War of 1812 Timeline

  • Battle of Tippecanoe

    The Battle of Tippecanoe was an American victory over the Native Americans it took place in the Old Northwest, North of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi RIver.
  • U.S. Declares War on Great Britain

    President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain, marking the beginning of the War of 1812.
  • Battle of Queenston Heights

    Four months after the Americans declared war a battle had begun in Queenston, Canada, resulting in an American victory.
  • Battle of River Raisin

    The River Raisin militia was called into service to build a military road which was to link Detroit with Ohio.
  • Siege of Fort Meigs

    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.
  • Battle of Sackets Harbor

    Sackets Harbor became the center of American naval and military activity for the upper St. Lawrence Valley and Lake Ontario.
  • Battle of the Thames

    General William Henry Harrison led an army of 3,500 American troops against a combined force of eight hundred British soldiers and five hundred American Indian warriors at Moraviantown, the battle resulted in an American victory.
  • Capture of Fort Niagara

    The British night attack was successful, and the fort remained in British hands for the remainder of the war.
  • Battle of Lundy's Lane

    Both British and American armies were evenly matched and the six-hour battle lasted until darkness and heavy losses put an end to the fighting.
  • Battle of Bladensburg

    The battle was a British victory making Washington D.C. and easier target for British invasion.
  • Burning of Washington D.C.

    Invading British troops marched into Washington and set fire to the U.S. Capitol, the President's Mansion, and other local landmarks.
  • Bombardment of Fort McHenry

    Fort McHenry had a short period peace which allowed the fort to be an outpost for the small standing army of the United States, and the country’s first light artillery unit was organized there.
  • Treaty of Ghent

    The Treaty of Ghent was signed by British and American representatives at Ghent, Belgium, ending the War of 1812.
  • The Battle of New Orleans

    In the bloody Battle of New Orleans, future President Andrew Jackson and a motley assortment of militia fighters, frontiersmen, slaves, Indians and even pirates weathered a frontal assault by a superior British force, inflicting devastating casualties along the way.
  • Fort Michilimackinac Surrenders to the British

    War descended upon Mackinac Island as a combined force of British, Canadian, and Native American soldiers captured Fort Mackinac from a small, unsuspecting American force.