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War of 1812, Part 43: The Hartford Convention
The War of 1812 was arguably the most partisan war in our nation's history, with virtually all Federalists across the country opposing what they dubbed “Mr. Madison’s War” and all Republicans supporting it. This difference in sentiment was pronounced and led to many ugly confrontations such as the Baltimore riots of 1812. But nowhere was opposition to the war more strongly manifested than in New England, the last bastion of the Federalist party.
War of 1812, Part 42: The Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was really a series of four fights, three of which were already in the books: Jackson's surprise attack on December 23, the failed British assault on December 28, and the artillery duel on New Year's Day. But the one that has been taught to generations of Americans and is best remembered was the fatal attack by British General Sir Edward Pakenham on January 8, 1815.
War of 1812, Part 41: Fight for the Crescent City Begins
With the British now on the doorsteps of New Orleans but the city's defenses incomplete and the army not yet assembled, it became apparent that General Andrew Jackson had badly miscalculated regarding British intentions and had wasted precious time with his assault on Pensacola and initial focus on Mobile. But Old Hickory remained undaunted and ordered all available forces to march post-haste to the city.
War of 1812, Part 40: British Descend on the Gulf
In a dispatch dated August 10, 1814, Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane was instructed by Lord Bathurst, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, to proceed to Jamaica and rendezvous with reinforcements coming from England to assist him in capturing New Orleans. With the death of Major General Robert Ross at North Point, the War Department in London gave the command of the land force for this new expedition to Major General Sir Edward Pakenham, a veteran of the Peninsula War and the brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington. And on November 26, Cochrane, Pakenham, and a British army of nearly 7,000 veterans sailed for New Orleans.
War of 1812, Part 39: The Creek Indian War
In 1812, the Creek, or Muskogee, Indians occupied much of today’s Alabama and southwest Georgia, roughly 300 square miles from the Tennessee River to the Gulf of Mexico. The Creeks enjoyed good relations with the United States largely due to a benevolent policy established by President George Washington to interpose the federal government between the Indians and land-hungry Georgians. But despite these restrictions, the federal government was helpless to prevent Americans from trespassing onto Creek lands.
War of 1812, Part 38: Unrest in the South
Many Americans, especially those in the Deep South, had cast covetous eyes towards Florida since the Treaty of Paris in 1783 ended the American Revolution and Spain regained the territory. Not surprisingly, when war was declared on Great Britain in 1812, one of the main goals of Southerners and President James Madison was to use the war as a pretext for obtaining possession of Florida from a decaying Spanish empire. The most contentious portion was the present-day panhandle of Florida, lower Alabama, lower Mississippi, and eastern Louisiana, an area known as West Florida.
War of 1812, Part 37: The Star-Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key managed to become a prisoner of war due to the oddest circumstances. Doctor William Beanes was a 65-year-old physician from Upper Marlboro who had hosted General Robert Ross and Admiral George Cockburn one night on their advance towards Washington. But after playing host, Beanes helped capture several British stragglers as Ross's army was returning to the fleet. Upon learning of Beanes’ actions, Ross was furious at what he considered a breach of faith and sent a troop of British horsemen to take the good doctor into custody. Beanes was thrown into the brig aboard HMS Tonnant and there he remained as the British approached Baltimore.
War of 1812, Part 36: By Dawn’s Early Light
As word spread across the country of the burning of Washington, Americans forgot their differences and rallied around the flag as Americans always do in a crisis. The mood of the nation quickly changed from despair and anger at the Madison administration to indignation and anger at the British. The anti-administration Albany Register wrote, “This is no moment for recrimination... Let one voice and one spirit animate us all, the voice of our bleeding country and the spirit of our immortal ancestors.” Even Alexander Hanson's Federal Republican, which had suffered so severely in the Baltimore riots of 1812 declared, “The fight will now be for our country, not for a party.”
War of 1812, Part 35: The Baltimore Riots of 1812
When war was declared on Great Britain in 1812, the vote in Congress clearly demonstrated that it was a partisan affair and not universally approved. While Republicans voted in favor of the measure, all Federalists opposed it, and each party had their own newspapers which broadcast their deeply partisan views.But this was largely a Republican controlled country at the time, and their papers were more numerous and more passionate in the tone and tenor of their articles. Many implied that violence was the approved solution for all those opposing the war with the National Intelligencer declaring “he that is not for us must be considered as against us and treated accordingly.”
War of 1812, Part 34: Washington in Flames
Perhaps the most inexplicable mistake in the defense of Washington was to allow the British army for five days to march toward our nation's capital unopposed and risk the entire affair on a single battle, one which rested on the backs of untried militiamen against battle-hardened veterans, with the disastrous results that ensued. And now that the battle was over, another glaring omission became apparent; General William Winder had made no contingency plan if the battle went awry. Now left with few options, General Winder and Secretary of State James Monroe decided to abandon the city and set up a defensive line in Georgetown with whatever troops they could assemble.
War of 1812, Part 33: The Battle of Bladensburg
As the sun rose on August 24, 1814, the few residents remaining in Washington must have felt assured that the city was safe if they had read the morning papers. The National Intelligencer stated, “We feel assured that the number and bravery of our men will afford complete protection to the city.” And that sentiment was echoed by the Georgetown Federal Republican, which wrote, “It is highly improbable that...the enemy would advance nearer to the capital.”
War of 1812, Part 32: Washington in Chaos
On August 17, the British flotilla ordered to Chesapeake Bay arrived off the mouth of the Patuxent River, fifty miles from Washington. With Congress adjourned and most of the well-to-do citizens away from the city to escape the smothering heat wave, there was little activity in the capital. Unfortunately, that lack of activity also extended to those responsible for defending Washington. But all that changed the next day when a messenger arrived with the long-dreaded news that the British invasion force was at hand.