THE WAR of 1812

CANADA

A Shared War with three or more points of view?

War of 1812

• the War of 1812 is not just a war between Canada and the United States, Great Britain and the First Nations played a large part in the war

• the Americans did have just cause for a war with the British

• however, the causes for attacking the Canada and the First Nations are not as clear

• in 1812 Britain was still fighting a 25 year set of wars against France and Napoleon known as “The Napoleonic Wars”

• Britain with it’s large navy had become master of the seas

• Britain now placed a naval blockade around France preventing neutral nations from trading with France

War of 1812

• the US as the major neutral trader was hurt by this blockade

• worse Britain had captured about 400 American ships often within sight of the US coast

• Britain had also taken the measure to board any foreign ship and “press” ex-British citizens into the Royal Navy

• in 1807 a British warship fired on the American Chesapeake killing several sailors and taking 4 others in a raid

• to some this was reason for war

War of 1812

• add to this the First Nations attacks on the American frontier

• which the Americans blamed on the British

• we have a war fever in the US “Free trade and sailors’ rights”

• however, the Americans did not have the military might to attack Britain

Manifest Destiny

• since the American revolution the Americans have believed they had the “god given right to rule North America”

• this American theory is called “manifest destiny”

• President Madison said that the conquest of Canada was “a mere matter of marching”

• Henry Clay said the Kentucky militia could do the task alone

• besides “was it not the dream of every Canadian to be an American”

• this manifest destiny theory also explains the war on the First Nations People

• population of all the British North American colonies less than ½ million people

• population of the United States 7.5 million

June 18th, 1812

• William Eustis American Secretary of War “ We can take Canada without soldiers. We have only to send officers into the provinces and the people … will rally round our standard.”

• on June 18th, 1812 the United States declared war on Great Britain and made plans for the invasion of Canada

• the New Englanders would continue to trade with their Maritime cousins throughout the war

War in Upper Canada

• Upper Canada looked easy• the loyalists had been

swamped by new Americans

• would these newcomers fight for the British or the Americans or do nothing?

• many American militia would not cross state lines

• therefore instead of one attack the Americans had several

• the Americans were about to meet both General Brock and Tecumseh

• Brock knew he could never defend the Upper Canadian frontier so attack was the best defense

• Brock needed the help of the First Nations to keep the Americans off balance

• he meet with the Shawnee chief Tecumseh

Tecumseh

• Tecumseh and the First Nations had 2 reasons for fighting the Americans

• first to stop American expansion into Native territory

• second to get a sovereign homeland in the interior of North America going from the Great Lakes to Florida

• Brock and Tecumseh fought as equals against a common foe

• on July 12th, 1812 General William Hull marched 2,500 men out of Fort Detroit and into Upper Canada

• soon after at Fort Detroit the Americans found themselves surrounded by a few British regulars, French-Canadian voyageurs and some 300 native warriors

• the Americans surrender without a shot being fired

Fort Dearborn

• after the fall of Detroit and the surrender of General Hull

• Tecumseh and Brock attacked Fort Dearborn (Chicago)

• again the Americans surrendered with little fight

• with the capture of these key forts the western frontier was save

• the Americans had given up much territory and a great deal of weapons and munitions

• American troops in Upper Canada wanted to return home

• while the militia in Upper Canada received much needed volunteers

• Iroquois and Mohawks joined the Canadian cause

Queenston Heights

• the Americans launched an attack across the Niagara River across from Queenston

• the British and Canadians held the heights but lost to superior numbers of the Americans

• Brock lead a charge to retake the Heights but was killed

• Sheaffe took command and retook the Heights the Americans were defeated

Tecumseh

• Tecumseh was killed the following year at the Battle of Moraviantown the Americans call it Chatham

• the US cavalry sent wave after wave on the British and First Nations

• the British broke and ran but Tecumseh stayed and fought

• Tecumseh and many of his warriors died in the battle

• this was the death of the First Nations homeland

• after the battle the Americans went among the death to take scalps and mutilating the bodies

• the mistaken body of Tecumseh was skinned and taken to Kentucky as souvenir

• First Nations would continue to fight for the British

York is Captured

• by November 1812 the Americans had gained control of Lake Ontario

• the Americans attacked York the capital of Upper Canada

• the British put up a good defense but were overcome by superior forces

• the British left setting fire to the munitions

• the American General was killed in the explosion

Laura Secord

• Laura Secord was a pioneer woman, a mother of 5• her husband was left for dead at Queenston Heights• she went to the Heights found him and was nursing

him back to health when the Americans arrived• Laura heard the Americans talking about an attack at

Beaver Dams• she travelled the 32 kilometers to warn the British• Mohawk warriors took her to FitzGibbon

Battle of Beaver Dam

• FitzGibbon ambushed the Americans at Beaver Dams

• the Americans surrendered because of the marksman's ship of the Mohawk warriors

• 2 weeks earlier at the Battle of Stoney Creek the American invasion had been stopped

• now the Americans retreated

• the Western Frontier and Upper Canada were safe from attack

• now the Americans attacked Lower Canada

• the first attack on Lower Canada came from New York along Lake Champlain and the Chateauguay River

• the second from the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River

Battle of Chateauguay

• the British played no part in this battle

• French-Canadians, English-Canadians and Native-Canadians manned the barricades lead by Colonel Salaberry of the militia

• a few hundred Canadians met over 4000 American regulars

• with horns blowing in the forest

marksmanship and the camouflage of maple leaves the Canadians won the day

the Americans were cut down as they tried to past the Canadians in the forest

the second American force had no idea of the others defeat

the Kentucky General James Wilkinson advanced towards Montreal

Battle of Crysler’s Farm

• the British were in pursuit of the Americans

• in a boggy field near Cornwall the British and Canadian forces under Colonel Morrison caught the Americans

• the Brits and Canadians set in the classical 2 lines killed the Americans as they advanced

• the Americans retreated Montreal was safe

The Atlantic Coast

• in Newfoundland the War of 1812 was a distant conflict

• in the Maritime colonies the war was closer

• the Royal Navy patrolled the coast and with a garrison at Halifax there was little concern of invasion

• the Maritimes had a economic boom

• shipbuilding, the fisheries and timber for export did well

• privateers from both sides roomed the waters attacking merchant shipping

• some American privateers even attacked towns like Lunenburg, and the “Young Teaser” an American privateer was sunk in Mahone Bay

Shannon and the Chesapeake

• on June 1st, 1813 the American frigate Chesapeake sailed from Boston to attack the British frigate Shannon

• in the day long battle William Wallis a Nova Scotian captured the Chesapeake

• although the Americans controlled the Great Lakes the British controlled the Atlantic coast

Burn Baby Burn!

• Why is the White House white?

• in August of 1814 British troops attacked and burned the capital Washington DC

• “the President’s Palace” as it was known was damaged by fire and smoke

• it was rebuilt and given a “whitewash” coat and is now called “The White House”

The War Ends

• with Napoleon almost defeated the British had more troops for the war

• however the British were ready for peace

• the Americans were also ready for peace

• the Americans lost the war but won the peace

• all their territory was returned and peace gave them everything they wanted

War Ends

• the Canadians broke even we did not lose anything and only gained the knowledge that we beat the Americans again

• the real losers were the First Nations People

• they lost the dream of a “homeland “ in North America

• without their aid Canada would never have survived

• with the end of the war and the Napoleonic Wars more British immigration into the Canadas meant the First Nations People were forgotten

• it has only been since the 1960’s that the First Nations have been remembered in Canada

The War is Over!

More Rebellions and Confederation will follow!

What a great nation we are and a great people!