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Maritime Tensions
A British ship the HMS Leopard seized four men from an American ship, the Chesapeake. The Birtish, along with boarding the American ship, fired at it as well. The Americans were outraged and called for war. -
War Hawks
The War Hawks felt the threat of the British Canadians. The western states thought that the British were planning to place Native Americans on the frontier to attack the American settlers. Therefore to end this threat they began war. -
Battle of Tippecanie
Tecumseh tried to warn his brother not attack the Americans until the confederation was strong and unified but his brother went ahead anyways. His brother, the "Prophet", told his army that the white man's bullets could not harm them. The American's, Harrison's army, defeated the Native army. After the battle they went to the Native's village and burt it. -
American "War Hawks" and "Mr. Madison's War"
The War Hawks were a coterie of about twenty Democratic Republicans who persuaded Congress into supporting a declaration of war against Britain. James Madison had went against the declaration of war which was then why it was named “Mr. Madison’s War” when it finally went through in June of 1812. -
U.S. declares war on Britian
The United States declared war on Great Britian. They wanted maritime rights along with the other half of the continent that still belonged to the King of England. They were upset with the British navy's arrpgance on the high seas. Britian began searching American ships in the hopes they would recover seamen who had left the British navy to join that of the U.S. becuase it was an easier life.
As well they wanted to make another attempt in ending the British presence in North America. -
Hull invades Upper Canada
Hull's army attacked Upper Canada with an army twice the size. The Candians withdrew from Sandwich to Amherstburg. Hull issued a proclamation which convinced 500 Canadian militia to desert. The Americans followed the British to Amherstburg, and then were stopped by British troops and Natives at the River Canard. Hull then waited until his personal guns could arrive. In the meantime the British had gotten a hand on the American's. Hull then ordered his troops to withdraw to Detroit. -
Fort Michilimackinac
Brock gained control of Fort Michilimackinac through a bloodless battle with the Americans. -
Brock attacks Detroit
Brock called Hull (who was based in Detroit) to surrender, warning him of his allied Indians. Hull didn’t surrender therefore Brock began an artillery bombardment on Hull’s camp. Hull prepared his army for a possible Indian attack. Brock’s Indians began to invade the Hull’s camp. They shot at the camp and killed several men, this caused Hull to surrender. -
Battle of Queenston Heights
Van Rensselaer attacks across the Niagara River, his forces endure British fire and strong river currents. They circled behind the British artillery and kill Isaac Brock, the British's commander. The two armies battle for several hours and then the militiamen realize that the Mohawks from across the river are coming and they cannot fight on forgien soil. The remaining U.S. troops surrender. -
Laura Secord
On June 22nd, 1813, after hearing the news that the Americans were planning to ambush a small unit of British soldiers, while they had taken over her farm, she set out on a 20 mile trek to warn Lieutenant James Fitzsimmons. Once he was warned he prepared his soldiers and defeated the Americans. -
Battle on the Thames
The battle on the Thames occurred on October 5 1813. After the American victory in the battle of Lake Eerie the entire western peninsula of Upper Canada was in danger of being taken over by the enemy. They then decided to retreat up the River Thames because of their lack of supplies to support them. After their retreat, they were pursued by approximately 3500 U.S troops. The two groups met near Moraviantown where the British were outnumbered and quickly defeated. After this battle, most of the t -
Americans Burn York
In the winter of 1813, American Secretary of War John Armstrong had a secret strategy to send a mass army to Sackett’s Habour before spring break-up. The British found out about the strategy and immediately sent out reinforcements. Armstrong was later convinced that the taking of York would have been just as effective as the taking of Kingston would have been. -
British Burn Washington
On August 24, 1814 the British forces overwhelmed the American military after they had defeated them in the Battle of Bladensburg by marching into Washington D.C. American congressmen and officials fled the country once word of the news had broke. The British army then began setting fire to the city for in revenge because the Americans had set fire to their Canadian government buildings earlier in the war. -
Treaty of Ghent
On Christmas Eve of 1814, members of the British and American negotiating teams signed a document that ended the war of 1812. Afterwards, both sides agreed to meet in the Belgian town of Ghent in August of 1814 to resolve their issues. The Treaty of Ghent, in effect, meant that thousands of people had died for nothing: nobody won the war of 1812. The real losers were the First Nations, which were then given “all the rights and privileges they enjoyed before the war.” -
Battle of New Orleans
The borders in the northwest were subject to much dispute in the 1812 period because the American government was set on expanding. The U.S. policy makers were determined to acquire this land for ideological and financial reasons. The declaration of war had serious implications for citizens living in these territories and for the administration that wanted to control them. New Orleans was isolated; it was the only American Naval Station that was geographically cut off from the rest of the country
