Category: News

American President James Madison Declares War on Britain On June 1, 1812, the fourth American President, James Madison declared war on Britain. His decision was spurred by what he and other congressmen believed to be ongoing issues with the British government. They seemed to have scant regard for American citizens, as the British government would force men to join the Royal Navy without warning, there were trade restrictions imposed as a result of the ongoing war between Britain and France, along with many other complaints. President Madison had surmised that Britain would have been distracted by the current war and Canada (a territory they hoped to capture) would give in easily.  The fact that the American soldiers were low in numbers, and lacking in confidence and discipline, was not seen as an important factor. Due to this poor judgment the war was expected to be quick and easy, it would not be. The United States at that time was in opposition to the ongoing war between France and Britain.  Britain on the other hand saw America as a threat not only because of their stance on the Napoleonic wars but also because their naval empire was growing, leaving Britain feeling vulnerable on the seas. There was also rivalry regarding Britain’s recruitment of what America recognized as naturalized American citizens. The Royal Navy would, without warning, go after British born sailors who had deserted their fleet. While this angered Americans, Britain ignored it and continued. Britain apparently did not take into account that America was uncomfortable with the fact that they did not recognize naturalized American citizens and Britain continued to round them up, leading America to believe that Britain did not think they were not good enough to naturalize former British citizens. After days of deliberations voting was finally complete, and on June 18, more than two weeks after it was declared by the president, the Americans officially began war with Britain by launching their attack at the Canadian borders, seizing parts of what was known then as British North America. Ironically, a peace message was sent by Lord Liverpool on June 23, less than a month after he came into power. Following the assassination of Spencer Percival, the previous Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool’s ascent to the post of Prime Minister came with a need for a change in the relationship between the United States and Britain. Though the peace message was sent, because of the lengthy trip across the continents, President Madison never received it in time. Similar to the lengthy time it took for the message of peace to reach American soil, such was the fate of the declaration of war that was sent by the president. Both Armies Ill-Prepared Though the US army was sparse (with less than 12000 soldiers), an effort was made to expand the army when it became evident that the fighting would go on longer than was anticipated. This proved difficult for the Americans as there were no real motivation for men to willingly want to become a part of the fighting. When up against the British forces they were near powerless as the raw recruits were no match for the highly experienced British soldiers, who had cut their teeth fighting the armies of Napoleon. Another blow to the US army was the lack of funding; the pay was low and was a turn off to potential recruits. Service men involved in the fighting were mostly volunteering and there was a lack of discipline. In fact, more time was spent evading the British army than was spent defending the country. On the other hand for much of the war the British forces were largely engaged in fighting on the European mainland. The US army led by General William Hull, on June 12, 1812, invaded the Canadian town of Sandwich. A month later in Detroit, they surrendered to a smaller group of British soldiers, who were under the command of Major General Isaac Brock. The Americans were adamant in their quest to take over Canada and launched another attack in the Niagara Peninsular some months later. This again proved futile as even though Major General Brock was killed, the British were able to once again defeat them.  This constant defeat prolonged the war longer than The US had hoped. The US army would later reorganize their troops but they were never able to conquer Canada. By 1814, Napoleon had abdicated, giving the British Army more elbow room to focus on the War in America. This placed the war in a different light as Britain could now allow for more troops to be deployed to the US. They sent veteran soldiers to fight led by Major General Robert Ross and Rear Admiral George Cockburn, who were two major players in the Burning of Washington.  An attack was launched on New York, however the American Army was finally getting its composure and had gained requisite experience to be recognized as worthy foes. Britain was not about to acquiesce however, as another attack was launched, this time at Chesapeake Bay. For the British army, the Chesapeake Bay attack was a definite success. The Attack on Washington The attack on Washington was led by Major General Robert Ross and would go down in history as possibly the most brazen attack on the US capital. Such was its severity that there were talks to relocate the capital to another state. British soldiers marched through the streets of Washington and set fire to many public buildings. Word reached the White House that the British soldiers were on their way, before the army had reached the White House, it was abandoned. First lady Dolley Madison stayed behind and, with the help of a few slaves, she was able to secure the valuables before the soldiers arrived. When they did, they did not hesitate to partake of the feast that was prepared for the president’s dinner and then proceeded to destroy the building. Fuel was added to the fire to prolong the burning straight into the night, luckily the walls remained intact and were later restored during a cleanup exercise. The burning of the White House was condemned by many European leaders and Britain was frowned upon for behaving lewdly on international soil. In return Britain lashed out by saying the American had started the war initially, they believed their actions were justified based on the US invasion of Canada. Nonetheless, it had placed Britain in a bad light. Following the burnings, there was an effort to relocate the capital to another state but with quick funding from Washington businessmen, the buildings were hastily restored in time for the inauguration of James Monroe, who succeeded Madison in 1817. Victory for the US and Birth of the Star Spangled Banner Following the attack on Washington, America struggled to secure their dignity and was able to secure one small victory with the battle of Fort McHenry. The British thought it was the perfect place to launch an attack because of the close proximity to the capital, but they were firing from too far out which proved futile. Plans to go ashore for a more intimate attack were abandoned. On the morning after the bombardment, the American flag remained standing proud, signaling victory for the US. The flag flying amidst the darkness of dawn was an observation made by attorney Francis Scott Key which led him to write a poem that eventually became “The Star Spangled Banner”. The song itself was originally written as a poem entitled “Defense of Fort M’Henry”. On September 3, 1814, Scott Key was on a mission to negotiate the release of a popular doctor who had been captured by the British soldiers. Key was selected by the American President to be a prisoner-of- war exchange officer. On the said morning, he and fellow lawyer John Stuart Skinner went aboard Major General Robert Ross’s ship, the HMS Tonnant, to present their case. They bore letters signed by president Maddison and by soldiers vouching for the doctor’s kind-heartedness. They were able to witness first hand planning of the attack by Ross and his fellow soldiers. They were themselves kept prisoner until those plans were executed as they were seen as a threat. They were however able to witness the attack from their own boat and seeing the American Flag waving to signal victory, he was inspired to write the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner”. Though Key was the writer, it was on the initiative of Skinner, who Keys showed his work, that the poem was eventually published. The poem was set to a key of an already popular British song known as the “Anacreontic Song”. It was adopted into song and became the US national anthem in 1931 under the guidance of President Herbert Hoover. The Treaty of Gent In 1814, in Belgium at a town called Ghent, both parties agreed to meet and began peace talks. Both the US and Britain had concluded that they had achieved what they intended. Border restrictions were removed and territories that were captured during the war were given back to the party that was the original owner. Many of the issues were resolved, but ironically the issues that had initially led to the war were not mentioned in the treaty.  The treaty of Ghent did not happen overnight, achieving a common decision was a war within itself. Some points were agreed upon while others were in total disagreements. One issue was the migrant slaves who were lured away during the war. To add to their numbers Britain had used a number of tactics to overcome the Americans, one such action being that they welcomed American slaves with open arms, promising them freedom and a ticket to fight against the Americans. Many slaves took advantage of this opportunity and migrated to England and eventually settled in parts of Canada. These slaves were never returned and America thought Britain was being unfair and in violation of the treaty. Britain eventually agreed to reimburse slave owners a sum of $1 204 960. After being at loggerhead five months of negotiations later, they were finally at an agreement. Both America and Britain suffered severe loss and it is still unclear as to who really won. Each country was of the view that they had won the war. Both parties suffered casualties and monetary losses that put their country at a loss. Britain’s debt increased significantly which was one of the factors that led to a closure of the war and talks of peace. Canada was one of the biggest parties to gain as they had successfully retained freedom from United States and still remained a part of the British Empire. “Precis of the Wars in Canada” gives full details on the war as it happened in Canada. The end of the Anglo- American war saw a growing friendship between the two countries and both parties have long since enjoyed over 200 years of peace, described in more recent times as a “special relationship”.]]>