Ch. 9.4The War of

1812

Objectives

1. How did the war progress at sea and in the

Great Lakes region?

2. How did actions by American Indians aid the

British during the war?

3. What strategy did the British pursue in the

East?

4. How did the war come to an end?

The U.S.S.

Constitution

"Old Ironsides"

I. The War At Sea

A. Most battles of the War of 1812 took

place on or near water - Atlantic Ocean,

Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay

B. Battle of British Guerriere and U.S.S.

Constitution

1. Constitution nicknamed "Old

Ironsides" because of her copper

sheathing - cannon balls bounced

off her sides.

2. Victory for the U.S.

C. British advantages

1. hundreds of ships

2. able to blockade U.S. seaports & capture

many U.S. merchant shipsD. American advantages

1. Most of Britain's ships were fighting

elsewhere in the world

2. Used privateers, which were cheaper than

building battle ships

3. Well trained sailors

4. New, technologically superior warships

II. The Canadian Border

A. U.S. leaders planned an invasion of

Canada, hoping to take it from the British.

B. British & Indians, led by Tecumseh,

defeated an American unit & captured

Ft. Detroit

C. By the end of 1812, Britain controlled the

Great Lakes Region.

D. April, 1813 - U.S. troops captured &

burned the Canadian capital of York

(present day Toronto)

E. U.S. commander of the Navy was Oliver

Hazzard Perry, who built a small fleet on

Lake Erie.F. September, 1813 - Perry's fleet defeated the

British in the Battle of Lake Erie.G. Perry's famous quote: "We have met the

enemy, and they are ours."H. Perry's victory forced the British to

withdraw from the Great Lakes region.

Oliver Hazzard Perry

Battle of Lake Erie

"We have met the enemy, and

they are ours."

III. The Frontier War

A. Gen. William Henry Harrison was in charge

of the U.S. troops in the Northwest.

B. October 1813 - Battle of the Thames

1. Harrison attacked, & British forces

retreated.

2. Indians, led by Tecumseh, did not retreat

until Tecumseh was killed.

3. His death weakened the Indian-British

alliance.

4. U.S. victory broke British power in the

Northwest & secured the Canadian border.

Tecumseh

William Henry Harrison

C. In the South, Creek Indian forces attacked and

destroyed Ft. Mims in present day Alabama.D. Andrew Jackson, a general in the TN militia, led

his forces south to fight the CreekE. 1814 - Battle of Horseshoe Bend

1. Jackson attacked the main Creek Indian base

on the Tallapoosa River in present day AL

2. Convincing victory for Jackson

3. Indian leaders surrendered.

4. Ended Creek War & forced Indians to give up

millions of acres of their land.

IV. The British on the Offensive

A. After defeating the French in 1814, Britain

sent more ships & troops to the U.S.

B. They strengthened their blockade of U.S.

seaports.

C. They sailed up the Chesapeake Bay to

attack the U.S. capital of Washington.

1. Dolley Madison, Pres. Madison's wife, took

precautions in case the British captured

Washington:

a. She packed up everything of value, including

Cabinet papers, silverware, china, etc.

b. Minutes before the British arrived, she

saved a portrait of George Washington

2. The British invaded the city of Washington and

forced the defenders to retreat.

3. They then burned the capital building, the White

House, and other government buildings.D. The Battle of Ft. McHenry

1. The British sailed on up the Chesapeake to attack

Baltimore, which was guarded by Ft. McHenry.

2. The British shelled the fort for 25 hours, but the

Americans refused to surrender.

3. The British chose to retreat instead of continuing

to fight.

4. The battle was witnessed from a British battle ship

by American Francis Scott Key, who wrote the

Star Spangled Banner in response to what he

saw.

The Star Spangled Banner, Smithsonian Museum

The Bombardment of Ft. McHenry

V. The Battle of New Orleans

A. After Gen. Jackson defeated the Creek Indians

in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, he marched

his troops south to New Orleans.

B. After the burning of Washington, the British

launched an attack from the Carribean, hoping

to capture New Orleans.

C. Jackson ordered his troops, a mixture of

soldiers, militia, & pirates, to build a wall of

dirt and logs and wait for the British attack.

D. On the morning of Jan. 8, 1815, the British began

marching toward the U.S. troops under the cover

of a heavy fog. E. When the air cleared, they realized they were

caught in an open field & exposed to U.S. rifle

& artillery fire.F. They were cut down with frightening speed.G. When the battle ended, more than 2,000

British soldiers had been killed or wounded.H. The Americans had suffered only about 70

casualties.I. The battle was unique because it was fought two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent.

The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton

VI. Ending the war

A. Hartford Convention

1. Before the Battle of New Orleans, some

Federalists gathered at Hartford, CT.

2. Opposed to the war, some wanted the

New England states to withdraw from

the United States.

3. More moderate members convinced them

to send a delegation to Congress to

discuss the matter before taking action.

4. Before this delegation reached Washington,

news came that the war had ended.

5. Critics of these Federalists accused them of

treason.6. Their attempt to challenge the power of the

national government further weakened the

party.

B. The Treaty of Ghent

1. The U.S. and Britain had been negotiating peace

in the city of Ghent in Belgium for months.

2. The peace treaty was finally signed on

Dec. 24, 1814, weeks before the Battle of New

Orleans.

3. Both countries agreed to end the war and to

return any territory it had conquered.

4. It did not solve the problem of impressment

or trade embargos.

5. This was an escape from disaster for the U.S.,

but they were proud their young nation had

stood up to the British.

Front page of the Treaty of Ghent