The War of 1812
Unfortunately, Madison's call for preparedness had not been heeded, and the country was ill prepared for war. This brought only ridicule to the administration that had already heard the Northern and Southern differences of opinion. Northerners showed no interest in annexing Florida, a Southern conquest, and Southerners saw any move into Canada as strength added to the Northern states. New England Federalists called the War of 1812 “Mr. Madison's War.”
The American flag flying over Fort McHenry at daybreak inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814. Key had boarded a British frigate under a flag of truce to arrange a prisoner's release, and scrawled the poem on a handbill. Later set to tune of an infamous English drinking song, it officially became the national anthem on March 13, 1931.
Although the U.S. Navy won several victories in the war's first year, 1813 saw the British navy seize many ports and capture several American ships. One American vessel — the USS
On land, there hadn't been many more victories, but by mid-1814, the Americans were gaining ground. After the successful defense of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem, which later became our national anthem.
Battles
Battles were fought along the Great Lakes and into the Canadian frontier. The Battle of Lake Erie, under Oliver Perry's command, was the turning point in the northwest for the Americans and tipped the balance of power.
Around the time that Key wrote his poem, both American and British negotiators were meeting in Belgium to agree on settlement terms. But while peace was being procured, the British decided to invade the Gulf Coast.
Andrew Jackson won a decisive victory over the British in the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. This was perhaps the greatest (and unnecessary) battle of the War of 1812. News of peace and the Treaty of Ghent finally reached Jackson in March, months after the final resolution had been agreed upon on December 24, 1814. The treaty essentially restored matters to prewar conditions. Neither side left the war with more territory than it had commenced fighting with, though the United States claimed victory.
The war had altered the American landscape, however. Western expansion came with little to no opposition, and the issue of slavery took center stage. Defense spending increased as leaders saw the real need for military preparedness. European countries viewed the United States as a hardy opponent and ceased their efforts to regulate American trade and commerce.
Burning
An unfortunate outcome of the war resulted in the British taking the city of Washington, D.C., and burning many government buildings, including the president's home, referred to as the White House. The British saw this torching as justifiable retaliation for the American burning of York (now Toronto), the capital of Upper Canada, the previous year.
When Dolley Madison was warned that the British were en route and was told to flee the White House, she calmly collected the president's papers, the national seal, and the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, and sent them off for safekeeping. Her actions earned her a reputation as the plucky first lady who kept her head in crisis.
On August 24, 1814, President Madison joined his armies retreating from the nation's capital. Three days later, he returned to the burnt rubble the British had left behind.
