The War of 1812
Mr. Madison’s War
Mr. Madison’s War
The War of 1812
The Second War of Independence
War breaks out again
between the United States
and Britain in 1812.
NEXT
President #4- James Madison
• Born in Virginia, 1751
•Attended Princeton and
became a lawyer.
•Father of the Constitution and
Bill of Rights.
•Secretary of State during
Jefferson’s Presidency
•President, 1809 to 1817
• Shortest US president
James Madison
• Becomes the 4th President
• Wife Dolley is very well liked
• France and England are fighting a
12 year war.
• Madison remained neutral
Impressment
An act of kidnapping
a ship, its contents,
men and forcing
them into your navy
1806: England closed
ports under French
control to foreign shipping
(incl. US), seized US ships
& impressed Americans.
Napoleon ordered seizure
of all merchant ships that
entered British ports.
Hard to Stay Neutral
• The French seized 500 American ships.
• The British seized 900 American ships.
• The British impressed American sailors to fight for
the British.
• The British armed Native Americans in the west
with high powered weapons to fight the Americans.
War Hawks
John C. Calhoun
South Carolina
Henry Clay
Kentucky
Members of Congress, who wanted
war why Great Britain….led by
John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay.
War Hawks
Why fight with Britain?
John C. Calhoun
South Carolina
Henry Clay
Kentucky
1. U.S. must defend its neutrality!
2. Stop impressment
3. Remove British forts in north
America
4. Tecumseh
5. Desire for Canada and Florida
6. Called 2nd War of Independence
Presidential Election of 1808
Presidential Election of 1812
Why go to war with Britain?
• They were seizing American
ships.
• They were arming Native
Americans to attack
Americans.
• War Hawks stirred a sense of
nationalism (pride in one’s
nation).
• Americans were still angry
from colonial days.
Causes of the War of 1812
• France and Britain hurt American trade by seizing ships.
• Britain impressed US sailors into the British navy.
• Britain encouraged attacks by Natives on settlers in the territory
between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
• British refused to remove troops from the Louisiana Territory.
• War Hawks wanted to add Canada to the States as well as Florida
from Spain.
• Americans desired the expansion of the country.
• video
madwar
PRINCIPLES WE FOUGHT FOR
•Defend our neutrality
•Freedom of the seas
•Defend our self interest
Madison brought the US into
this war to defend the neutrality
of the US.
Would this be a violation of
President Washington’s policy of
President James Madison
keeping the US out of war and
neutral?
On June 18,
1812 the
United
States
declares war
on England
http://www.reformation.org/war-of-1812.enh.jpg
Map war1812
1. US unprepared
for war.
2. Fighting takes
place
3. Great Lakes
4. Washington DC
5. New Orleans
The War in Canada
– Americans were unprepared for war
– The British captured Detroit and the
Americans failed to capture Canada
– Many Native Americans helped the
British because they wanted to stop
Americans from taking more land
American Invasion of
Canada
•America Hull surrendered Detroit to
smaller Brit. force – he was tricked!!
•Britain victory encouraged Indians to
unite and gave them guns
•America failed to take Canada
American Problems
• The US was unprepared militarily:
 Had a 12-ship navy vs. Britain’s
800 ships.
 Americans disliked a draft →
preferred to enlist in the
disorganized state militias.
• Financially unprepared:
 Flood of paper $.
• Regional disagreements.
The War at Sea
– The U.S. Navy was young and
outnumbered
– In November of 1812, the
British blockaded the
Chesapeake and Delaware Bays
– The blockade grew throughout
the war
– By 1813, most American ships
were unable to leave their ports
Events in the War of 1812:
Fort Mackinac Aug. 16, 1812
• The US lost Fort
Mackinac, MI, to
the British
because they
didn’t know that a
war had started.
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of Detroit Aug. 16, 1812
– Hull was ordered to invade Canada. To get
ahead, he sent sick soldiers, heavy guns &
official papers there. He didn’t know that the
war had started. The boat was captured at Fort
Malden. Britain now knew his plans.
– Hull attacked Fort Malden on August 6 and 2
days later retreated across the Detroit River
because Fort Mackinac fell and more British
reinforcements were coming.
– Hull sent 350-400 men to find a supply route
that didn’t pass Fort Malden.
– The British counterattacked and asked for
Hull’s surrender which stated the British
couldn’t control his Indians when the battle
started. Hull refused and sent his militia to
guard the town in case of an Indian attack. He
left the river unguarded.
– 700 Indians with Tecumseh & 700 British
regulars crossed Detroit River.
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Artillery killed 4 US officers. Hull raised the white flag and surrendered.
The British captured:
1,600 Ohio volunteers but later released
582 American regulars
33 cannons
2,500 muskets
the brig Adams (soon renamed Detroit).
The British suffered no casualties.
Hull and the regulars were taken to Quebec as POW’s.
Hull was court-martialed & sentenced to death, later pardoned by
President Madison.
Events in the War of 1812:
Constitution “Old Ironsides” vs. Guerriere
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Constitution outgunned and was faster
than any other ship.
Constitution got close to Guerriere while
taking little damage.
Americans let the British fire first on the
up roll of the waves, The British shot
high into Constitution’s rigging and sails
which did little damage.
The Americans waited to fire on the
down roll, striking Guerriere’s hull and
masts that destroyed the British ship.
Constitution suffered little damage and
had 7 killed and 7 wounded
Guerriere was too damaged to salvage
and was burned.
Britain had 79 casualties.
Victory over Guerriere helped establish
the ability of the US Navy.
The USS Constitution captures HMS Guerriere, 19 August 1812
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of Frenchtown
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Background:
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General Winchester split his troops in two in
order to take lightly guarded British supplies but
he failed to fortify his camp afterwards which
was in an open field.
The British, who outnumbered Winchester’s
troops, found out where they were and camped
only 5 miles from him to launch an attack.
Winchester lost the battle quickly at his camp
and was captured where he ordered the
surrender of the other half of the troops.
The aftermath:
–
•
Detroit had been captured by the British and
General Harrison’s goal was to take Detroit back.
The British left for Fort Malden with the healthy
POW’s but left the wounded POW’s at
Frenchtown. The day after the battle some of the
Indians killed between 30 and 60 prisoners in
what became known as the Raison River
Massacre.
General Harrison decided not to attack Detroit.
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of York (Toronto) 1813
•
The Americans planned to attack the port
of Kingston, the main British naval base on
Lake Ontario, but Major Dearborn decided
to attack York (modern Toronto and capital
of Upper Canada) instead. It wasn’t
defended well but York had:
– 2 British ships and one under construction
– Dearborn thought that destroying the ships
would hurt British control of the lake.
– 2 companies of troops
– 300 dockyard workers and militia, 700 men
– 50-100 Mississauga and Chippewa Indians
•
The Americans had:
– 15 boats at Sackett’s Harbour NY
– 1,700 troops, many were riflemen and infantry
• The Americans landed West of York
• The Americans captured the battery after 3 hours but before the British
surrendered, they destroyed the ship under construction, the naval
storehouse and the magazine at the government house.
• The Americans were going to remove the flying British flag at the
government house when it exploded and killed 38 and wounded 222.
General Pike died of his wounds.
• The Americans looted and destroyed the remaining government and
military buildings.
• The later burning of Washington DC was retaliation for this.
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of Lake Erie Sept. 10, 1813
• (August 1, 1813) Britain withdrew
its blockade due to low supplies
and the American fleet sailed into
Lake Erie and watched the British
fleet from Fort Malden and broke
their supply lines.
• (Sept. 10) Lawrence and 8 other
American ships, 54 guns vs. Detroit
and 5 other ships 63 cannons that
had a range twice as long as the
Americans, met on Lake Erie.
• Lawrence suffered about 80%
casualties and Commodore Perry
had to abandon ship and row to
Niagara to attack again.
Battle of Lake Erie by William Henry Powell (1823 - 1879) Oil on canvas, 1873
• The British tried to turn their ships to face with the non-bombarded side
but collided with each other and were entangled.
• Perry attacked and the British surrendered.
• Results:
– American control of Lake Erie
– Improved American morale
– Fort Malden was abandoned and the British retreated up to Thames River near
Detroit
– 6 ships were taken by the Americans
– Perry took Harrison’s army near Thames River to fight
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of Lake Erie
Perry
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of Thames Oct. 4, 1813
• Tecumseh’s warriors:
– Tecumseh’s warriors
ambushed the Americans
on their way to the Thames
River. They killed 3 and
wounded six but the
Americans had 3,000 troops
so Tecumseh retreated
upriver.
• The next day, Tecumseh's
confederacy joined the
British Army on the north
bank of the Thames near
Moraviantown.
The death of Tecumseh during the Battle of Thames, in which U.S. forces were
commanded by William Henry Harrison, in 1813. Photo from the book,
Encyclopedia of American Indian Wars by Jerry Keenan.
• The British decided to fight the Americans.
– The warriors positioned themselves in a swamp on the right side of the British to
push the Americans to the river.
– The US attacked the British and Indians.
– The British lines broke and they retreated leaving the warriors.
– The US concentrated on the swamp battle.
– The warriors were outnumbered.
– Tecumseh was killed.
– The Warriors retreated.
• Chiefs from six tribes signed a peace treaty with Harrison.
• The Indian Confederacy ended.
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
• Background:
– (1813–14), The Creeks were in a civil war
between those who followed Tecumseh and
those who were willing to change their way
of living to appease the whites.
– Red Sticks (followers of Tecumseh) attacked
white settlements.
– The Red Sticks went to Pensacola to get
firearms from the Spanish and were
ambushed by Americans from Fort Mims.
– The Red Sticks counterattacked & the US
retreated to Fort Mims.
– The US didn’t reinforce defenses and the
main gate was left open.
– (August 30, 1813), The Red Sticks conducted
a surprise attack on 553 frontiersmen at Fort
Mims.
– The Red Sticks defeated the Americans and
then massacred most of the survivors
including women and children.
• In response to the massacre, General Andrew Jackson and 5,000
militiamen attacked a fortified Creek village at Horseshoe Bend
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Red Sticks were greatly outnumbered
Armaments destroyed the defenses
About 800 warriors died
500 women and children were imprisoned
Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek Indians
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of Horseshoe Bend

Result:

Treaty of Fort Jackson
(1814) ceded most of
their lands in southern
Alabama to Georgia
Events in the War of 1812:
Burning of Washington D.C. August 24, 1814
• British defeated American militiamen at
the Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland,
where President Madison took command
of one of the batteries.
• The British marched unopposed into
Washington, D.C.
• Government officials left the capital.
• The British army entered Washington.
• British troops looted and burned the
White House, the Capitol building, House
of Representatives and Library of
Congress, a number of federal buildings,
and several private homes to get revenge
for York.
• (August 26) The British withdrew.
Tom Freeman's painting of the August 24, 1814 burning of the
White House by British troops during the War of 1812.
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of Plattsburgh September 11, 1814
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Background:
– About 15,000 British troops invaded New
York from Canada with Royal Navy ships on
Lake Champlain.
– They wanted to reach NYC to divide the US
in half.
– 25 miles south lay the village of Plattsburgh
and Cumberland Bay defended by 1500
regulars, 2,500 militiamen & 14 ships.
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The Fight:
– The armies fought in Plattsburgh.
– The British fleet rounded Cumberland Head
where they met the anchored Americans
ready to fight.
– The British were unable to maneuver due to
lack of wind which gave the advantage to
the Americans.
– Within three hours the British colors were
struck and their commander was dead.
– The British troops withdrew back to Canada
because they couldn’t be supported by the
navy.
Thomas Macdonough was in command of the decisive American naval victory near
Plattsburg on Lake Champlain. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
• Results:
– American victory cancelled British
plans to control Lake Champlain
 Helped to secure the border with
Canada
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of Baltimore Sept. 12, 1814
• British troops landed near
Baltimore.
• Defense of Baltimore was
well prepared to slow the
advancement of the British
troops.
• 9,000 US militia
• The British crossed the North
Point Peninsula between two
rivers where the Maryland
militia waited with 3,000.
• The British General was
killed.
Bombardment of Fort McHenry
c. 1828-1830
Alfred Jacob Miller (1810-1874)
1901-2-3
• The British broke through the first two American lines and the militia
withdrew.
• They failed to break the third American line, and their land path to
Baltimore was blocked.
• The British tried to capture Fort McHenry to open the water route to
Baltimore:
– The British had five bomb ketches capable of firing mortar rounds 4,000 yards, twice the range of
the guns of the Fort.
– The rounds dropped all day and night
– When morning broke and the civilians saw the American flag still flying, they were relieved.
– Francis Scott Key wrote the first verse of the Star Spangled Banner that would later become the US
national anthem.
– The British withdrew.
– It was an American victory.
Events in the War of 1812: Hartford Convention
1814
• New England shipping suffered
because of the war but the Federalists
overlooked the boom in industry in
New England.
• Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont
sent delegates to Hartford for secret
meetings. Some wanted to secede or
at least threaten secession to get their
way but most thought that was too
radical and were worried that seceding
from the Union could start a civil war.
• Hartford Convention's final demands:
– Federal financial aid to help New
England's trade economy
– 7 Constitutional amendments
• The members of the Hartford Convention sent messengers with their
demands to Washington.
• They arrived as news of the Treaty of Ghent and the victory in New
Orleans reached the city.
• As a result of the timing, no real thought was given to the demands.
• Importance:
– continued the idea of states' rights
– Federalist party began to die out
The End of the War of 1812:
Treaty of Ghent December 24, 1814
• Treaty of Ghent
• Restored pre-war status:
– End hostilities
– End British influence in Northwest
Territory
– Restoration of conquered territory
– Arbitration for boundary disputes
The Treaty of Ghent
– In December, 1815, British and
Americans met in Ghent, Belgium to
negotiate a peace treaty
– Results of the war:
• Britain and American became
better allies
• America gained respect from other
countries
Events in the War of 1812:
Battle of New Orleans Jan. 8, 1815
• A British fleet of more than
50 ships prepared to
attack New Orleans.
• General Jackson moved his
army (7,000 militia) to New
Orleans to help defend it.
• News of the peace treaty
hadn’t yet reached either
side.
• 7,500 British attacked their
position.
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Jackson had fortified his position very well.
Fighting lasted half an hour.
British withdrew
U.S. victory
– British casualties: about 2,000 (289 killed)
– American casualties: 71 (31 killed)
• Jackson became an American hero
• video
Effects of the War of 1812
• The British recognized US boundaries and left the Northwest
Territory.
• The US gained national pride.
• US industry increased due to the end of trade with Britain.
• The Federalist Party, which was against the war, disappeared.
• Weakened Native resistance
Expanding the Nation’s Boundaries:
War of 1812
• PBS video
• African Americans in the war of 1812