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U.S. Declares War
Because of Great Britain's refusal to repeal the Orders of Council, after Napoleon repealed his decrees, it gave the United States no choice but to declare war on Great Britain -
Repealing of the Orders of Council
5 days after The USA declared war they got news that the British repealed the Orders of Council, the very reason that the USA declared war on. -
USS Constitution v. HMS Java
The USS Constitution, also called "Old Ironsides", fought and sunk the HMS Java near the coast of Brazil. The HMS Java was the second British frigate that the USS Constitution beat, after the HMS Guerriere. -
Battle on Lake Erie
It was impossible to capture Detroit when the British controlled Lake Erie, and severed communications. President Madison gave Captain Oliver Hazard Perry the task of building a fleet to challenge the British. In September at Put-In-Bay Perry destroyed the British squadron, it was a very bloody battle. The British fell back after the capture of Detroit, and were chased back into Canada. -
Attack on Washington D.C.
Under the command of General Robert Ross, British troops marched into Washington D.C., encountering little to no resistance. They burned the White House, the Capitol Building, and several American warships. President Madison and his cabinet had fled the capitol and were unharmed. -
British Attack on Fort McHenry
When the British attempted to take Baltimore, they were met by a line of defense lead by Gen. Samuel Smith, a militia officer. The British attacked Fort McHenry and were pounded on by cannons, in a 24 hour period 1800 shells were fired at the British as the Americans forced the British to fall back. -
"Star Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key, a lawyer who was being held temporarily as prisoner on a British ship during the attack on Fort McHenry, wrote the "Star Spangled Banner" to describe what he saw through the night, as he knew with each cannon blast that the American flag was still flying. -
Treaty of Ghent
Delegates met at Ghent, Belgium. The British were reluctant to come to an agreement because they still believed their 3-pronged attack would work. On Christmas Eve 1814, the treaty was signed and agreed on. Everything was to return to how it was before the war. The seas were free to ships and the Royal Navy no longer needed to capture American sailors. -
Battle of New Orleans
In 1814, the British invaded the city of New Orleans. Andrew Jackson had been put in charge of defending the Gulf Coast. This was an unneccessary battle as the Treaty of Ghent had alreasdy been signed, but Britain wanted one last attempt to win the war. Britain failed as they were crushed by the Americans as they had 2000+ casualities while the Americans had less than 100. -
Convention of 1818
The Convention that decided that the fourty-ninth parallel would be the northern border of the U.S., and that America and Britain would have joint control over the Oregon territory. It also settled fishing disputes in Newfoundland and Labrador
