Results of the War of 1812 Results of the war between Britain and the United States involved no geographical changes, and no major policy changes. However, all the causes of the war had disappeared with the end of the war between Britain and France and with the destruction of the power of First Nation Indian tribes. The National Archives division of military records reports that a t the declaration of war with Great Britain on June 18, 1812, the Regular Army consisted of about 10,000 men, half of whom were new recruits. An act of June 26, 1812 (2 Stat. 764) mandated that the Regular Army was to consist of 25 regiments of infantry, 4 of artillery, 2 of dragoons, 1 of riflemen, plus engineers and artificers. For the most part, the war of 1812 accomplished very little. The main thing gained was that the area around the great lakes was ceded to the US. The only other thing accomplished, and this was a major cause of the impressing of american sailors to serve in the British navy. The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain and lasted from 1812 to 1815. Resulting from American anger over trade issues, impressment of sailors, and British support of Indigenous attacks on the frontier, the conflict saw the US Army attempt to invade Canada while British forces attacked south.
Neither the British in Canada nor the United States were prepared for war. Americans were inordinately optimistic in 1812. William Eustis, the U.S. secretary of war, stated, “We can take the Canadas without soldiers, we have only to send officers into the province and the people…will rally round our standard.” Henry Clay said that “the militia of Kentucky are alone competent to place Montreal and Upper Canada at your feet.” And Thomas Jefferson famously wrote
The acquisition of Canada this year, as far as the neighborhood of Quebec, will be a mere matter of marching, and will give us experience for the attack of Halifax the next, and the final expulsion of England from the American continent.
The British government, preoccupied with the European conflict, saw American hostilities as a bothersome distraction, resulting in a paucity of resources in men, supplies, and naval presence until late in the event. As the British in Canada conducted operations under the shadow of scarcity, their only consolation was an American military malaise. Michigan territorial governor William Hull led U.S. forces into Canada from Detroit, but Isaac Brock and Tecumseh’s warriors chased Hull back across the border and frightened him into surrendering Detroit on August 16, 1812, without firing a shot—behaviour that Americans and even Brock’s officers found disgraceful. The Northwest subsequently fell prey to Indian raids and British incursions led by Maj. Gen. Henry Procter. Hull’s replacement, William Henry Harrison, could barely defend a few scattered outposts. On the northeastern border, U.S. Brig. Gen. Henry Dearborn could not attack Montreal because of uncooperative New England militias. U.S. forces under Stephen van Rensselaer crossed the Niagara River to attack Queenston on October 13, 1812, but ultimately were defeated by a stiff British defense organized by Brock, who was killed during the fight. U.S. Gen. Alexander Smyth’s subsequent invasion attempts on the Niagara were abortive fiascoes.
In 1813, Madison replaced Dearborn with Maj. Gens. James Wilkinson and Wade Hampton, an awkward arrangement made worse by a complicated invasion plan against Montreal. The generals refused to coordinate their efforts, and neither came close to Montreal. To the west, however, American Oliver Hazard Perry’s Lake Erie squadron won a great victory off Put-in-Bay on September 10, 1813, against Capt. Robert Barclay. The battle opened the way for Harrison to retake Detroit and defeat Procter’s British and Indian forces at the Battle of the Thames (October 5). Tecumseh was killed during the battle, shattering his confederation and the Anglo-Indian alliance. Indian anger continued elsewhere, however, especially in the southeast where the Creek War erupted in 1813 between Creek Indian nativists (known as Red Sticks) and U.S. forces. The war also took an ugly turn late in the year, when U.S. forces evacuating the Niagara Peninsula razed the Canadian village of Newark, prompting the British commander, Gordon Drummond, to retaliate along the New York frontier, leaving communities such as Buffalo in smoldering ruins.
Early in the war, the small U.S. navy boosted sagging American morale as officers such as Isaac Hull, Stephen Decatur, and William Bainbridge commanded heavy frigates in impressive single-ship actions. The British Admiralty responded by instructing captains to avoid individual contests with Americans, and within a year the Royal Navy had blockaded important American ports, bottling up U.S. frigates. British Adm. George Cockburn also conducted raids on the shores of Chesapeake Bay. In 1814, Britain extended its blockade from New England to Georgia, and forces under John Sherbrooke occupied parts of Maine.
By 1814, capable American officers, such as Jacob Brown, Winfield Scott, and Andrew Jackson, had replaced ineffective veterans from the American Revolution. On March 27, 1814, Jackson defeated the Red Stick Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in Alabama, ending the Creek War. That spring, after Brown crossed the Niagara River and took Fort Erie, Brig. Gen. Phineas Riall advanced to challenge the American invasion, but American regulars commanded by Scott repulsed him at the Battle of Chippewa (July 5, 1814). In turn, Brown retreated when Commodore Isaac Chauncey’s Lake Ontario squadron failed to rendezvous with the army, and during this retrograde the war’s costliest engagement occurred at the Battle of Lundy’s Lane (July 25). Riall, reinforced by Drummond, fought the Americans to a bloody stalemate in which each side suffered more than 800 casualties before Brown’s army withdrew to Fort Erie.
In 1814, Napoleon’s defeat allowed sizable British forces to come to America. That summer, veterans under Canadian governor-general George Prevost marched south along the shores of Lake Champlain into New York, but they returned to Canada after Thomas Macdonough defeated a British squadron under Capt. George Downie at the Battle of Plattsburgh Bay (seePlattsburgh), New York (September 11, 1814). British raids in Chesapeake Bay directed by Adm. Alexander Cochrane were more successful. British Gen. Robert Ross captured Washington (August 24) and burned government buildings, including the United States Capitol and the Executive Mansion (now known as the White House). The British justified this action as retaliation for the American destruction of York (modern Toronto), the capital of Upper Canada, the previous year. The British assault on Baltimore (September 12–14) foundered when Americans fended off an attack at Northpoint and withstood the naval bombardment of Fort McHenry, an action that inspired Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Ross was killed at Baltimore, and the British left Chesapeake Bay to plan an offensive against New Orleans.
Meanwhile, New England Federalists, angry about the war’s effect on commerce, gathered at Hartford, Connecticut, to propose ways of redressing their grievances. Convening from December 15, 1814 to January 5, 1815, the Hartford Convention adopted moderate resolutions, but its mere existence prompted other parts of the country to question New England’s patriotism and Federalist loyalty, spelling eventual doom to the party.
The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and the British Empire, and it is often considered a major turning point for the country. Some of the major effects of the war of 1812 were increased patriotism in the United States and increased respect for the US from other countries. The US military and manufacturing were also strengthened. There was also a decline in the power of the Federalist party, as well as less threat from Native Americans.
This war has also been called the second war for independence. Victories against British troops helped to make Americans feel more united, and patriotism strengthened after the war. This is considered to be one of the most important effects of the War of 1812.
At the time of the war, the British Empire was a major world power, and the US was a smaller and much less powerful entity. Since the United States took a stand against a major world power, other countries began to take notice. The Americans' actions caused other parts of the world to eventually gain more respect for the young nation.
In modern times, the US has one of the best military forces in the world. In part, this is another effect of the War of 1812. It was during and after this war that the country began to realize the importance of a strong, organized military. The United States began to rely less on the unorganized militia and more on trained soldiers.
Increased manufacturing ability was another of the important outcome of the war. Since the British were enforcing a blockade along the American coast, the country was unable to get some much-needed supplies, including cotton cloth. Due to this shortage, Americans were forced to manufacture the cloth on their own.
The Federalist party was the first political party in America, and it began in 1790. For various reasons, this party opposed the War of 1812. A significant American victory in New Orleans raised the morale of the people of the US, and marked the beginning of the end of the party.
Causes Of The War Of 1812
Also, during the War of 1812, the British troops armed the Native Americans near the Great Lakes. After they began losing battles against US troops, the British Empire withdrew their support. This weakening of Native American power made them less of a threat, and the US was able to expand into the area formerly know as the Northwest Territory near the Great Lakes.