From 1812-1814 the British conflict with France's powerful army prevented further extension of the British navy into American wars. These circumstances allowed America to have a free hand to maneuver in North America without retaliation by the British, but a disorganized rabble-invasion of Canada through Vermont and New York failed to instigate Canadian revolution against their British overlords.
Although America declared war against the British for the practice of impressment and the ridiculous trade requirements for American ships, much of the country, especially the more populous, trade-dependent New England region did not look forward to war. Indeed, the declaration of war barely passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It was said was America would surely lose a war it did not wish to fight.
"Many nations have gone to war in pure gaiety of heart, but perhaps the United States were the first to force themselves into a war they dreaded, in the hope that the war itself might create the spirit they lacked."By 1814 the British were able to turn the force of their might against the former colonies. Beginning the assault in August by combining the experience of their army and the indomitable skill of their navy, Britain quickly captured Washington D.C., the fledgling capitol city of the United States, before continuing along the Chesapeake Bay to attack Baltimore, easily one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the new country. A barraged Fort McHenry stood strong through a lengthy assault before forcing the British back and inspired one Francis Scott Key, a young lawyer from Maryland, to pen "The Star Spangled Banner" which became America's anthem. Another prong of the British offensive attempted to cut the Northern states from the Southern states along Great Lakes, but the British navy was spectacularly defeated by a stalwart, unconquerable Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie in the fall of 1814. The final major British offensive front sought control of the trade along the Mississippi River, but General Andrew Jackson successfully stopped the significantly larger British force with skill, courageous troops, and the swampy landscape.
~Henry Adams
It is Jackson's defense that has become one of the most memorable points of the war. With a British force at least three times his own and a large naval fleet accompanying the invaders, Jackson's occupation of New Orleans seemed hopeless, tenuous at best. To keep order in the city while the British drew near, marshal law kept the city in artificial calm.
Up until Christmas, there was little antagonistic interaction between the two sides which bespoke the Treaty of Ghent signed on Christmas Eve to end the hostilities. Because of the months it took to send word of peace, neither side new the end had come and, thus, proceeded with preparation for the upcoming battle.
The British mistakes were many, but mainly that their commanders mistook their advantage of time, for it was time Jackson used to choose his position and prepare substantial defenses.
On the morning of January 8, 1815, the British moved against the American force. With a thick morning fog arising from the swampy ground, the British tried to use the cover for their attack. The fog, the American's protected position from the British Naval guns, and the wide, open swampland the British marched through allowed the sharp-shooting American frontiersmen to absolutely decimate their assailants. A raised canal wall about five feet high provided the Americans with a protected defensive position while obstructing the enemies progress.
By the end of the morning, the field looked like a lake of blood, not of the blood of the British, but of the coats of the soldiers that had marched in file against the canal. In a few hours of fighting, the Americans held all but a single section of their line and retained control of New Orleans, the Mississippi, and the country they fought to defend.
The causalities of this battle are startling considering the vast odds. The British had 2,042 causalities including two generals; the Americans had 71 total: 13 dead, 39 wounded, and 19 missing.
The Battle of New Orleans is a microcosm of the War of 1812. The Americans fought to defend what they already had against overwhelming might, proven military experience, and the naval dominance of the British Empire. Like the war at large, New Orleans exited the war little changed physically but with a new found energy, confidence, and enthusiasm embodied by its peoples.
From a material standpoint, the War of 1812 was a minor affair in British history and only mildly inconvenient for for the United States with the rebuilding of the capitol, notably the White House. War has always influenced history, and the War of 1812 is not an exception however overlooked it is. The results of the war gave the U.S. a concrete identity as a nation. They successfully defended against invasion multiple times against superior forces. This defense came against a larger, more experienced force that had defeated Napoleon months earlier. Thus, the United States became a nation in its own right and was recognized as such. The successful defenses, especially at Fort McHenry and New Orleans, inspired national unity, patriotism, and confidence that the new nation would prevail.One of the most significant effects of the Battle of New Orleans was the popularity of Gen. Andrew Jackson who rode that fame to the presidency where his policies affected federal affairs for decades. His stubbornness popularized the donkey as a symbol for the Democrats, the oldest and largest political party in American history, and his handling of the national bank affected budget and economic affairs until after the Civil War, thirty years later.
America's forgotten war might seem insignificant to the War for Independence forty years earlier or the Civil War forty years later, but because events are not held up in ceremony and acclaim does not diminish the real affect. The War of 1812 helped make America what it is today just as much as its many other bloody conflicts still shape it and the world today.
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Agatha Tyche
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