User:John Stephenson/sandbox: Difference between revisions

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At sea, the powerful [[Royal Navy]] blockaded much of the coastline, though it was allowing substantial exports from New England, which traded with Britain and Canada in defiance of American laws. The blockade devastated American agricultural exports, but it helped stimulate local factories that replaced goods previously imported. The American strategy of using small gunboats to defend ports was a fiasco, as the British raided the coast at will. The most famous episode was a series of British raids on the shores of [[Chesapeake Bay]], including an attack on [[Washington, D.C.]] that resulted in the British burning of the [[White House]], the [[United States Capitol|Capitol]], the [[Navy Yard]], and other public buildings, later called the "[[Burning of Washington]]."  The British power at sea was sufficient to allow the Royal Navy to levy "contributions" on bayside towns in return for not burning them to the ground.  The Americans were more successful in ship-to-ship actions, and built several fast frigates in its shipyard at [[Sackets Harbor, New York]]. They sent out several hundred [[privateer]]s to attack British merchant ships; British commercial interests were damaged, especially in the [[West Indies]].<ref>Mark Lardas, Tony Bryan, and Giuseppe Rava, ''American Light and Medium Frigates 1794–1836'' (2008), pp 6, 25; George Coggeshall, ''History of the American privateers,'' (2005)</ref>
At sea the powerful Royal Navy blockaded the long American coastline (allowing some exports from New England, which was trading with Britain and Canada.) The blockade devastated American agricultural exports, but helped stimulate local factories that replaced goods previously imported. The American strategy of using small gunboats to defend ports was a fiasco, as the British raided the coast at will. The most famous episode was a series of British raids on the shores of Chesapeake Bay which included an attack on Washington that resulted in the burning of the White House and other public buildings. The American strategy of sending out several hundred privateers to attack British merchant ships was more successful, and hurt British commercial interests, especially in the West Indies. Although few in number compared to the Royal Navy, American Navy's heavy frigates prevailed in several one-on-one naval battles against British ships. The decisive use of naval power came on the Great Lakes and depended on a contest of building ships. Ultimately, Americans won control of Lake Erie and thus neutralized western Ontario and cut the native forces off from supplies. The British controlled Lake Ontario, preventing any major American invasion. The Americans controlled Lake Champlain, and a naval victory there forced a large British invasion army to turn back.


The decisive use of naval power came on the [[Great Lakes]] and depended on a contest of building ships. In 1813, the Americans won control of Lake Erie and cut off British and [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] forces to the west from their supplies. Thus, the Americans gained one of their main objectives by breaking a confederation of tribes.<ref>Hickey, ''War of 1812'' p. 183</ref> [[Tecumseh]], the leader of the tribal confederation, was killed at the [[Battle of the Thames]]. While some Natives continued to fight alongside British troops, they subsequently did so only as individual tribes or groups of warriors, and where they were directly supplied and armed by British agents.  Control of Lake Ontario changed hands several times, with neither side able or willing to take advantage of the temporary superiority.  The Americans ultimately gained control of [[Lake Champlain]], and naval victory there forced a large invading British army to turn back in 1814.  
The Americans destroyed the power of the Indians of the Northwest and Southeast, thus securing a major war goal. With the defeat of [[Napoleon]] in 1814, British trade restrictions and impressment ended, thus eliminating that root cause of the war. With stalemate on the battlefields, both nations agreed to a peace that left the prewar boundaries intact. Before Congress ratified the treaty, the Americans decisively defeated a veteran British army at the [[Battle of New Orleans]].


Once Britain defeated France in 1814, it ended the trade restrictions and impressment of American sailors, thus removing another cause of the war. Great Britain and the United States agreed to a peace that left the prewar boundaries intact.
The war had the effects of both uniting Canadians and also uniting Americans far more closely than either population had been prior to the war. Canadians remember the war as a victory by avoiding conquest by the Americans, while the Americans celebrated victory in a "second war for independence" personified in the hero of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson.
 
After two years of warfare, the major causes of the war had disappeared. Neither side had a reason to continue or a chance of gaining a decisive success that would compel their opponents to cede territory or advantageous peace terms. As a result of this stalemate, the two countries signed the [[Treaty of Ghent]] on December 24, 1814.  News of the peace treaty took two months to reach the U.S., during which fighting continued.  In this interim, the Americans defeated a British invasion army in the [[Battle of New Orleans]], with American forces' sustaining 71 casualties compared with 2,000 British. The British went on to [[Battle of Fort Bowyer|capture Fort Bowyer]] only to learn the next day of the war's end.
 
The war had the effect of uniting the populations within each country. Canadians celebrated the war as a victory because they avoided conquest.  Americans celebrated victory personified in [[Andrew Jackson]].  He was the hero of the defence of New Orleans, and in 1828, was elected the 7th President of the United States.

Revision as of 03:07, 19 March 2010

At sea the powerful Royal Navy blockaded the long American coastline (allowing some exports from New England, which was trading with Britain and Canada.) The blockade devastated American agricultural exports, but helped stimulate local factories that replaced goods previously imported. The American strategy of using small gunboats to defend ports was a fiasco, as the British raided the coast at will. The most famous episode was a series of British raids on the shores of Chesapeake Bay which included an attack on Washington that resulted in the burning of the White House and other public buildings. The American strategy of sending out several hundred privateers to attack British merchant ships was more successful, and hurt British commercial interests, especially in the West Indies. Although few in number compared to the Royal Navy, American Navy's heavy frigates prevailed in several one-on-one naval battles against British ships. The decisive use of naval power came on the Great Lakes and depended on a contest of building ships. Ultimately, Americans won control of Lake Erie and thus neutralized western Ontario and cut the native forces off from supplies. The British controlled Lake Ontario, preventing any major American invasion. The Americans controlled Lake Champlain, and a naval victory there forced a large British invasion army to turn back.

The Americans destroyed the power of the Indians of the Northwest and Southeast, thus securing a major war goal. With the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, British trade restrictions and impressment ended, thus eliminating that root cause of the war. With stalemate on the battlefields, both nations agreed to a peace that left the prewar boundaries intact. Before Congress ratified the treaty, the Americans decisively defeated a veteran British army at the Battle of New Orleans.

The war had the effects of both uniting Canadians and also uniting Americans far more closely than either population had been prior to the war. Canadians remember the war as a victory by avoiding conquest by the Americans, while the Americans celebrated victory in a "second war for independence" personified in the hero of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson.

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