A Union Flag was subsequently raised over Washington. The British quickly defeated the insurgency and as punishment, set fire to both the White House and the Capitol. Once the army had reached the city, a flag of truce was sent, but this was ignored and the British were instead attacked by local American forces. Once on the mainland the British quickly overwhelmed the local militia and continued into Washington. A total of 17 ships were dispatched from Bermuda and arrived in Maryland on August 19th. The first point of call for these reinforcements would be Washington DC, an area on the eastern seaboard which was seen as relatively undefended. In fact, it was in the New England states where the Federalist party was in control, a party which favoured closer ties to Britain and were generally against the war.īy 1814 the war in Europe was over, and the British were able to send in reinforcements. In New England these blockades were much less strict, allowing trade through in return for the regions’ more favourable attitude towards the British. To help the British it was decided that Canadian militia were to be drafted in, as well as local Native American forces.Īt sea, the British had complete supremacy (with a few notable exceptions) and quickly set up blockades of American ports. Because of the war efforts in Europe, the British could not afford to send any additional troops to North America and therefore a defensive strategy was taken. The next two years saw regular US incursions into British Canada, some successful but most short lived. This was the first time that the US had declared war on another sovereign state. This put the Native Americans in a much stronger position, and created a buffer for further US expansion in the west.īy 1812 the Americans were at the end of their tether, and on June 5th 1812 Congress voted in favour of war. The British, concerned with the effect this growing power would have over British Canada, introduced a doctrine which advocated the supply of Native American tribes with arms and supplies. Ever since the end of the War of Independence in 1783, the US had been expanding westwards. The final catalyst to war came with the continued British support for the Native American tribes in the Mid-West. This incident, along with many like it, was seen by the American public as an act of wanton aggression and subsequently strained Anglo-US relations even further. The captain of the Chesapeake, James Barron, only managed to fire off a single shot before being overwhelmed and on his return home was publicly humiliated with a court-martial. The most famous example of impressment was in 1807, when the HMS Leopard intercepted and engaged the USS Chesapeake, capturing four British Navy deserters in the process. With years of mass immigration to the US, it was unfortunately the Americans that were hardest hit again! As such, it was decided that anyone who previously deserted the Royal Navy and emigrated abroad were to be recaptured and brought back into active service this strategy was called ‘impressement’.
The Royal Navy was also massively stretched during this time, and lacked the manpower to both fight Napoleon as well as keeping order in the colonies. With the US being the largest neutral power of the time, these decrees hit the Americans the hardest. As part of the overall war strategy, the British attempted to cut off supplies to France by issuing a set of decrees stating that all neutral countries trading with France had to first go through England, thus paying British taxes and making trade with France less commercially viable. The start of the 1800s saw the British deeply entrenched in the Napoleonic Wars. So why did the War of 1812 come about in the first place?
Perhaps best known for the burning of Washington DC and the White House in 1814, the war also saw the birth of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ national anthem. It marked a permanent shift in British-American relations, forged a sense of national unity in Canada, changed US politics and ended British support for native American tribes in the Mid-West.
Almost forgotten in Britain today, the War of 1812 is perhaps one of the most important North American events of the 19th century.
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