The War of 1812: Difference between revisions

Line 2:

[[File:Francis-Scott-Key_9189.jpg|frame|"Oh say! Can you see?'']]

The [[War of 1812]] (1812-1815) is the most popular war ever to grace the Americas. Americans think they won it; the Canadians think ''they'' won it, and the British have ''no idea'' they fought it. In the US it has been called 'The Second Revolutionary War'; in Canada it is remembered as the war in which Canada stopped the US trying to Annex them, and like we said, the British don't even know it happened. In fact, no-one outside North America knows it happened. This is because an altogether more expensive, expansive, ideologically charged, bloody and ''important'' series of wars had been going on elsewhere for some time. There were more men on the field when General Bonaparte won at Austerlitz in 1805, for instance, than there were English-speaking soldiers in all of the Americas in 1815. These conflicts were the French Revolutionary and [[Napoleonic Wars]], which basically concern the failed attempts of France to alternately defend itself against and dominate all of Europe.

The [[The War of 1812]] (1812-1815) is the most popular war ever to grace the Americas. Americans think they won it; the Canadians think ''they'' won it, and the British have ''no idea'' they fought it. In the US it has been called 'The Second Revolutionary War'; in Canada it is remembered as the war in which Canada stopped the US trying to Annex them, and like we said, the British don't even know it happened. In fact, no-one outside North America knows it happened. This is because an altogether more expensive, expansive, ideologically charged, bloody and ''important'' series of wars had been going on elsewhere for some time. There were more men on the field when General Bonaparte won at Austerlitz in 1805, for instance, than there were English-speaking soldiers in all of the Americas in 1815. These conflicts were the French Revolutionary and [[Napoleonic Wars]], which basically concern the failed attempts of France to alternately defend itself against and dominate all of Europe.

The causes of the war basically boil down to the knock-on effects of the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. Traders in the US had become rich from war-profiteering; basically, selling to both sides in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Both sides had declared an embargo upon each other, and commissioned privateers and used their navies to raid each others' shipping. After their sound victory at Trafalgar in 1805, the British were suddenly in a much better position to confiscate American trade bound for France - and they did just that. Moreover, the expansion of the Royal Navy left them short of sailors. As a result, Royal Navy began to conscript sailors into the navy in British ports and began to search US vessels they encountered for deserters - easily identifiable by their RN tattoos. Some ten thousand men were thus taken from American merchant vessels and pressed into RN service. Virtually all of these men actually ''were'' deserters from the Royal Navy, but that was besides the point. The facts were, the Royal Navy was ignoring the sovereignty of the United States, which had real troubles being taken seriously as a country abroad (and, to a certain extent, at home). The traders who actually owned the ships in question didn't mind - they were raking it in and entry into the war was the ''last'' thing they wanted - but a new generation of Americans who had not experienced the hardships of [[The American Revolution]] and its aftermath were eager to prove their worth and wage a Second American War of Independence to drive the British from the continent.

Far to the south, in the Federal territory of Mississippi, the Indian tribes were uniting under a charismatic new leader; Tecumseh. Seeing this, the 'War-Hawk' generation suspected a British conspiracy to prevent American westward expansion, and clamoured for war with Britain. The British Cabinet viewed with favour the establishment of a [[Truce Zone|neutral state]] of American Indian peoples in the Mississippi territory, but didn't actually have enough confidence in their fighting ability to back them, though they did sell them some weapons. The Western States of the Union would have nothing of this British conspiracy to encircle them and prevent westward expansion, wanting nothing more than to drive the Indians out and open up the Mississippi territory to white settlement. The same states of the southern and western United States also considered [[All Your Base Are Belong to Us|capturing British North America]] easy pickings and the next logical step after the Revolutionary War. Many people in said states - not the ones actually affected by the disruptions to the thriving war-time trade - [[Curb Stomp Battle|considered Canada an easy prospect]], famously put by one official as "A simple matter of marching."

The war was fought on multiple fronts, most notably ground combat between infantry and ongoing naval confrontations within the Great Lakes. The Canadian forces were notably stressed, being undermanned and lacking much support from Britain, which was still involved in the Napoleonic Wars. However, British General Isaac Brock and the Native leader, Tecumseh, proved brilliant leaders who arranged a powerful defence, even if they were lost all too soon. They also managed to bolster their ranks against the far more numerous Americans by recruiting [[Gondor Calls for Aid|former slaves, Loyalists from the Revolutionary War and befriending many Native Peoples.]] The British Navy also blockaded most of the east coast and conducted frequent raids, one of which burned down the U.S. Capitol.

The confrontation continued until late 1814 where persisting military costs and fatigue caused the forces to [[Peace Conference|enter peace talks]], both sides having reached a stalemate without having made much ground. The Treaty of Ghent was eventually formed, relegating all captured land back to whoever had originally owned it. The treaty was signed December 24, 1814 and took effect February 18, 1815, though the biggest battles of the war occurred during peace talks and in the time it took for new about the treaty to filter down. Most notable of these was the Battle of New Orleans, a US victory which effectively secured the (gateway to the) Mississippi river system for them.

With the acceptance of the treaty everything more or less returned to how it had been previous to the confrontation. Neither side retained any land it captured (though the U.S. managed to seize Mobile from Spain) and the only party that ultimately lost was the Natives, who lost their bid for their own neutral state during peace talks. Losses are estimated at 5000 casualties on the British side and 19,260 on the American side; though most militia and Native losses went unrecorded. No compensation was paid by either side for damages though the British did pay $1,204,960 in damages to Washington to reimburse the slave-owners whose slaves defected to the Canadian side or escaped in the confusion of the war.

Line 30:

* [[Badass]]: General Isaac Brock on the Canadian side and Andrew Jackson on the American side, as well as the Native leader Tecumseh.

* [[Badass Boast]]: Oliver Hazard Perry after the Battle of Lake Erie: "We have met the enemy and they are ours."

* [[Badass Crew]]: The Indiana Rangers. Joshua Barney's flotilla crew. Andrew Jackson's militia and pirates in New Orleans.

* [[Back-to-Back Badasses]]: Isaac Brock and Tecumseh.

* [[Battle Cry]]: "Revenge the General", by Canadian forces lead by John Macdonell in the second charge at Queenston Heights, after the death of Isaac Brock.

* [[Big Bad]]: British Admiral George Cockburn was the terror of every American living in the Chesapeake Bay during the war because his fleet plundered the coasts with impunity. That he later became the only enemy of the United States to ever capture its capital city in war only bolstered this image.

* [[Brick Joke]]: Laura Secord and her husband, James Secord, heard of an impending American attack in 1813 due to the fact that they were forced to house and feed several American soldiers at their home in Queenston, Ontario. As a member of the Canadian militia, James was only at home because he was still recovering from wounds sustained during the Battle of Queenston Heights in 1812 (during which he had helped to carry recently-deceased General Isaac Brock's body away from the battlefield).

* [[But for Me It Was Tuesday]]: As you can see on this very page, it is by no doubt very important in Canadian history. Americans barely remember it happened, and mostly just remember it for being the second time they fought the British. Brits don't remember it at all. It just sort of slips down the back of the historical memory-couch to join the Anglo-Dutch and Carnatic Wars.

Line 47:

** The US Navy had far higher pay then the Royal Navy and the Royal navy was worn out by a [[Forever War]]. After the original shock of some engagements British captains who had been lax on training began working thus giving them a chance to [[Take a Level In Badass|retake a level in badass]].

* [[Courtroom Antics]]: Prize Law was an innate part of the [[Laws And Customs Of War]] at the time. One American privateer was able to sue for the ransom of one capture in a ''British'' court. And was granted his suit. This no doubt proves that lawyers are [[Pirates]].

* [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]]: The siege of Detroit had Tecumseh repeatedly have his men circle the fort, tricking the Americans into thinking that the Native numbers were much greater than they were. Detroit's surrender gave the Natives and British a tremendous amount of supplies, along with a major psychological victory.

** More humorously, the British torched Washington, while the Americans burned down York, later to be known as Toronto. Given the loathing Americans and Canadians have for their respective cities, a [[Deadpan Snarker]] could claim that the War of 1812 is one where both sides did the other a favor. (Though YMMV.)

** The defense of Fort McHenry stemmed the British invasion on the Eastern seaboard. The British sailed after this to New Orleans... where [[Andrew Jackson]], four thousand troops, and some badass pirates bested 11,000 British troops.

Line 64:

* [[Didn't See That Coming]]: Tens of thousands of slaves used the opportunities the war provided them to escape from their owners, often incurring great risks and hardship. This put a dent into the then still widespread belief that slaves were generally content with their lot.

** And then there was the fact that the Canadians ''fought back'', and effectively at that. Many Americans were stunned.

* [[Dirty Coward]]: To some extent American General William Hull, who surrendered Detroit due to a deathly fear of Natives which Isaac Brock exploited. Though in fairness he was a man lacking in military experience who thought the Natives would torture the civilians, including his wife and children.

** Militia were also mocked by regular soldiers during the war on the American side. They were only distinguished from real soldiers by the speed with which they fled the battlefield.

* [[Divided States of America]]: New England threatened to secede from the Union over the issue of the war due to how it was wrecking their economy. In addition, the British sought to carve out an Indian nation in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to serve as a buffer between the US and Canada.

Line 72:

* [[Graceful Loser]]: Always the case with surrenders, to the point that Isaac Brock's motif was tricking major American fortifications into surrendering.

* [[Gondor Calls for Aid]]: The Canadian forces were bolstered with escaped Loyalists, former slaves and Native Peoples. Similarly, the American defenders at New Orleans included Kentucky frontiersmen, Creole aristocrats, free men of color, and frickin' ''pirates'' fighting for their new nation.

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Isaac Brock's charge at Queenston Heights. His death a result of the fact he always led his men into combat.

** The unknown sniper who killed General Ross at the Battle of North Point was promptly discovered and shot but arguably changed the course of the war and saved the United States.

* [[Historical Hero Upgrade]]: Although Isaac Brock didn't think much of the Canadian colonists as militia, Canadians largely don't care and have adopted him with Tecumseh as the "Saviors of Canada" and among its greatest military heroes.

** There is also the "militia myth". Basically, no, Canadian militia didn't beat back the invasion of British North America; that was a combination of British regulars and native allies.

* [[Kill It with Fire]]: The Burning of York (today's [[Toronto]]) in 1813 by Americans, and the [[Infernal Retaliation|retaliatory]] Burning of Washington by British forces in 1814.

* [[Know When to Fold'Em]]: Part of Roger Hale Sheaffe's motif, most notable at his retreat during the Battle of York.

* [[La Résistance]]: After the capture of Fort George on the Niagara River in May 1813, a force of 50 British and Canadian soldiers under Lieutenant James FitzGibbon, along with a number of Native allies, carried out raids up and down the Niagara peninsula and kept ''thousands'' of American regulars and militia off balance and unwilling to advance. With prior warning of a coming American attack, courtesy of local resident Laura Secord (yes, [[I Thought It Meant|that Laura Secord]]), FitzGibbon and his 50 soldiers were able to enlist the help of a large Native force to trap and capture over 500 American soldiers in the Battle of Beaver Dams (now located in present-day Thorold, Ontario). The American forces eventually abandoned the eastern side of the Niagara River in December 1813.

Line 85:

* [[Mildly Military]]: The U.S. and Canadian militia, the bulk of their forces.

* [[Modern Major-General]]: It's been claimed that one of the reasons the Americans didn't conquer British North America was because a number of their generals were appointed more due to political reasons than actual military talent. Then again, that's how it worked just about more-or-less everywhere. An academy-trained officer corps selected on merit alone is a 20th century ideal, one that has yet to be fulfilled in its entirety.

* [[National Anthem]]: "The Star-Spangled Banner" was famously inspired by the defense of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore.

* [[Not So Different]]: It's hard to tell, but it's doubtful the distinctive American twangs had caught on by this stage. When American prisoners of war were paraded around for the benefit of the (paying) public, the general reaction was disappointment. They all looked and sounded some sort of British, this being on account of the great majority of Americans being either emigrants or the [great-](grand-)sons of emigrants from the Isles.

* [[The Neidermeyer]]: Governor of British North America Sir George Prevost, according to his men and the Duke of Wellington.

* [[Officer and a Gentleman]]: Various examples on both sides.

* [[Oh Crap]]: "Those are Regulars, by God!" British General Riall's reaction at the Battle of Chippewa to Winfield Scott's gray-coated brigade pressing forward through shot and shell. (Gray was the color of militia uniforms; there was no blue cloth available for uniform coats when Scott's brigade was outfitted. West Point cadets wear gray uniforms in memory of this incident.)

Line 106:

* [[We Win Because You Didn't]]: Even though America failed to accomplish most of its primary objectives, the US maintains that it "won" because it didn't technically lose ("We got respect from Britain"). While Canada takes the same opinion for themselves ("We threw back multiple American invasions from our lands").

* [[You Are in Command Now]]: John Macdonell after the death of Isaac Brock. Unfortunately, it didn't last too long.

* [[You Shall Not Pass]]: Pulled by Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans, and by Joshua Barney's now-shipless flotilla against the British forces advancing on Washington after the Battle of Bladensburg ''while American militia fled past them in terror''.

** Additionally pulled by the British regulars and Canadian militia defending the Niagara peninsula throughout the war. The American forces only got as far as Stoney Creek, just east of modern-day Hamilton, Ontario. Partially subverted in that the American army crossed the lake and burned York (now Toronto) to the ground.

* [[Zerg Rush]]: A major part of military tactics at the time, but more often utilized by American forces, as Canadian forces couldn't afford the possible losses. The British [[Too Dumb to Live|tried it ''twice'' against ''artillery'' at New Orleans.]]