The War of 1812 was an armed struggle between the United States of America and the United Kingdom, which attempted to meddle in the American trade with France. The land battles were fought along the Canadian border, while the naval military engagements took place both in the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. In this war, American Indian tribes sided with Great Britain as the Indians complained of territorial losses to white Americans who encroached upon their native land. The result of the war was a military stalemate, ending in February 1815, after the signature of the Treaty of Ghent (Belgium), by which both countries restored diplomatic relations and the borders of the two countries to the demarcation lines that existed before the beginning of the conflict.
The War of 1812 was the direct result of England’s striving to undermine the trade and economy of the United States of America, on the one hand, and, on the other, the consequence of the policy of certain oligarchic circles that influenced the domestic and foreign policy of the American Federal Government. These circles strove to expand their possessions in North America by invading and seizing Canada in the same way they would encroach on Mexican territory several decades later. The immediate cause of the war was the search and seizure of American vessels by the British fleet. As a result, on June 18, 1812, the United States of America declared war on England.
During the war, American privateers inflicted vital damage on English ships at sea; however, attempts to invade Canada met with failure. The English, utilizing their naval supremacy, proceeded to blockade the coast of the USA. On August 24, 1814, the British made a successful landing and seized and burned most of Washington. In the course of this armed conflict, the military actions of the American forces against the English troops took on the character of a struggle to guarantee the independence of the United States. American forces won a number of victories: on Lake Champlain (September 1814), and at New Orleans on January 8, 1815 (news of the signing of the peace treaty had not yet been received by the military command). On December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed, reestablishing the prewar status.
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| Above, a drawing depicting a military engagement on the Canadian border in 1813. British troops and the Mohawk tribe successfully repel an American attempt to seize Montreal. |