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BACKGROUND
A war between the British Empire and the United States of America from 1812-1815 CE. Generally considered a spin-off conflict or associated minor conflict to the Napoleanic Wars, because the original issue of the war was the United States' issues with Britain and France who blockaded American shipping that resulted from the larger war and thus violated America's rights as a neutral nation. James Monroe was president at this time. Other notable leaders were Governer Prevost of Lower Canada, General Isaac Brock, Native leader Tecumseh, and General Jackson.
Because of the geography of the conflict and the United States of America's contemporary status as a minor power, the only way for America to vent its rage against Britain was to attack Britain's possessions north of its borders. The British provinces and homelands of the emerging two nations of future Canada, Upper Canada (Ontario), and Lower Canada (Québec) as well as the American New England States were the primary theatres of conflict.
RESULT
Treaty of Ghent ends War of 1812, restores status quo ante bellum. Significant loss of life and property, including vital government infrastructure from the burning of York, Upper Canada, and Washington, D.C. Despite the obvious ill feeling generated by the conflict, the Treaty of Ghent provided for the creation of commisions to deal peacefully issues between the United States and Great Britain, and later on Canada. The aftermath of the war also was notable as a dark period for the native tribes of North America, as the destruction of Tecumseh's Confederacy broke the power of the eastern Native tribes and paved the way for unchecked American expansion at their expense.
LEGACY
Probably the most misrepresented chapter of North American history, generations of obsessively jignostic Canadians and Americans have bent the historical facts to conclude that their nation "won" the conflict. The British, being the sane ones in this cherade, don't really care that much.
Canadians tend to assert that it was their militia had handily defeated the USA and burnt the White House. This is false, a British fleet did the deed. Canadian militia merely held their ground.
Americans tend to claim victory over the Battle of New Orleans, when this battle happened after the Treaty of Ghent was signed, and the British force could not be reached in time to inform them.
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Another great defonition on urbandictionary where pseudo-historians get on here and argue about who won when it dosnt matter.
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From the British point of view, an annoying distraction from the main task of beating Napoleon.
From the American point of view, time to fight back against the British policy of pressganging US citizens into the Royal Navy.
From the Canadian point of view, a War of Liberation against a piece of naked US aggression. The US believed it was their "manifest destiny" to control the whole of the North American continent (hence also the war against Mexico). This remained their dominant philosophy, well into the twentieth century and arguably they still haven't got it out of their system.
The continued existence of the Dominion of Canada proves that the US lost the War of 1812. The British had already revoked the pressganging policy a few days before hostilities began. If it wasn't for the absurd Louisiana campaign, no myth of victory, or even a draw, would have persisted.
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A war that Americans are taught in school that they won. Basically, it was a pathetic attempt to Annex Canada from the British, and ultimately got their capital burned to the ground.
American: We won the war of 1812!
Smart Person: Can you smell something burning? Oh, yeah, its the white house.
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A conflict between Britain and the US. Ended up in the destruction of a large British Army, American and British cities being overrun, and the fighting of the Royal Navy and States to a standstill. In the end the US recovered its land, gained decisive control over much of the Great Lakes, and even made some territorial gains not to mention that the natives were no longer in a position to threaten the country anymore.
Amusingly, some people consider this a canadian victory, even though there technically wasn't a Canada at this time, and they cannot point to any evidence of a 'victory' other than the filthy yanks did go ahead and conquer any more land than they had taken already. If this is what some canadians consider a victory, I'd hate to see a canadian defeat. Of course that would require canada to actually get an army.
yeah the British stopped pressganging sailors. So what? The news arrived after war was declared...
Many brave Americans and British fought in the War of 1812...
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A war Canadians thought they were involved in, even though they were not an independant country.
The total outcome of the war was the United States gaining Lake Erie, and the British no longer practiced impressment of American sailors.
The War of 1812 was between Britian and the United States, not Canada.
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A war fought mainly because of a trade conflict between the U.S. and Britain (The U.S. was supplying Napoleonic France in which Britain and several other European powers were fighting at the time). This war started in 1812 when U.S. president James Madison declared war upon Great Britain. The U.S. declared war first because of the increased amount of American shipping being intercepted by the British Navy, America's desire to expand into Canada and the increased vocations of the War Hawks, an American organization thats sole objective was to exact revenge on Great Britain after the American Revolution. The first fighting occured when an American force was launched over the Niagara River, although the force was large and had good leadership it mainly consisted of militia from New York who simply refused to cross into a foreign land to fight(the militia did have the right to do this because the main purpose of a militia is to defend home soil). This force then blindly marched deeper into Upper Canada where they were attacked by Butler's Rangers and forced to retreat. Knowing their mistake the Americans drafted militia into the armed services. Next the Americans moved against Montreal, the gateway between Upper Canada and the Atlantic Ocean, but the winter of 1812 came very quickly and the Americans lost a third of their force before even getting to Montreal. When they did arrive an amazing blizzard had created zero visibilty and both sides started firing into the wind, the Montreal militia barricaded within the gates of the cities were able to hold off the Americans until reinforcements arrived and the Americans retreated again. Things were not looking well for the U.S. and by this time the British sent and expeditonary force to Canada. The British then tried to invade the U.S. via Lake Ontario but the highly superior British fleet was humbly defeated by the Americans but they did not capture Toronto due to popular belief so invasion was successfully repelled...for now. The Brits then split their forces in two and headed in two directions, one force to Detroit and the other to capture New York. The force to Detroit was successful and the city was taken but the force heading east took much longer as they stopped and burnt down many small coastal towns along their route, they were slow enough that the Americans could retaliate and the Brits then found their way back to Canada. Now the Brits were so irritated that they launched a force by way of sea right to Washington and they burnt down the White House and pillaged the surrounding area, then the Brits moved to Baltimore where they tried to siege the city but the Yanks soundly defeated the Brits outside of the city. The British force was nearly annihilated and the living were captured, now the British force was only at half strength and that half was far to the west and could not stop a counter-invasion by the Yanks. Sir Isaac Brock, the Commander of the Canadian Militia knew he needed to act quickly to stop the Americans from advancing through the Niagara region so he gathered all the militia under his command and garrisoned British troops aswell as a large number native americans and headed to Queenston heights. When Brock arrived the Americans were waiting for him and had set up their artillery on the hills, Brock then charged each of the hills personally leading the assault. This was a great Canadian victory but Brock had died during the battle and leadership was now a large issue. The Brits in Detroit then decided to float down the Mississippi and take New Orleans, this was a catastrophe, the Brits didn't stop to take St. Louis and they St. Louis militia took potshots at the British, resulting in heavy casualties, when the Brits did arrive they had no will to fight and were slaughtered in the swamps of Lousiana. This led to the Brits asking for peace, they did this mostly because the war with France was not going well, James Madison signed the treaty and the war was over.
Many historians debate over who won but it is a fact that an American invasion was repulsed which was the entire objective of the Canadian and British forces.
The war of 1812 was a uneeded loss of life.
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