War+of+1812+*

=__The War of 1812__= toc The war of 1812 was one of the shorter, yet meaningful wars in American history. The war lasted for two years and saw many important events in American history. From the battles at sea with the U.S.S. Constitution, to our national anthem. It was truly, an eventful war. The burning of Washington D.C., the Defense of Baltimore, all were within two years of an eventful war.

__Cause of War__
Prior to the war, Britain had been hijacking U.S. ships. There were no hard feelings towards the U.S., but Britain just wanted our goods for free. The U.S. was not going to continue to let that happen. The U.S. had also been involved in a small war with the Red Stick Confederacy which was led by the great Indian leader Tecumseh.

__The War__
Britain didn't want to be involved in the war because they were already involved in a war with France. The last thing they wanted was to be involved in another war with the U.S. Though they did not want to be involved, they were thinking that they could wipe out the pitiful United States with one blow. The U.S. however, was ready to show Britain that they were wrong.

The War at Sea
The war contained many american victories. The U.S. won most of those victories at sea though. The British Navy was armed with many more vessels than the U.S. Yet, the U.S. had built a strong fleet and was ready for war. The most powerful of the U.S. vessels wars the U.S.S. Constitution nicknamed "Old Ironsides" because it seemed it couldn't be sunk. The Constitution had many victories at sea over many great British vessels such as the H.M.S. Guerrere.

The War on Land
The War on Land was the same as it was at sea. The war had many victories for the U.S. Many of those victories were vital to the United States' victory in the war. One of the most famous battles was in 1814 the battle for Baltimore at Fort Mchenry. Prior to that battle, the British had burned Washington to the ground in August of 1814. Almost all government buildings were destroyed except for the Patent Office. After the unchallenged Redcoats burned Washington, they started marching to Baltimore. The U.S. was heavily fortified at Fort Mchenry. As the Redcoats tried to move up the narrow end of the Chesapeake Bay on September 13,1814, they were met by the gunfire of the Americans. The two countries fought all through the night until eventually the British pulled out. The U.S. had successfully defended Baltimore and had struck a blow to the British. Also, Fort Mchenry gave us our National Anthem.

The Slaughter at New Orleans
As the war came to a close, the British were starting to lose morale. The British had one final surge left in them though and it was on January 8,1815 at the battle of New Orleans. Unfortunately, it was a complete slaughter. General Andrew Jackson nicknamed "Old Hickory" was the U.S. general for the battle. The Americans were severely outnumbered with only 5,000 men while the British had 11,000. The men didn't know though, that prior to the battle, the war had been called to a close. Unfortunately since the two armies didn't know that, there was a complete slaughter. The U.S. suffered 314 losses while the British lost 2,332.

__The End of the war__
When the war ended, both sides had suffered great losses. Though America lost many, Great Britain had much greater casualties. The British had lost many ships, many foot soldiers, and two wars to America. The U.S. had a great victory. They conquered the British for the second time, built itself as a powerful nation, and found its national anthem. The Star Spangled Banner, originally a poem, which depicts the battle of Fort McHenry and the American way. "The rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there."

__References__
http://www.kyrene.org/school/brisas/sunda/flag/1812/page1/htm

http://www.galafilm.com/1812/e/intro/index.html

Holt, Garraty John A. The Story of America Holt, Reinhart, and Winston, 1994