At sea, the powerful Royal Navy blockaded American ports, cutting off trade and allowing the British to raid the coast at will.

The Americans made a final attempt to invade Canada but fought to a draw at the Battle of Lundy's Lane during the summer of 1814. In 1813, the Americans won the Battle of Lake Erie, gaining control of the lake, and they defeated Tecumseh's Confederacy at the Battle of the Thames, securing a primary war goal. American attempts also failed to invade Lower Canada and capture Montreal. American defeats at the Siege of Detroit and the Battle of Queenston Heights thwarted attempts to seize Upper Canada, improving British morale. American prosecution of the war effort suffered from its unpopularity, especially in New England, where it was referred to as 'Mr. With most of its army in Europe fighting Napoleon, Britain adopted a defensive strategy, with offensive operations initially limited to the border and the western frontier. On June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed into law the American declaration of war, after heavy pressure from the War Hawks in Congress. However, the Western interest was in expansion into American territories such as Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, where they were threatened by Indians supported by the British. Historians debate whether the desire to annex some or all of British North America (Canada) contributed to the American decision to go to war. Britain supplied arms to American Indians who raided American settlers on the frontier, hindering American expansion and provoking resentment. The British were in turn outraged by the Little Belt affair in 1811, in which 11 British sailors died. American sentiment grew increasingly hostile toward Britain due to incidents such as the Chesapeake–Leopard affair, which happened five years before the war.

To man the blockade, Britain pressed American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy. Historians in Britain often see it as a minor theatre of the Napoleonic Wars historians in the United States and Canada see it as a war in its own right.įrom the outbreak of war with Napoleonic France, Britain had enforced a naval blockade to choke off neutral trade to France, which the US contested as illegal under international law. The War of 1812 was a conflict fought between the United States and the United Kingdom, with their respective allies, from June 1812 to February 1815.

Britains navy war of 1812