The+War+of+1812

=__**The United States was not ready for war because Jefferson had reduced defense spending**__= =__**United States relied on volunteers**__= =__**Congress offered a bounty of cash and land**__= =__**Many men enlisted but deserted after a few months**__= =__**Very few trained officers**__= =**584 ships**= =**8,000 Regulars in North America**= =**250,000 men in uniform**= =**3,000 Native American allies**= =**16 ships**= =**7,000 troops**= =**450,000 state militia**= =**150 Native American allies**=

media type="custom" key="22550694" The War of 1812

=**Fighting at Sea**= =**__The British navy blockaded American ports to stop American trade__**= =**__The Americans were unable to break through the blockade but were able to win some stunning victories__**= =**__In August, 1812 Captain Issac Hull of the //USS Constitution// spotted the //HMS Guerriere// off the coast of Newfoundland__**= =**__The crew of the //Constitution// was able to shoot off both masts and tear holes in the sides of the //Guerriere//__**= =**__//The British captain was forced to surrender//__**= =**__//This victory raised American spirits but did little to win the war//__**=



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=**//The War in the West//**= =**//The War Hawks in Congress really believed that the Canadians would welcome the chance to throw off British rule and become part of the United States//**= =__**//General William Hull attempted to invade Canada by advancing from Detroit//**__= =**//British general Issac Brock made his soldiers wear red coats to fool the Americans into thinking that he had battle hardened British troops to defend Canada//**= =__**//Hull retreated back across the border//**__=

= Battle of Lake Erie = =**__Captain Oliver Hazard Perry__**= =**Born August 23, 1785 in South Kingstown, Rhode Island**= =**Oldest of eight children born to Christopher and Sarah Perry**= =**His younger brother Matthew Perry was famous for opening Japan to the West**= =**Perry's father has served during the American Revolution**= =**Perry saw action during the First Barbary War**= =**He was transferred to Erie, PA in February 1813 to take command of a fleet being built on Lake Erie**= =__ He oversaw the construction of 9 ships during the spring and summer of 1813 __= =__ In September, 1813 his fleet engaged the British in the Battle of Lake Erie __= =__ He defeated the British fleet causing them to retreat from Detroit into Canada __= =**__ The British and their ally Tecumseh were defeated by William Henry Harrison at the Battle of the Thames __**= =**__ Tecumseh died in the fighting and the Indian confederation soon fell apart __**=

=__** In 1814, Britain and its allies defeated France. With the war in Europe over, Britain could send more troops and ships **__= =__** against the United States. **__= =__** British ships sailed into the Chesapeake Bay and landed an invasion force about 30 miles from Washington, DC **__= =__** American troops met the British at Bladensburg, Maryland. The untrained American troops fled back to Washington. **__= =__** First Lady Dolley Madison received word from the president to evacuate the capital **__= =__** She gathered some of the presidents important papers and insisted on saving the portrait of George Washington **__= =__** The British set fire to the White House, the Capitol, and the Library of Congress **__=

= [|Dolley Madison] =

= From Washington, D.C. British troops marched north to attack the city of Baltimore. Surrounded by water on three sides, Fort McHenry was far enough from Baltimore to provide protection without endangering the city. = = From the evening of September 13 until dawn on September 14, the British bombarded the fort. It was the defense of Fort McHenry by 1,000 brave Americans that inspired the young Georgetown lawyer, __Francis Scott Key,__ = = __to compose the poem, the Star Spangled Banner,__ originally entitled Defense of Fort McHenry =

[|National Anthem]

=**Battle of New Orleans**=

= When British forces threatened New Orleans Jackson took command of the defenses, including militia = = from several western states and territories. He was a strict officer but was popular with his troops. = = They said he was "tough as old hickory" wood on the battlefield, and he acquired the nickname of "Old Hickory". = = In the __Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, Jackson's 5,000 soldiers won a decisive victory__ over 7,500 British. =

= media type="custom" key="22550732" width="110" height="110" =

Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans

=__**New England merchants were hurt by the blockade of American ports**__= =__**Many people in New England were afraid that the United States would win land in Florida or Canada**__= =__**They feared that the South and the West would become more powerful if new states were admitted to the Union**__= =**__Delegates from New England met in Hartford, CT in December, 1814__**= =**__They threatened to leave the Union if the war did not end__**= =**__News of the peace treaty reached the convention and the delegates went home__**=

=__The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, Belgium, on December 24, 1814__= =__Britain and the United States agreed to restore prewar conditions__= = = = =