The empires of England and France spent 1789-1815 locked in an almost constant war for global superiority. The War of 1812 was part of a larger, global conflict. Large ships were built and put on the Lakes, where they engaged in full-scale battles for supremacy in order to move troops and bombard rival towns. Sitting amidst the main theater of operations in the North, they shaped the movements of the contending armies. The Great Lakes Erie and Ontario played a major role in the War of 1812. Additionally, since the war had a distinct commercial character, pirate-style raids were carried out against trade ships throughout the Atlantic. Naval engagements flared, especially around the Chesapeake Bay, as this blockade was challenged. The British enforced a blockade of American ports, particularly in the South, along the Atlantic seaboard. In the war’s final stages, British regulars attempted a seaborne invasion of the Gulf Coast, leading to combat in Louisiana. Throughout the war, American forces also faced Native American foes in the territories of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Many battles were fought against British, Canadian, and Native American opponents in Michigan and New York and in the Canadian (then still under British rule) provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
The War of 1812 was fought in many places in the United States, Canada, and on the high seas. Peace negotiations began in late 1814, but slow communication across the Atlantic (and indeed across the United States) prolonged the war and also led to numerous tactical errors for both sides. The War of 1812 lasted from June 1812-February 1815, a span of two years and eight months.
This page offers answers to frequently asked questions about this formative and dramatic conflict. The War of 1812 is one of the least studied wars in American history.
0 kommentar(er)
