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Impressment
Britain captured and forced sailors to serve in the British navy. Impressment (of American merchant ships) during the Napoleonic Wars with France greatly outraged the American people. British said that they had the right to capture American sailors. Was a major cause of the War of 1812 and increased when the Orders in Council were past. 1803-1812 -
Berlin Decree
Napoleons' new tack in the Napoleonic War was to strike at Britains' commerce, he wrote this decree in order to stop all trade with British. The Berlin Decree states that all commerce and correspondence with Great Britain was Illegal. -
Orders in Council
British issued this order in retaliation to Napoleons' Berlin Decree. The Orders in Council states that all foreign vessels would be blockaded from continental ports unless they first stopped at a British port and paid custom duties. -
Milan Decree
Another decree from Napoleon which its main purpose was to strengthen the Berlin Decree. The Milan Decree states any vessel that follows the British edicts are to become English property and thus subject to seizure. -
America Declares War on Britain
In 1812 A depression caused cheifly by the increasing effectivness of Napolean's Continental System. Manufacturers were blaming the slump on the loss of american markets and were urging the Order In Council to repal. On June 23 Lord Castergh suspended the Orders and five days earlier the U.S declared war. -
Battle of Lake Erie
Led by Captain Oliver Hazard Perry, a new fleet of American warships destroyed the British warships in a bloody battle. The battle took place in "Put in-Bay," which is near the western edge of the lake. This hard fought battle was a grand moral booster to the War. It also allowed General Harrison to attempt to recapture Detroit; which he couldn't do before due to a British squadron blockading communications in Lake Erie. -
Burning of Washington
The main British army consistin gof 4000 strong marched to Washington under General Robert Ross. In Bladensburg, the outskirts of the city, they came upon an army twice their size led by General William Winder. When the British charged, The Americans ran. The British charged the capital and torched many building, one of which was the White House. This was a huge British sucess. -
Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a land and sea battle in Baltimore, Maryland. In this battle the British threw forces of men at the American defenders who constructed impressive defenses to repel the British. There were heavy British casualties including Major General Robert Ross. The British wanted to capture Baltimore because it was a major and important port city along the coast. This was a major American success in the War and boosted moral across the nation. -
Events Of Fort McHenry
British troops marched Rapidly toward Washington. The British swarmed into the capital and put most public buildings on fire and burnt them down.General Ross fell in an attack and the fleet moved up the Patapsco River and pounded Fort McHenry with its cannon, General Ross rained 1,800 shells upon Fort McHenry in a span of 25 hours. The militia protecting the fort never gave up and didn't let the countries honor fall. It was here when Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. -
Treaty of Ghent
Commissioners were appointed to discuss peace terms in Ghent, Belgium. The British did not want to sign a treaty because they had a three-pronged offensive plan and believed that it would work out in their favor. The British wanted the U.S. to abandon all Northwest territory to the Indians and cede other points along north border to Canada. The U.S. refused to yield any territory. -
Battle of New Orleans
A battle between the United States, under Jackson; and Britain, under Sir Edward Pakenham. This battle was unnecessary because the war had already ended with the Treaty of Ghent, but the United States had not gotten word of this until after the battle was over. U.S. believed the War of 1812 was won because of the battle of New Orleans. Their were almost 2100 British casualties, and 300 American casualties.