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The War of 1812
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Battle of Tippecanoe
General William Henry Harrison fought against the brothers of Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa. Harrison and his army had marched by the brothers' camp at Phophetstown, where the Tippecanoe Creek joined the Wabash in Indiana. Tenskwatawa (the Prophet) carelessly ordered an attack on Harrison's camp while Tecumseh was away recruiting other men. Harrison and his men stood their ground and destroyed Prophetstown. The battle basically ended in a draw, but the Indian confederation was destroyed. -
Declaration of War
Most of the U.S. population believed that waging a war against Britain would just be another large-scale issue. The British didn't really represent a huge threat to the U.S. The slowing of American markets encouraged the repeal of the Orders in Council. The Orders were repealed on June 23rd. However, the U.S. declared war on the British on June 18th, 1812, five days before the repeal of the Orders in Council. -
The Burning of the White House
Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane and Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn arrived southeast of Washington, Maryland in the mouth of the Patuxent River. They led the British forces towards Washington and crossed paths with an army twice their size in Bladensburg, led by General William H. Winder. The British charged and Winder's army retreated almost without firing a shot. The British took control of the capital and burned down most public buildings. Cockburn himself torched the White House. -
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry was attacked by the British fleet after their failed attempt to take Baltimore. The fleet was stopped in Baltimore by militia officer General Samuel Smith, who provided a strong line of defenses to protect the city. The British then decided to move up through the Patapsco River and eventually arrived at Fort McHenry. The fleet bombarded the fort with 1,800 shells from their cannons from September 13th to September 13th. -
Star Spangled Banner
The Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key, who had been detained on a British ship. Key was captured during attack on Fort McHenry, which lasted from September 13th to September 14th. Key described the sight of the American flag still standing proudly over Fort McHenry, despite the constant bombardment of the fortress. -
Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson led the Battle of New Orleans against the British. Jackson surprise attacked the British while they were resting and waiting for reinforcements. Jackson may have waged a successful battle, but this battle only resulted because of slow communication. The terms of the Treaty of Ghent had already been discussed, but the details didn't reach Jackson in time, so the Battle of New Orleans was fought. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent was signed on Christmas Eve 1814, which ended hostilities between the U.S. and Britain. Both sides had agreed to discuss a peace treaty in early 1814. Negotiations began during that summer in Ghent, Belgium. Albert Gallatin, Henry Clay, James A. Bayard, Jonathan Russell, and John Quincy Adams were all part of the American delegation to determine the terms of the treaty. -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention was a meeting of New England Federalists. They met to protest the war and discuss a meeting of the states to edit and revise the Constitution. The convention was held in December 1814 and January 1815. Federalist-controlled state administrations had refused to provide aid in the war and discouraged citizens and banks from lending money to the national government. The Federalists became increasingly unpopular with the rest of the U.S. with their attitude toward the war.
