The Battles Begin
War of 1812: The Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was the final straw that led to the “second war of independence” between America and Great Britain. William Henry Harrison, an Indiana governor, led U.S. troops to victory over Native Americans who decided to unite with the British in order to be pushed out of their lands any further. The “War Hawks” in Congress continued to push for war, so President James Madison signed a declaration of war – the new United States’ first! – on June 18, 1812.
Canadian Territories
American soldiers first went to the north, attacking Canadian territories, and were surprised by how underprepared they were. Their first humbling defeat came in Michigan in August 1812 when William Hull and his men were driven back over the Canadian border by a vast army of Canadians and Native Americans, which led a terrified Hull to surrender without a single shot being fired.
Battle of Lake Erie
The Americans did better in a battle led by Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie in September of 1813, which gave them hope for the war. But Napoleon was defeated in France in 1814, Britain was able to take on the war in America head-on. They now could focus all their resources on fighting the Americans. When new waves of troops arrived in the U.S. in August of 1814, they attacked Chesapeake Bay and then headed to Washington DC, where they burned the U.S. Capitol and the White House, such important buildings for the new nation! This was a low blow.
