The War of 1812

I. Reasons for the War

A. The War Hawks--a relatively small group of Congressmen--all of them too young to have participated in the War of Independence--forced the issue on the Madison administration.

1. Unpopularity of Madison--Republican politicians did not trust Madison (who was, after all, a reformed Federalist). Madison, while a brilliant political theorist, was far less successful as a politician. A group of War Hawks called on Madison in the new Executive Mansion, and threatened to nominate another candidate against Madison if he did not agree to support the declaration of war.

2.Expansionary Ideology--the War Hawk were among the earliest proponents of the idea of Manifest Destiny, and looked not only to add land in the Northwest and the Southwest--but in Canada, as well.

B. Opposition to the war--the position of the War Hawks was in the minority, compared to the rest of the country.

1. New England--Much of the opposition to the war between the United States and Great Britain was centered in New England. This region had the closest cultural ties with Great Britain, and also the closest economic ties; much of the trade of the region was directly tied to Great Britain, and people in the region realized that a war would disrupt that trade. Religious ties between England and New England led to mutual recriminations against the Roman Catholics/atheists in France, as well.

2. Great Lakes Region--Surprisingly, support for the coming war was rather soft in this region, as well. In part, the reasons for this lack of support was that many thought (rightly) that much of the war would be fought in the region, which threatened their property and lives. The enthusiasm generated for the war in the region mainly came from politicians, who saw a successful conclusion to the war as a means of building political support.

3. The Old Southwest--perhaps the greatest general support for the war among the citizenry was generated in the Old Southwest (Tennessee, western Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana), who saw this as a mean of expanding slavery, and therefore economic opportunities for whites. The southwest also had a charismatic leader at the head of the militia, Andrew Jackson, who inspired greater confidence in his forces.

II. Rebuilding the Coalition (Again)

A. Re-emergence of Prophetstown--within weeks of its destruction, Prophetstown was being rebuilt, and Native Americans were flocking there to hear what the Prophet had to say--and many were joining the movement. Harrison's attack on Prophetstown had sown the seeds of renewal for the movement, as it became apparent to most observers.

1. Resurgent numbers--before the outbreak of hostilities, there were probably somewhere between 5000 and 8000 Native Americans present at Prophetstown--and this would not have included  the group of warriors now under the command of Tecumseh, who by this time had returned from his southern journey and traveled to Amherstburg to obtain supplies, largely weapons, for this warriors.

III. Fighting the War

A.The Ohio/Kentucky/Michigan militia--most of the US forces were temporary soldiers--members of the militia, who generally elected their officers, and often were not well-schooled in military tactics. During this war, as well, some called into question the authority of the officers--or even the President himself--to send them to fight in a foreign county.

B. Fall of Detroit--a force under the command of William Hull, governor of the Michigan Territory, surrendered the fort and the city to forces under the joint command of Gen. Isaac Brock, in large part because of his fear that defeat (which seemed inevitable to Hull) would mean a general massacre of the residents of Detroit without the British protection that he was able to procure.

C. Battle of Lake Erie--the decisive battle of the entire war. When Perry defeated to naval fleet, it meant that the war in the interior turned in favor of the Americans, who could suddenly supply their army, and the British forces could not obtain supplies

D. Battle of the Thames--Isaac Brock had been killed earlier in the was (after the surrender of Detroit), and was replaced by Colonel Proctor. Proctor, upon hearing about the loss on Lake Erie, decided (rightly, in my opinion), that his position at the western edge of Canada was untenable, and decided o retreat toward York (present day Toronto). Tecumseh challenged Proctor to remain and fight, but to little avail. British forces abandoned their Indian allies, and Tecumseh was killed during the ensuing battle.