The War of 1812: Opinions

It's a little out of the norm for me to give opinions as I regularly deliver only purely factual information (historical stuff doesn't give me all that many opinions anyways). However, 1812 brings up a number of questions that I would like to answer. So, if you're in for moderately informed opinions from someone on the internet, you're in for a treat.

So, who actually won the war?

"They have killed our drummer! All is lost! Sound the
retreat!"

I think this one is fairly simple; the British/Canadians won. I know it sounds very kindergarten-y to say "yeah, well, they started it" but the core of it is true here. The Americans did start the war. They engaged with the intention of expelling the British from North America, taking the land as their own, and ending impressment. They went 0/3 on those goals. Canada, at the onset of the war, was hoping simply to keep their stuff. Yes, those goals may have changed throughout the campaign when the British started to push back, but I feel that's mostly irrelevant; the goals of the war were completed for the British and not at all for the Americans. Had the British only done well enough to just barely stymie the American assault, it would have never been a question. However, with their success in pushing into American territory, those goals changed and suddenly it wasn't as clear cut. But, we have to remember how it started out - the British defended their territory, completing what they sought to do in the war.

The Americans didn't lose too much either, but more so maintained a status quo. Impressment started to pass by the wayside, but that was due to circumstances oversees rather than anything they did personally. They may have defended valiantly at the end but their purpose in entering the war was to take territory, not prevent losses.

The only one who really lost in this case were the native tribes in the area surrounding the fighting (Ohio and so forth). The native state was not established, they lost what they held previously, and many were sent to reserves or continued being kicked off the land they previously held.

Why do Americans think they won it?
Americans believe they won the war because of a number of decisive battles close to the end that all went the way of the stars and stripes. However, these battles were used as leverage when peace talks were already occurring. The British hoped to continue pushing into American territory to have a greater say in how the treaty went, planning to score a few extra points by saying "hey, we can still blow up your crap if we want to". Losing in New Orleans (and losing in a rout, at that), a defeat in a major naval battle, and failing to take Baltimore culminated in a strong end for the Americans - but the final score still weighed in favour of the British North Americans.

Can we say Canada won?
This is a tricky one.

The argument for no:

One could easily say it was all the Brits. The generals, military leaders, and backbone of the army (the British regulars, the highly trained military) were all British. It was, without question, British territory. Canada wasn't even a country at that point, and wouldn't be for another half century - and even then, it would still be under British command for some time. Even now we love hearing about the Royal Family for reasons beyond my understanding (I'm a touch confused why the British care either). Everything about it screams Britain since the spoils of war went to them, the command came from across the ocean, the best soldiers were British born, and ultimately it was America vs. Britain. If it's Britain, it's not officially Canadian, no matter how linked it may be.

Brock, thinking the battle a lock, found shock in the shot
from the glock that pierced his smock. He took his knock
on his walk to squawk at the War Hawk, alongside the Mohawk,
wielders of the tomahawk.  

The argument for yes:

No, Canada wasn't a country - but it's called Upper and Lower Canada. It's the same territory and while many of the British regulars would have gone on home, many of those that fought were those settling into that territory. Their children (well, grandchildren mostly) would be those that would grow up there and later become, unequivocally, Canadian.  And while the British regulars and generals may have been leading the fights, a massive number of soldiers were militiamen of Canada - meaning those that had settled into the lands around there and signed up to defend. These were Canadian militiamen who were British subjects.

In my mind, this absolutely was Canada, just the same as it was Britain. It was a shared victory through and through. Through the occupation of towns by the States (and, in truth, harbouring an anti-Americanism that still shines through at times today) we began to develop our own cultural identity. 1812 was one of the first steps to move from being British living overseas to true Canadians, and because of that, we can find a part in it. It was those fighting on behalf of Upper and Lower Canada who won the war, and many of whom were the basis for the country as it stands. Without them the face of Canada would be littered with American flags instead of the maple leaf.

Were the British the "good guys"?

"Oh man oh man oh man we've got to get that piece back
before the President noticed or we are so dead."

This isn't Star Wars. There's no Dark Side, pure good or evil, or Jar Jar Binks (there's only Manley Power). Everything here is rather muddled. Both sides, in a sense, are underdogs. America is the young upstart, but with the British across the ocean, they outnumbered them - making them the heavyweight in this fight if not the world. America may have declared war, but it was the British who goaded them into it with impressment and disrupting their trade. Neither side really wanted to enter the war, but felt they had to. So, all in all, the answer is clear.

Maybe?

Lasting Legacy:
With a lack of territory change, would things really have been that different if the War of 1812 didn't happen? Well, that's all conjecture. But... It showed that Canada wasn't a pushover. We may have been fewer in number, but that doesn't mean we would allow outsiders to come into our territory and set up camp. Through shirking American influence we chose to be uniquely ourselves, rather than another State, or America's hat. (Yes, still a British colony, but sort of unique.) In fact, both sides seemed to find some new identity through it - the Americans describe it as their Second War of Independance (finding independence through attacking another, but still) and it pushed us one step closer to Confederation years down the line.

The War of 1812: Part 3 - Back to Normal

With Brock's death, Tecumseh's dream of a native state largely went with him. Brock was ever the supporter of Tecumseh, both having a mutual respect through the fact that both men were, objectively speaking, awesome. However, without Brock in his corner, he lacked the cohesion he once had with the British forces.

Some time after Brock's death, a fierce battle raged between River Raisin and Frenchtown, a Canadian settlement. After a number of skirmishes back and forth, the Canadian forces (along with their native allies) retaliated and defeated the American force. They killed many Americans, some of which were surrendering. Worried about the consequences of staying too long and having American reinforcements turn the tide, the British retreated. With them, they took any able bodied prisoners and left the wounded, unable to bring them along. The native force, however, stayed behind and massacred the remaining Americans, leaving severed heads on sticks as a warning. This served to fuel resentment (and recruitment) for the Americans, furious at the treatment of their wounded. 

Afterwards, the American forces settled themselves and pressed forwards towards a new land, in Fort Meigs. If they succeeded in holding the fort and repelling any assaults in the times ahead, it would serve as a landing point to attack Upper Canada. Therefore, Tecumseh and the British knew that taking the fort, and quickly, would be of the utmost importance. Over two thousand were part of the assault, and... well, it started OK. Tecumseh brilliantly lured out a  large number of Americans under a false retreat, making the soldiers believe they were poorly prepared. The result was a large scale capture. A number of native warriors, with the British sitting idly by, began killing some of the prisoners. Fortunately, Tecumseh, ever the high-moraled hero, returned and put a stop to it. He did this with many of the warriors not speaking the same language as him - bear in mind they came from a number of tribes - making the feat all the more impressive. The British likely pulled on their collars a little and felt a wee bit embarrassed.

Fort Meigs reenactors firing time appropriate
muskets. The Americans in the background
are so comfortable with guns they declined to turn
around.

In the end it wasn't enough. The fight resulted in an American victory, pushing back the Canadians 'n' Friends contingents. They tried again - and failed. Then they tried taking a smaller position and failed there as well, which is kind of like flunking out of university, going to community college, and picking up a C-. Worse yet, they followed up with losing a major naval battle at Lake Erie (which equates to losing your job at Safeway after your failed stints at post secondary, if we're continuing with the metaphor). The failures caused the British commander, Henry Proctor, to panic and plan a hasty retreat. Proctor had such a terrible run that his wikipedia states he's "best known as the commander who was decisively defeated in 1813 by the Americans and left western Ontario in American hands." Poor Proctor. As inconsequential as my life may be, at least I don't have a wikipedia entry dedicated to how bad I suck. And it only gets worse. Tecumseh got word of this proposed retreat (Proctor didn't tell him) and Tecumseh began shaming him in front of the rest of his officers and officials. He compared him to a "fat animal, that carries its tail upon its back, but when affrighted, it drops between its legs, and runs off." It was the early 1800s equivalent of a mic drop. To further press the point, Tecumseh highlighted his own fearless nature, claiming he was "determined to defend our lands, and if it is his [the Great Spirit's] will, we wish to leave our bones upon them."

Sadly for Tecumseh, he got his wish. Sorely disappointed by the preparations Proctor had made in preparing to defend against the Americans, he fought on anyways. He was soon killed in battle, dying the way he lived; fiercely fighting for his cause, he himself a rallying cry for all the native tribes he had under his command. Unfortunately, he was so integral to holding them all together his death dealt a massive blow to the Native Confederacy, effectively ending the hope of native territory in the Ohio area.

The war, however, wasn't over. With Fort Meigs defended the U.S. was free to make their push into Canada. The Americans moved to attack the critical point of Montreal in the predominantly French Lower Canada. The attack there would cut off the St. Lawrence River, and without that Canada would be thrown into disarray. The defense of Montreal was absolutely critical to success, and both sides amped up the numbers of military forces. The Americans planned to attack with Major General Wade Hampton at the helm, with a pincer movement by General James Wilkinson attacking from the south. Hampton began the assault with attacking a defensive position he believed was only sparsely defended. While attempting to sneak up in the dead of night, they got lost in the trees and came out in broad daylight. The resulting attack hardly made a dent, and they retreated with many casualties and an equal amount of shame due to losing a battle on the grounds of getting lost in the woods. Better yet for Canada, it showed that the French would not only stand with them, but would hold their own. Wilkinson, not getting word of this, attacked a short time later and found no support when he had planned to have a flanking American fighting force. They bid a retreat, burning villages along the way, and the Canadians followed in pursuit.

This depiction of the death of Tecumseh was later used as the
Facebook cover art of the American generals. It averaged eight 'likes'.

With the Americans defeated in their advances into Canadian territory, the British entered into negotiations. Hoping to win some favour in the proceedings, they hoped to put the Americans on their heels and attacked into their territory. In the summer of 1814 they made their way into Chesapeake Bay, and found themselves with two options - meaning the Americans had to defend two routes. One, they could take the large and important city of Baltimore, or they could move on Washington and get revenge for York. They chose the later, and while there were American defenses along the way they couldn't hold off the powerful Canadian advance (you don't hear that often anymore except for perhaps from a hockey announcer with a flair for grandiose language). They set fire to the White House and other government buildings along the way, as an eye for an eye sounds a whole lot better than an eye for a diplomatic negotiations to be held in response. 

That was, however, the last major success of the campaign. They moved on Baltimore, but upon the death of their general, the advance slowed and the city held. From there, the States' national anthem was born out of the fighting, so... you're welcome, America.

This British military leader was named - and
I'm not joking here - Manley Power.
His name was Manley Power! How did
the British not win the war instantly?
He was even knighted, making him Sir
Manley Power!

The Americans continued their victories at Lake Champlain where Prevost, outnumbering his opponents, lost due to bad decision making and military tactics. Prevost was later court martialed, but died ten days before it occurred which saved him the humiliation. This helped the Americans in their negotiations greatly, with the British realizing that the shoddy tactics and poorly trained soldiers of the Americans was a thing of the past. They found their way as the war progressed, and became a honed, successful fighting force where once the British were defeating them, outnumbered, with fair frequency.

The Treaty of Ghent was signed shortly after. The boundaries between the two countries effectively didn't change. Impressment stayed (although was not as necessary due to Napoleon's war ending). The British gave up on the idea of a native state. After all the war, the bloodshed, the taking of territories and the burnings of towns and villages and government buildings, the two sides pretty well broke even and packed their bags. That is, of course, except for the natives - they got the short end of the stick. America was free to take their lands, and no territory was really anything they could call home. After all of this, pretty much nothing changed.

Oh, and one more thing happened. 

While I'm confused as to how or why this occurred (perhaps they didn't get the memo? maybe we can blame a lack of email?) the British attacked New Orleans after the treaty was signed. The casualties were about as one-sided as you would imagine; about twenty to one. It was a disastrous, shameful defeat - and one that occurred when all was said and done anyways. So if you're wondering why the Americans so strongly believe they won 1812, you're looking at it. A decisive win in a pointless battle.

______________

The information for this blog was taken from the book Tecumseh and Brock: The War of 1812 by James Laxer. It's a fairly quick read and covers what you want to know. If you're interested in 1812 and this blog series just didn't do it for you, give it a go.

The War of 1812: Part 1 - Tecumseh and the Aboriginals

Two things have occurred since the War of 1812 that are, one, so very Canadian and the other so very American. For the former, two great Canadian heroes are neither Canadian nor did they really wante to be a part of Canada (Tecumseh, a First Nations leader, wanting a separate native state and British military leader Isaac Brock desperately wished to return to Europe to live and fight there). As for the later, the fact that the U.S. invaded and came away with no territory and nevertheless claimed victory by saying "yeah, well, we won that fight at the end, so, America!" feels just about right as well. But that's a long way off - we have to start a little over fourty years earlier, just after the States told the British that they were going to be moving out of their parents' place and declaring independence.

Back then, land was of the utmost importance. Expansion and the retention of taken lands was critical to the plans of all three parties: the British wanted to establish a colony oversees, hoping to drink tea in a decidedly colder climate; the Americans, again typically American, wanted pretty well everything - land, power, wealth, and future fast food destination spots; the natives really just wanted to rewind things at least to a time where things were somewhat less bleak. The British were kind of on board with the natives' plan, deciding that they would give them a large section of reserved land. This would do two major things for the British colonies of Upper and Lower Canada; one, it would placate the large number of aboriginals that didn't seem on board with the whole "we're taking your stuff" strategy of the newcomers, and two, it would create a buffer zone between the increasingly large and menacing American threat that may just decide to step over into their yard and plant their flag in Canadian lands.

Tecumseh dressed like a modern day hipster,
and looked good doing it.

Tecumseh, the hero of the native peoples, was born around this time into the Shawnee people. The Iroquois just took over their Ohio land, displacing them and later selling it to the Americans - something that the Shawnee would not honour as it was not them that had sold it. The next decades of his life were predominantly focussed on surviving constant displacement by settlers forcing them out or surviving raids by the same on his newfound towns. His father died in one of these raids in a last, desperate stand of the dwindling numbers of warriors that were defending. Tecumseh was born into war, and it would be that war that he would eventually die in.

By the time he was eighteen, Tecumseh became a leader of his tribe. He was a great hunter, a provider, handsome and charming, and seemed to be the kind that would do well in the war with the Americans. His first taste of battle, however, didn't go exactly as one would hope. Upon joining the fray, he panicked and ran, deserting the fight. He vowed never show such fear again, but considering the method of warfare at the time was standing some distance from the enemy, loading your rifle, firing at him, and repeating the process until enough are dead that you can cause a retreat or be the one to turn tail, I can't say I blame him for getting out of there. Nevertheless, he returned and started causing quite the raucous - he staged hit and runs, became a respected warchief, and a proven warrior. In spite of his father (and his brother) being killed by the Americans, he still showed restraint when dealing with the enemy. There are a number of accounts of Tecumseh stopping tortures or slaughters of prisoners. However, being a respectable warrior and excellent leader could only go so far. Having so many disparate tribes within the native armies, they lacked a cohesive leader to properly mobilize their forces. If one leader disagreed, he could simply bring his people with him, meaning that without a head the tribes lacked a united front.

But the War of 1812 was between the British and the Americans, with the natives allying with one side or the other, and therefore not the focal point. So what caused them to have such bad blood? The fighting started with more than just a disagreement over what, exactly, is "football". The roots of it began over in Europe, and oddly enough, with Napoleon. The French leader was at war with Britain, and America could obviously trade with both sides, which when left to their own devices was quite lucrative. However, they were playing both sides of the war between the two, and this meant that the European powers would take out American ships that weren't going to a friendly port to stifle supplies to their respective enemy countries. Worse yet, the British would often board these American ships and bring back former British subjects that had deserted and joined the United States, placing them once more in the military of the British crown. The process of taking these soldiers, called impressment, was critical to supplying the large British navy with men to run the ships - regardless of the low morale that must have caused.

Impressment and reduced trade enraged many Americans. A group titled the Warhawks, led by Henry Clay, saw Upper Canada not only as great farmland rife for the taking but also as a means of taking some revenge on those that put a blockade on the trade goods of the U.S.. They thought they could clear the British out of all of America.

An early version of Mortal Kombat. Player one chose Tecumseh.
Player two chose William Henry Harrison.

Meanwhile, Isaac Brock, a British soldier, was placed in charge of the army and sought to defend Canada. However, he wasn't a big fan of the place. He frequently wrote letters wishing to return to England, thinking of the Canadas as some kind of backwater - and he wasn't even placed in Newfoundland. Nevertheless, he worked tirelessly shoring up the defences and preparing for a war that very well may be coming. At 6'2", Brock was an imposing and inspiring man, and if there was a Brit that could get the job done it would be him.

His worries came to fruition when Tecumseh met with the Americans, claiming they were taking their land by force and he wouldn't stand for it. He informed them they were going to be accepting gunpowder from the British, and with that, the chances of ending the disputes without bloodshed were effectively ended. War was coming. A large number of natives sided with the British on the grounds that they were friendlier to their plight, but many others went the American route hoping to be on the winning side. The British refused to back down on their methods of impressment, believing it necessary to fuel the war effort in Europe. The Americans had enough of these pushy, snobby Brits. Fortunately for Canada, this happened before America's bloated military budget came to be.