The War of 1812

Invasion of Canada - British forces were weakest - Americans wasted strength in the three-pronged invasion of 1812 - The trio of invading forces set out from Detroit, Niagara, and Lake Champlain - Were beaten back shortly after crossing the Canadian border - American navy did much better, more skilled, better gunners, and were manned by nonpress-gang crews (wanted vengeance) Great Lakes - Control of Great Lakes was vital - Oliver Hazard Perry (American naval officer) built a fleet of green-timbered ships at Lake Erie - Captured a British fleet and reported to superior We have met the enemy and they are ours. - General Harrisons army overtook and beat the British who were withdrawing from Detroit and Fort Malden at the Battle of Thames (October 1813) British invasion of New York - British assembled some 10,000 crack troops to invade New York - Invader was forced to bring supplies over the Lake Champlain waterway due to the absence of roads - A weaker American fleet commanded by Thomas Macdonough challenged the British - The battle was fought near Plattsburgh on September 11, 1814 - Macdonough unexpectedly snatched victory from the fangs of defeat - British were forced to retreat Washington D.C. - A second formidable British force (around 4000) landed in the Chesapeake Bay area (August 1814) - Easily dispersed some 6000 panicky militia at Bladensburg - Invaders entered the capital and set fire to buildings and the Capitol and the White House. - While Washington burned, Baltimore held firm Fort McHenry - British fleet hammered Fort McHenry with cannons but could not capture the city - Francis Scott Key (detained American watching the bombardment from a British ship) was inspired to write the words of The Star-Spangled Banner Battle of New Orleans - 1814 - Menaced the entire Mississippi Valley - Andrew Jackson (fresh from crushing the southwest Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend) was placed in command - His army consisted of 7000 sailors, regulars, pirates, Frenchmen, and militiamen from Louisiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee - There were 2 Louisiana regiments of free black volunteers (about 400 men) - Overconfident British (around 80,000 veterans) made a mistake on January 8, 1815, on the entrenched American riflemen and cannoneers. They lost over 2000 men in half an hour - Victory for Jackson and his men

Treaty of Ghent - Peace treaty signed in Ghent, Belgium - Ended the war two weeks before battle of New Orleans - Signed on Christmas Eve in 1814 - Both sides agreed to stop fighting and to restore conquered territory New England Federalists - Prospered during the conflict due to illicit trade with the enemy in Canada and the absence of a British blockade until1814 - Became more vocal as war dragged on - Small minority proposed secession from the Union or at least a separate peace with Britain Hartford Convention - In 1814 when the capture of New Orleans seemed imminent - Issued by Massachusetts at Hartford, Connecticut - States of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island dispatched full delegations - New Hampshire and Vermont sent partial representation - Met in complete secrecy for about 3 weeks (December 15, 1814- January 5, 1815) - Discuss their grievances and to seek redress for their wrongs - Less radical than the alarmists supposed - Demanded financial assistance from Washington to compensate for lost trade and proposed constitutional amendments requiring 2\3 vote in Congress before an embargo could be imposed, new states admitted, or war declared - The Hartford resolutions were the death dirge of the Federalist party - Until 1815, there was far more talk of nullification and secession in New England than in any other section including the South