from the pride that was a big foundation for the country. The Americans did not gain the land they had hoped but the large wins in certain battles, especially at sea, paved the way for America as a military powerhouse and again helped establish that pride. -
Bibliography #1
Benn, Carl. The War of 1812. New York: Routledge, 2003. ISBN 9781135883140. Paperback 2018. Turner, Wesley. British Generals in the War of 1812: High Command in the Canadas. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1999. ISBN 9780773518322. Paperback 2018. -
Bibliography #2
Hattendorf, John. “The Naval War of 1812 in International Perspective”, The Society for Nautical Research. 99.1 (February 2013), pp. 5-22. Berton, Pierre., and Marsh, James. “War of 1812”, The Canadian Encyclopedia (2012): 1. doi: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/war-of-1812/.
