WAR OF 1812
first battles of the war were fought in Canada. American leaders were confident they would win. Britain
was busy fighting against France. Few British troops
were available to defend the Canadian forts.
At Fort Malden, British General Isaac Brock tricked
the Americans. He dressed his small force of militia volunteers in red coats. The Americans believed
they were up against well-trained British soldiers.
Shawnee war chief Tecumseh led 600 American Indian troops to help the British. Tecumseh sent his
soldiers to march from different positions. The Americans believed they were surrounded. They became
afraid to attack and
surrendered.
forces marched on Washington. Americans evacuated the city knowing they couldn’t fight off the British. They had only 400 soldiers to defend against
4,000 British troops. The invading army set fire to
the White House and the Capitol. First lady Dolley
Madison saved many important state documents, including a famous painting of George Washington.
From Washington, the British moved on to try to
capture Baltimore. American troops got ready to
protect Baltimore. They strengthened the defenses of
Fort McHenry, and they made an enormous flag to
fly over the fort. British ships attacked Fort McHenry
all night long. The
British were unable
to destroy the fort,
Old Ironsides
and stopped their
The first American
bombardment. In
the morning, Franvictory of the war
came at sea in Aucis Scott Key, an
gust 1812. Captain
American lawyer
Isaac Hull comwatching the batmanded the U.S.S.
tle from a nearby
Constitution. Much
ship, noticed that
of the wood used
the flag still flew
to build the Constiover Fort McHenry.
tution was harvestHe wrote a poem
ed from live oaks from coastal Georgia. This wood about the battle. His poem was later set to music
proved to be so resistant to cannon fire that the ship and renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In 1931,
earned its nickname “Old Ironsides.” The British it became the national anthem.
ship Guerriere fired at the Constitution from long
range. The British shots damaged the Constitution, By 1814, the war had become very unpopular. Britbut Hull waited until the Guerriere was in close ish and American leaders began peace talks in Aurange. He fired all his guns at once and destroyed gust. They signed a peace treaty on December 24,
the Guerriere.
1814, in Ghent, Belgium. News of the treaty did
not reach America for some time, though. Several
Attack on Washington
battles were fought after the treaty was signed.
When Napoleon, the French leader, was captured,
Britain sent more troops to fight in America. British
2
WAR OF 1812
Final Battles
The Battle of New Orleans took place January 8,
1815. British ships sailed into the Gulf of Mexico to
attack the city of New Orleans. American General
Andrew Jackson quickly gathered troops from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louisiana, as well as a crew
led by pirate Jean Lafitte. The Americans stopped the
British attack. While more than 2,000 British soldiers were wounded or killed during the first halfhour of fighting, fewer than 100 American soldiers
were killed. General Jackson became a war hero,
and he later went on to be president of the United
States.
On January 15, 1815, British troops landed at a
plantation on Cumberland Island. Their goal was to
attack the fort at Point Peter. British troops split into
two flanks. They quickly overwhelmed the small
American force, and they took Point Peter easily. After the skirmish, British soldiers remained at the fort
for several weeks. They raided the town of St. Marys,
as well as many neighboring plantations. They kept
the goods they plundered as prizes of war. Although
New Orleans was the last major battle of the war,
the skirmish at Point Peter happened even later. It
occurred almost a month after the peace treaty had
been signed.
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