WAR OF 1812 TIMELINEChristopher Zhang

Per.B

July 23, 1805

British forces captured the American merchant ship Essex for

violating British rules. The Essex had been carrying a cargo picked

up in Martinique—one of Britain's enemy, France. The decision

goes against the doctrine of the "broken voyage" that had allowed

American ship to be neutral carriers. American ships, carrying

French cargoes, will no longer be able to "neutralize" these cargoes

by making a stop in an American port. Within weeks of this ruling,

dozens of American ships were captured by the British navy.

June 22, 1807

The USS Chesapeake, just off the Virginia coast, was fired upon by

the Leopard, a British ship of war, when the Chesapeake's

commander refused to allow the British to board his ship in order to

search for British naval deserters. The Americans were outraged so

Jefferson ordered all British ships out of American waters.

March 1, 1809

Thomas Jefferson signed the Non-Intercourse Act,. This act

legalized trade with all nations except Great Britain and France, and

gave the president permission to re-open trade with either or both of

those countries if they revise their maritime policies and recognize

American claims with neutral shipping rights.

March 4, 1809

James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president of the United

States.

May 1, 1810

Congress passes Macon's Bill No. 2 to replace the Non-Intercourse

Act. This new bill allowed the president to reopen trade with both

Great Britain and France. It also authorized the president to impose

trade restrictions on either country if the other changes its trade

policies before March 3 1811. If one country agreed to allow

American commerce to operate without interference, the other must

match those terms within three months or the president will be

allowed to stop American commerce with the offending country.

August 5, 1810

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte told America that he is willing

to lift all trade restrictions against the United States if the United

States impose trade restrictions against Great Britain according to

the terms of Macon's Bill No. 2. After receiving the "Cadore letter,"

President James Madison, on 2 November 1810, declared that

trade is open with France and will stop with Britain as of 2 February

1811 unless Britain also lifts trade restrictions.

March 2, 1811

After Britain refused to meet Madison's terms before 2 November

1810, so America stopped trading with Britain.

November 8, 1811

General William Henry Harrison led 1000 men against an Indian

camp on the Tippecanoe River in Indiana Territory. During the

battle, Harrison's men defeat many of northwestern tribes brought

together by Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa who tried to

resist the growing amount of white Americans into Indian lands.

June 18, 1812

The Senate voted 19-13 to pass the declaration of war against

Britain President James Madison asked for. Two weeks earlier, the

House of Representatives passed a similar war vote of 79-49.

August 19, 1812

Captain Isaac Hull, commanding the USS Constitution, destroyed

HMS Guerriere near the coast of Nova Scotia. British artillery fired

failed to destroy the Constitution's wooden hull during the battle,

later this American ship was given its famous nickname, "Old

Ironsides."

October 13, 1812

General Stephen Van Rennsselaer led American forces across the

Niagara River into Canada, where they fought with British forces at

Queenston Heights, Ontario, this was the second major battle of the

War of 1812. New York state militia refused to follow Van

Rennsselaer across the border, they said that they were only

required to fight in New York. Because of this the Americans troops

were defeated and 900 American soldiers were captured.

September 10, 1813

Captain Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet of ten ships against a British

fleet of six vessels on Lake Erie. A fierce ten-hour naval battle

ended with Americans defeating the British, this gave the United

States control over Lake Erie for the rest of the war. Perry

announced to the Americans with pride, "We have met the enemy

and they are ours."

September 20, 1813

General William Henry Harrison led an army 4500 Americans

across Lake Erie chasing after British troops who were forced to

abandon Detroit. On the 5th of October, Harrison overtook the British

at Moravian Town and defeated the British and their Indian allies in

the Battle of the Thames. Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader of the

Pan-Indian confederation was earlier defeated at Tippecanoe, and

was killed in the battle, which made many of Britain's Indian allies to

abandon the alliance.

August 24, 1814

British troops captured Washington, D.C. The White House, the

Capitol, and executive department buildings were all burned.

September 11, 1814

American forces fight back against British’s army of 11,000 men

controlled under the command of Sir George Prevost at Lake

Champlain, New York. The Americans, were outnumbered three to

one, took strategic positions on the lake and shorelines, forcing

Prevost to retreat from the battle. In during his defeat, Prevost

abandoned his attack and retreated back to Canada.

September 16, 1814

The British attacked Baltimore on the 14th of September, they were

held off after three days of fighting so the British begin their retreat

to their ships in the Chesapeake. The victory of this battle was

largely because of the accuracy of the American artillery at Fort

McHenry, which prevented the British ships from entering the

harbor. Francis Scott Key witnesses the battle and him to write

"The Star Spangled Banner."

December 24, 1814

Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Ghent, ending the

War of 1812. The treaty said British must return of all prisoners of

war and captured territory, amnesty for all Indians in the war, the

return of slaves captured during the war by the British, and that both

nations had to try to end international slave trade. The treaty was

later ratified by the United States Senate on February,17 1815.