1812 - 1814*

British seize American sailors
1803-1812 - High seas
British captains take more than 10,000 American citizens to man British ships.

Chesapeake - Leopard fight
June 1807 - 3 miles off Norfolk, Virginia
Chesapeake fired on by Leopard after refusing to be boarded. 3 Americans killed, 18 wounded.

Embargo Act
December 1807 - Washington, D.C.
Jefferson's attempt at "peaceful coercion" results in economic disaster for American merchants.

War Hawks elected to Congress
1810 - U.S.
Calhoun, Clay, others, bothered by insults to U.S., and by Indian incursions into settled areas.

Battle of Tippecanoe
1811 - Ohio River Valley, near present day West Lafayette, IN.
Tecumseh's brother, the Prophet, led attack on Harrison's army of 1000. It was believed that the attack was instigated by the British.

Congress declares war on Britain.
June 18, 1812 - Washington, D.C.
Pushed by War Hawks, Madison asks for declaration of war. All Federalists oppose it.

Invasion attempts of Canada
1812 - U.S. / Canadian border
3 attempts to invade, all fail.

Detroit captured by British
August 16, 1812 - U.S. / Canadian border
Detroit fell to British and Indian forces.

USS Constitution defeats British frigate Guerrière,
August 19, 1812, off coast of Nova Scotia.
Victory by U.S. ship -- "Old Ironsides".
Marks the birth of American naval power.
Other privateers captured or burned British ships.

Battle of York (Toronto)
April 1813 - Toronto, Canada
U.S. troops take control of Great Lakes, burn York (Toronto).

See W. H. Harrison letter from Camp Meigs Ohio

Battle of Lake Erie
September 1813 --- Put-in-Bay
Capt. Oliver Hazard Perry, starts an attack but his ship, the Lawrence, is destroyed. Transferring to the Niagara he repulses the British naval attack and becomes a national hero as the public calls him 'Commodore' Perry.

Battle of Thames
October 1813 - Ontario, Canada
Tecumseh killed in U.S. victory. Northwest Indians permanently weakened by this battle.

December 29, 1813 - Buffalo, New York
Still fighting for control of the lakes, British burn city of Buffalo.

Battle of Horseshoe Bend
March 1814 - Mississippi Territory
Andrew Jackson defeats Creek Indians.

British plan 3-part invasion of U.S.: Chesapeake Bay, Lake Champlain, & mouth of Mississippi River
1814 -Washington, D.C
British burn capital buildings, but are turned back at Baltimore harbor.
See Dolley Madison description
See Bristish version

Battle of Plattsburgh
September 1814 - Lake Champlain
U.S. secured northern border with victory over larger British force.

Hartford Convention
December 15, 1814 - Hartford, Connecticut
Group of Federalists discuss secession but end up proposing 7 constitutional amendments to protect influence of Northeast states. [They're still at it by proposing to eliminate the Electoral College. Ed.]

Treaty of Ghent
December 24, 1814 - Ghent, Belgium
British and American diplomats agree on status quo ante bellum. [Just stop fighting and forget it. -- No reprisals, no reparations.]

Battle of New Orleans* -- Jackson Letter to the Secretary of War.
January 1815 * - New Orleans
Jackson's forces defeat British. 700 British killed, 1400 wounded.
U.S. losses: 8 killed, 13 wounded.

* The war had ended December 24, 1814 but Jackson had not received word about the Treaty of Ghent.