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President Madison Takes Office
When Madison did take office, tensions with Great Britain grew dramatically. Americans became enraged because Britan armed the Native Americans in the northwest. The Americans also resented the continued impressment of U.S. sailors by the British. Therefore the U.S. still didn't trade with the British. The Americans felt a new sense of nationalism. -
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The War of 1812
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War Hawks Take Power
Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina became the leaders of the House of Reps. These men were war hawks-those who were eager for war with Britain. Therefore, this lead to be a big problem with relations with Britain. -
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Relations with Great Britain Worsen
Relations with Britain steadily worsened in early 1812. In the spring the Brithish claimed that they wouldnt stop impressing U.S. sailors. Meanwhile, Native Americans in the northwest began making attacks on frontier settlements. -
Pic. for Relations with Great Britain Worsen
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Congress Declares War on Britain
Congress declared war on Britain after Britain pronounced that they would not stop impressing American sailors. The war didn't come at a good time for the British, who were still at war in Europe. However, Britain was not willing to meet American requests to avoid war. But, having Native Americans with support was one way of protecting Canada from American invasions. -
America is not Ready for War
When the war began, Americans were confident that they would win the war. However, it soon became obvious that the U.S. was not prepared for war. Jefferson's spending cuts made the American military weak. Also, the navy only had 16 warships that were ready for battle. In addition, the American army had less than 7,000 men. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
In the first days of the war, Britain set up a blockade-(action of shutting a port or road to prevent people or supplies from coming into an area or leaving it) of the American coast. By 1814, Britain's navy had 135 warships blockading American ports. After strengthening their troops with additional troops, the British were able to close off all American ports by war's end. -
Invasion of Canada
Even before the war began, war hawks were demanding an invasion of Canada. Americans expected Canadians to welcome the chance to throw off British rule. In July 1812, General William Hull and his American troops, invaded Canada from Detroit, Michigan. Hull was very unsure of himself. Fearing he didn't have enough soldiers, he retreated. The British commander, General Isaac Brock, took advantage of Hull's confusion. Brock's army of British soldiers and Native American warriors quickly... -
Invasion of Canada cont.
...surrounded Hull's army and forced it to surrender. Britain captured more than 2,000 American soldiers. It was a serious defeat for th U.S. -
U.S.S. Constitution Scores a Victory
A major sea battle was fought at the beginning of the war. The battle consisted of the American warship, U.S.S. Constitution, and the British warship, Guerriere (gai ree AIR). The battle was fierce, but the U.S.S. Constitution scored the victory. According to tradition, American sailors nicknamed the Constitution "Old Ironsides" because British artillery fire bounced off the ship's thick wooden hull. To the Americans, it seemed like the U.S.S. was made of iron. -
Second Battle of Sacketts Harbor #1
A British force was transported across Lake Ontario and attempted to capture the town, which was the principle dockyard and base for the American naval squadron on the lake. The British were repulsed by American regulars and militia. In the morning of May 29, 1813, Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost began his attack on Sacketts Harbor; this began the second battle of Sacketts Harbor. The British troops landed on Horse Island, south of the town, under fire from two 6-pounder field guns... -
Second Battle of Sacketts Harbor #2
...belonging to the militia and a naval 32-ponder firing at long range from Fort Tompkins. The British also faced musket fire from Albany volunteers defending the island. Although the British lost several men in the boat, they succeeded in landing, which drove the volunteers inland. Once the landing was completely assembled, the British charged to Sacketts Harbor. Although the British would have been an easy target at this point, the militia fled leaving their guns. The British flanked... -
Second Battle of Sacketts Harbor #3
...left but were repulsed by American regulars. None of the larger British ships were brought into range to help. Only small gunboats were brought in, but were ineffective to American defences. Eventually one of the British ships, Beresford, mounting 16 guns, sweeped in using long oars. When its crew open fired it immediately drove American soldiers back from Fort Tompkins. Under the mistaken impression that the fort had surrendered, a young American naval officer, Lieutenant John Drury,... -
Second Battle of Sacketts Harbor #4
...ordered General Pike, which was still under construction, to be set on fire along with a large quantity of stores. By this time Prevost was convinced that success was not attainable. He soon later gave the order to retreat. The Americans for their part claimed that if Prevost had not retreated hastily when he did, he would have never made it back to Kingston. -
Battle of Lake Erie
American forces had better luck on Lake Erie. Both sides were aware of the importance to control the lake. An important three-hour battle took place at Put-In-Bay, in the western part of the lake, in 1813. During the battle, the American flagship was badly damaged. The American commander, Oliver Hazard Perry, switched to another ship and continued the battle until it was won. Perry anounced his victory with a message,"We have met our enemy and they are ours." The British retreated to Canada. -
Battle of Thames
As the British and their Native American allies retreated, the Americans under General William Henry Harrison hastily persued them. They followed the British into Canada and defeated them in the Battle of Thames. Tecumseh was among those who were killed in the battle. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Native Americans also suffered defeat in the south. In the summer of 1813, Creek warriors attacked several southern American settlements. Andrew Jackson took command of American forces in Georgia. In March 1814, Jackson defeated the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The treaty that ended the fighting forced the Creeks to give up millions of acres of land. -
Battle of Fort Oswego #1
The Battle of Fort Oswego was a partially successful raid by the British on the American fort and village in May 1814. At first the British were thinking of having another attack on Sacketts Harbor, but instead they planned to attack the smaller post, Fort Oswego. This fort and the nearby village, Oswego, New York, was a vital staging point on the American route from New York. Ordnance, food, and other supplies carried up the Mohawk River and across Lake Oneida, to Oswego, before making the... -
Battle of Fort Oswego # 5
...The fort was in disrepair, but the delay imposed on the landing allowed them to shift their guns to face the lake. While the two British frigates engaged the fort, the guns of six sloops and brigs swept the woods landing breaches. The British landed at two o'clock. Almost all of the British troops landed in deep water and their ammunition was soaked and became useless. Nevertheless, they fixed their bayonets and advanced in heavy fire. While the company of the Glengarry Light Infantry... -
Battle of Fort Oswego #6
...cleared woods to the left of the main attack, the main boduy of the troops made a frontal attack on the fort. American foot soldiers on the glacis fell back to the fort. As the attackers reached the glacis, the defenders abandoned the fort and fled. Therefore, it was a British victory. -
Battle of Fort Oswego #2
...part of the journey across the southeast corner of Lake Onatario to Sacketts Harbor. Commodore Sir James Lucas Yeo and Lieutenant General Sir Gordon Drummond, had reliable info. that the garrison of the fort numbered only 290 regulars, and believed that 30 or more heavy guns intended for Chauncey's ships under construction at Sacketts Harbor were waiting there. They planned, by capturing Oswego, to capture these guns and and thereby retake Yeo's advantage over Chauncey. -
Battle of Fort Oswego #3
Yeo's squadron embarked th landing force and set out late from Kingston on May 3rd. They arrived off Oswego early in the morning on May 5th. The British troops planned to land shortly after midday, but a southernly breeze sprung up, which made it impossible to get to shore. Later that night a storm blew up forcing the British to withdraw for the night. The British ships returned to Oswego and completed their landing. The landing force consisted of the 2nd battalion of Royal Marines under... -
Battle of Fort Oswego #4
...Lieutenant Colonel James Malcolm, a company of the Glengarry Light Infantry under Captain Alexander MacMillan, a company of the Regiment de Watteville and a detachment of 200 sailors armed with boarding pikes under Captain William Mulcaster. Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fischer was in charge of the landing. Opposed to the British was an American force of 242 officers and enlisted men of the 3rd U.S. Regiment of Artillery, 25 sailors of the U.S. Navy and about 200 of they New York Militia... -
Washington, D.C. Attacked and Burned
The new British strategy was to attack the nations capital, Washington, D.C. A British force marched into the city. Dolley Madison, the president's wife, gathered up the president's important papers and fled the White House. The British set fire to several gov't buildings including the White House. Americans were shocked to learn that their army could not defend Washington. -
Battle of Plattsburg cont.
...by land against Macomb's defences and retreated to Canada, stating that even if Plattsburg was captured, it could not be supplied without control of the lake. The American victory denied the British negotiators at Ghent leverage to demand any territorial claims against the U.S. on the basis of retaining territory they held at the end of hostilities. -
Battle of Plattsburg
This battle ended the final invasion of the northern states. The British army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost and a naval squadron under Captain George Downie converged on the lakeside town of Plattsburg, which was defended by Americans troops under Brigadier General Alexander Macomb and ships commanded by Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough. Downie's squadron attacked shortly after dawn, but was defeated in a hard fight, in which Downie was killed. Prevost then abandoned the fight.. -
Attack on Baltimore & the Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
The British now moved on to Baltimore. Their 1st objective was Fort McHenry, which defended the city's harbor. British warships bombarded the fort throughout the night. Francis Scott Key, a young American, watched the attack. At dawn, Key saw the American flag still flying over the fort. The Americans hasd beaten off the attack. On the back of an old envelope, Key wrote a poem that he called,"The Star Spangled Banner." It told the story of his nights watch. In 1931, it became the nat'l anthem. -
Hartford Convention
This was a convention of Federalists that met. Some delegates suggested that the New England states secede from the U.S. While the delegates debated, news of the peace treaty arrived. With the war over the convention quickly ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
By 1814, Britain had tired of war. Peace talks began in Ghent, Belgium. On Christmas Eve 1814, the two sides signed the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war. The treaty returned things to the way they had been before the war. -
Battle of New Orleans
News of the treaty took several weeks to reach the U.S. In that time, the two sides fought one more battle. In January 1815, American forces under General Andrew Jackson won a stunning victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans.
