Ups and Downs for America
Time: Key Moments in the War of 1812
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Canada
The first strike from the Americans was to head north to Canada, which was a British colony at the time. The Native Americans partnered with the British as the severely underprepared American soldiers made multiple attempts to gain traction. The Native Americans saw the British as their allies in limiting the Americans’ expansion, while the Americans believed they would be liberating the Native Americans from Great Britain’s oppression. -
Detroit
One noteworthy loss occurred in August of 1812 when the United States were humiliated in defeat after British and Native American forces chased General William Hull of Michigan back over the Canadian border, where Hull, seeing the enormous number of forces against him, surrendered Detroit and his entire army to the British without a single shot being fired. -
Lake Erie
After many similar losses, a notable success for the United States came when Oliver Hazard Perry’s forces won in the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813. When French leader Napoleon’s armies were defeated and he was facing exile, the British were able to focus all their energy and resources to their effort against the United States. With such a large number of troops arriving in the Americas, British troops easily entered the U.S. capital and burned the White House, Capitol, and other government buildings in August of 1814. American successes came again with the Battle of Plattsburgh in New York and the Battle of Baltimore in Maryland, with the attack on Ft. McHenry (Baltimore) effectively turning the tide for the United States.
