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(1812-1815) Andrew
Jackson at the Battle of New
Orleans The War
of 1812 was a conflict between the
fairly new nation called the United
States of America, and on the other
side the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland and its North
American colonies in Canada.
The war
began in 1812 and ended in 1815. Over
1,600 British and 2,260 American
soldiers, marines, and sailors perished
in this war on both land and on the
ocean. While at war with the United
States, Britain was also fighting
against France and her allies in
Europe. Due to
their war with France, the British
sought to restrict American trade with
France, and imposed a set of
restrictions which the U.S. considered
illegal under international law. The
U.S. declared war on Britain on July
18, 1812 after years of enduring
British restrictions and attacks on
American shipping, the forcible
impressment of thousands of American
sailors into service with the British
navy, increasing anger at British
restraints on American trade with
France and other European nations, and
frustration at continuing British
military support for Native Americans
fighting against the expanding United
States. Also
fueling the desire for war with Britain
was a feeling that Britain never truly
gave up thinking of America as a "lost"
colony that should be punished. Many
pro-war American saw a new war with
Britain as a reaffirmation of American
independence; in fact, the war became
known as the Second War of
Independence. When
war was declared by the United States
in the summer of 1812, the American
military was woefully unprepared for
conflict with the world's most powerful
empire. Even though the British were
engaged in a life and death struggle
with Napoleon's France, troops were
sent to reinforce British Canada and to
battle the Americans. The war
that developed was a repeat of the
American desire to invade and absorb
Canada. Just as in the American
Revolutionary War, British and Canadian
forces beat back an American invasion.
Modern Canadians trace the first true
inkling of their nationhood to this war
and the Canadian contribution to their
own defense. As with
many aspects of politics and public
policy, this new war with Britain was
popular in some regions of the United
States, and vastly unpopular in others.
However, the British
Burning of
Washington
on August 24, 1814, in which the White
House and the Capital Building were
burned by invading British troops,
enraged all sections of the country in
enmity towards the British. Ironically,
while many of the battles of the War of
1812 resulted in American defeat and
humiliation, the greatest American
victory on land came at the Battle of
New Orleans, in 1815, which actually
took place after the signing of the
Treaty of Ghent, which would end the
war. The American victory at New
Orleans produced a national hero in
General Andrew Jackson, which would
help propel him into the (rebuilt)
White House in later years. The
Burning of the White House and the
Capital in Washington,
D.C. Who won the
War of 1812? Basically, the War of 1812 ended in
a draw. Per the Treaty of Ghent, which
ended the war, neither the U.S., nor
Britain lost or gained any territory.
The only real change was that American
fishermen gained the right to fish in
the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. However, perception is often taken
for reality. In the U.S., the war was
seen as a victory due to the belief
that the mighty British Empire had been
held off. While the issue of the
impressment of American sailors by the
British was not dealt with in the
treaty, the British no longer employed
that recruitment tactic after the
war. In Canada, the war was also seen as
a victory, as the American invasion had
been held off, and this conflict is
seen in Canada as a major milestone in
Canadian national development. The
British view was basically that this
pesky sidenote to the world war against
Napoleon was finally over, and it had
not adversely affected the outcome of
their much more important war with
France. The real losers of this war were the
Native Americans, whose lands were now
more firmly in U.S. hands, and who
could no longer rely on British aid
against the Americans. U.S. Military Personnel During the
War of 1812: U.S. Military Deaths and Wounded in
the War of 1812: (Battle
Casualties) Navy: 265 Marines: 45 4,505 Wounded Navy: 439 Marines: 66 *An estimated 15,000 total deaths
occurred due to the war on the
American side. As is typical of
warfare in this era, more deaths
occurred from disease and other
causes than through actual battle
wounds and causes. British Military Deaths and Wounded
in the War of 1812: (Battle
Casualties) 3,679 Wounded British Military Deaths and Wounded
in the War of 1812: (Non-Battle
Casualties) American Military Expenditures
during the War of 1812: Money Borrowed by the Federal
Government During the War of 1812: General
Society of the War of
1812--Preserving
the records and other documents
relating to the war, caring for its
veterans' graves of veterans, and
encouraging patriotism among all
Americans. War
of 1812--Wikipedia
article U.S.
Army Campaigns: The War of
1812--From
Army.mil Leading
Myths of the War of
1812--article
by War of 1812 Historian, Don
Hickey War
of 1812--Articles,
links and reenactment
information. Roster
of Ohio Soldiers in the War of
1812--Searchable
database of records for officers and
enlisted men from the Adjutant General
records. Virtualology:
War of 1812--Features
the text of the British account of the
capture of Washington D.C. as reported
in The Columbian Centinel, December 7,
1814. War
of 1812--Includes
summary of the war and brief
descriptions of major
battles. Fort
Erie War of 1812 Re-enactment
Units--Aid
to all military units who portray the
period in time known as the War of
1812. The
War of 1812 in the News
Media In
Britain, These Colonies Are
History--By
Kevin Sullivan,Washington Post Foreign
Service-May 5, 2007 Munro'
resolution on the War of 1812 passes
unanimously --King
Township Sentinel--April 11,
2007 War
of 1812 clash left home marked with
soldiers' blood--by
Adam Mayers, Toronto Star --May
03, 2007 04:30 AM Battle
of Cook's Mills decisive moment in
Welland's
history--The
Welland Tribune - May 03, 2007
Making
a soldier's meal of Quebec
history--By
John Masters, Vancouver Courier--April
25, 2007 "The
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