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The idea of a Native American confederacy. The defeat at Tippecanoe prompted Tecumseh to ally his remaining forces with Great Britain during the War of 1812, where they would play an integral role in the British military success in the Great Lakes region in the coming years.
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On June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain, marking the beginning of the War of 1812. Frustrated by Britain’s maritime practices and support of Native American resistance to western expansion, the U.S. entered the war with ambitious plans to conquer Canada, a goal that was never realized.
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War descended upon Mackinac Island as a combined force of British, Canadian, and Native American soldiers captured Fort Mackinac from an American garrison. The fall of Mackinac, one of the first engagements of the War of 1812, set off over two years of combat between the United State and Great Britain for control of Michigan and the Great Lakes. Both sides knew that Mackinac held the key to the Great Lakes fur trade and the allegiance of Native American tribes across the region.
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It was the first major battle in the war of 1812. The British won, but it proved Britain and the US both weren't ready for war.
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On January 22, American forces under James Winchester faced an invading British army under Henry Procter at Frenchtown. Winchester ultimately surrendered, but after the battle, the Native American allies of the British massacred the wounded American soldiers under their care.
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A small British army with support from Indians attempted to capture the recently constructed fort to forestall an American offensive against Detroit, which the British had captured the previous year. An American sortie and relief attempt failed with heavy casualties, but the British failed to capture the fort and were forced to raise the siege.
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Britain and the US had troops on the Great Lakes. After American forces on Lake Ontario tried to break the stalemate by attacking a British shipyard at the small town of York, the British decided to launch their own raid on Sackets Harbor. When the British learned that many of the American ships and soldiers had left port to attack a British fort, they seized the chance to strike. The stalemate continued as the British and Americans continued building larger and larger warships.
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The British were pursued by about 3,500 U.S. troops under Major General William Henry Harrison. The British, with about 600 regulars and 1,000 Indian allies under Tecumseh, the Shawnee intertribal leader, were greatly outnumbered and quickly defeated. Many British troops were captured and Tecumseh was killed, destroying his Indian alliance and breaking the Indian power in the Ohio and Indiana territories. After this battle, most of the tribes abandoned their association with Britain.
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American troops had occupied Fort George and the village of Niagara since May 1813. As winter approached and the condition of the American troops worsened, it was discovered that British troops were approaching to retake the fort. The British burnt down the village. The British fully claimed the fort on the 18th of December.
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A British force moved forward to Lundy’s Lane. He then was reinforced by troops from Kingston under the British commander in chief, General Gordon Drummond. The U.S. troops advanced, and the battle began at 6 PM. For hours on end, each side hurled desperate charges against the other. The losses on both sides were the heaviest in the entire war. With fewer than 3,000 men, the British had 878 casualties, 84 of whom were killed; the Americans suffered 853 casualties, with 171 killed.
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During the War of 1812, the British were urged to attack the former colonies after American troops attacked Canada and burned government buildings. Washington was picked as the target because of its symbolic importance, its easy access from the sea, and the inability of inexperienced American troops to defend it.
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The defeat alloud the British to subsequently march into nearby Washington D.C. and set fire to public buildings, including the presidential mansion. After this Britain was able to disentangle itself from fighting France in the Napoleonic Wars. The British military made a plan to end the war, by taking control of the New England states and focus an attack on New Orleans, which separates north and south by cutting off transportation routes in both places.
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Baltimore had been preparing for such an assault for more than a year now; its citizens and militia built defenses around the city. The imposing Fort McHenry, provided the linchpin for the American defenses. The next day, another confrontation between the British regulars and American militiamen resulted in the British command having to resort to naval support to take the city. The fall of Fort McHenry was vital to the British plan, as the British Navy couldn't assist the land forces.
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The Treaty of Ghent was signed by British and American representatives at Ghent, Belgium, ending the War of 1812. By terms of the treaty, all conquered territory was to be returned, and commissions were planned to settle the boundary of the United States and Canada.
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News of the treaty was slow to cross the pond and the two sides met in what is remembered as one of the conflict’s biggest and most decisive engagements. In the bloody Battle of New Orleans, future many people weathered a frontal assault by a superior British force, inflicting devastating casualties along the way. The victory vaulted Jackson to national stardom, and helped foil plans for a British invasion of the American frontier.
