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Battle Breakdown: War of 1812 1606 Views
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Description:
Despite the name of this war, it actually lasted a few years. But the “War of 1812 to 1815” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily.
Transcript
- 00:07
Battle Breakdown -- The War of 1812. Unanimously voted "War of the Year."
- 00:13
Most people have at least heard of the War of 1812...
- 00:15
...but few could tell you about any of the specific battles...
- 00:18
...or even who fought whom.
- 00:21
So why do we have such a tough time recalling
Full Transcript
- 00:23
what this war was all about?
- 00:25
Have we as a nation blocked it out for some reason?
- 00:28
Were we all hopped up on nitrous oxide after a long trip to the dentist?
- 00:32
Or was there simply... not much to remember? Well, let's take a stroll down "No Memory Lane..."
- 00:39
...and see if we can get a handle on this hazy period of history.
- 00:42
The whole thing kicked off in June of 1812...
- 00:44
...when President James Madison asked the Senate to pass a declaration
- 00:48
of war against Great Britain.
- 00:50
They did just that, by a vote of 19 to 13.
- 00:53
Yep, you did the math correctly -- only 32 senators.
- 00:56
There was a lot more breathing room in the Senate back in those days.
- 00:59
The first major conflict was a naval battle between the USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere.
- 01:06
That's "derriere" with a "G."
- 01:08
The British artillery simply couldn't quite get through the hull of the American ship...
- 01:12
...which was known as "Old Ironsides."
- 01:14
In retrospect, "Ironsides" probably would have sufficed.
- 01:18
Doesn't seem necessary to make the poor boat feel bad about its age.
- 01:22
A number of smaller battles followed, including one very small battle that wasn't actually
- 01:26
a battle at all.
- 01:27
The Americans surrendered to British forces at Detroit without even putting up a fight.
- 01:32
But don't worry -- General William Hull was court-martialed for his cowardice.
- 01:36
In the middle of the War, James Madison was elected to a second term as President.
- 01:40
He received 128 votes in the Electoral College...
- 01:43
...easily enough to top the 89 votes received by De Witt Clinton...
- 01:47
...who was supported by the Federalist Party.
- 01:49
After a couple of years, the United States and Great Britain finally began having direct talks.
- 01:54
Their phones began getting much better reception with their new family plans.
- 01:58
However, it still wasn't enough to resolve the nations' differences.
- 02:02
On September 14th of 1814, the British attacked Baltimore.
- 02:05
And after three days of fighting, the British retreated.
- 02:08
The accuracy of the American artillery at Fort McHenry kept the British from entering the harbor.
- 02:14
Our boys could have picked a flea off a dog's back from one hundred yards.
- 02:22
The win was so stirring that it actually inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner."
- 02:30
By 1815, everyone had had enough.
- 02:32
Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Ghent...
- 02:35
...which called for the return of all POW's and captured territory...
- 02:38
...as well as amnesty for all Indians who fought in the war.
- 02:42
The Treaty also asked for the return of all slaves seized during the war by the British...
- 02:46
...and a commitment from both nations to put an end to the international slave trade.
- 02:51
The real reasons the war had been fought in the first place -- British maritime policy,
- 02:55
neutral rights, and impressment -- all of which got swept under the rug.
- 02:59
Unfortunately, news of the agreement could only travel at one horsepower back then.
- 03:03
And two weeks before they received word of peace, the US claimed its signature win at
- 03:07
the Battle of New Orleans.
- 03:09
In that lopsided encounter, the British suffered over 2,000 casualties...
- 03:12
...while the Americans only lost 21 men.
- 03:15
Now that's what we call a whoopin'. So, while certain things were accomplished...
- 03:19
...the issues that plagued the two nations at the start of the war were kinda... left
- 03:23
hanging. Which may be why the War of 1812 doesn't
- 03:26
stand out in the forefront of our minds.
- 03:29
In the scheme of things, it was sort of a... mini-war.
- 03:31
Don't you fret, however.
- 03:32
Plenty of big, awful, memorable wars were right around the bend.
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