War of 1812

Q: What was the War of 1812?

The War of 1812 was a conflict between the United States and the United Kingdom that lasted from June 1812 until February 1815.

Q: Why was the War of 1812 fought?

The War of 1812 was fought over unresolved issues left over from the American Revolution, as well as the tendency of the British Navy to force American sailors into service on British ships. The Americans also wanted to stop the rise of Tecumseh and his Native American confederacy, which was being backed by Britain.

Q: Where was the War of 1812 fought?

The War of 1812 was fought primarily in Canada and around the Great Lakes, although major battles were also fought around Chesapeake Bay (Burning of Washington) and Louisiana (Battle of New Orleans).

Q: When did the War of 1812 end?

The War of 1812 ended with the Treaty of Ghent, which was signed on 24 December 1814 and ratified by Congress on 17 February 1815.

Harrison W. Mark

Definition

The War of 1812 (1812-1815), referred to by some contemporaries as the Second American Revolution, was fought between the United States and the United Kingdom. Often remembered only as a sideshow to the Napoleonic Wars, the war had some long-term impacts like the reduction of Native American political power and the strengthening of US and Canadian national identities.

More about: War of 1812

Timeline

22 Jun 1807
HMS Leopard fires at the USS Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia, killing 3 American sailors and wounding 18.
1 Jun 1812
President Madison asks Congress for a declaration of war against the United Kingdom which is granted 17 days later.
18 Jun 1812
The War of 1812 begins between Great Britain and the United States when US President James Madison signs the declaration of war after Congress passed the resolution on 17 June. The war was publicly proclaimed on 19 June.
23 Jun 1812
Great Britain formally repeals the Order in Council placing restrictions on American commerce, the central cause of the War of 1812. The USA had declared war on Great Britain on 18 June 1812 but, because of the time it took for Britain's decision to reach North America, the news did not arrive until mid-August when the war was already underway. The British legislation repealing the Order in Council made the war pointless – but it proceeded anyway.
3 Sep 1812
The Pigeon Roost Massacre takes place during the War of 1812 at the village of Pigeon Roost in the territory of modern-day Indiana, USA, when a band of Native Americans, mostly of the Shawnee Nation, allied with the British, attack the settlement, killing 24 people.
1 Jun 1813
Mortally wounded Captain James Lawrence orders his men, "Don't Give Up the Ship" aboard the *USS Chesapeake* engaged in a naval battle with HMS *Shannon* off the coast of Boston during the War of 1812. Months later, his friend, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, has the phrase sewn onto a battle flag and it has since become the motto of the US Navy.
6 Jun 1813
The Battle of Stoney Creek takes place near present-day Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, as American forces invade Canada during the War of 1812. They were defeated by a British force in an early morning attack and retreated to Fort George, ending the invasion.
22 Jun 1813
On 21 June, during the War of 1812, Laura Secord overhears American officers planning a surprise attack on the British and sets off the next day on her famous 20-mile (30 km) trek from Queenstown to the DeCew House in Thorold to warn British Lt. James FitzGibbon, thwarting the American plans and allowing the British to win the Battle of Beaver Dams.
5 Oct 1813
Battle of the Thames is fought between US and British forces; Tecumseh is killed.
24 Aug 1814
The Burning of Washington by the British occurs during the War of 1812 when an amphibious force under British Read Admiral George Cockburn marches into Washington, D.C. and sets it on fire, burning down the White House and the US Capitol building, among others.
14 Sep 1814
American lawyer Francis Scott Key writes the poem *Defence of Fort M'Henry* after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. The poem was set to the tune of a popular British drinking song and became *The Star-Spangled Banner*, national anthem of the United States.
24 Dec 1814
The Treaty of Ghent is signed, bringing an end to the War of 1812 and restoring pre-war borders.
17 Feb 1815
The Treaty of Ghent is signed by President James Madison after its ratification by the US Senate on 16 February, ending the War of 1812. The treaty was signed at Ghent, Belgium on 24 December 1814 but, due to slow communications, the conflict continued, including the Battle of New Orleans on 8 January 1815 which, though routinely heralded as a great American victory, was completely unnecessary as the war was already over.
6 Apr 1815
The Dartmoor Massacre occurs at Dartmoor Prison, Devon, England when British guards fire upon American prisoners of war taken in the War of 1812. The prisoners were protesting their continued incarceration after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent and the end of the war. Seven prisoners were killed and at least sixty others wounded.
27 Jul 1816
The Battle of Negro Fort during the War of 1812 ends when a "hot cannon ball" fired from a US Navy gunboat lands in the fort's magazine, detonating gunpowder and munitions, destroying the fort, and killing between 100-300 defenders, mostly fugitive slaves from the United States. The event is regarded as the single deadliest cannon shot in US history.