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Timeline of the War of 1812 is a chronology of the War of 1812, including a list of battles.
Origins
Main article: Origins of the War of 1812Year | Day | Theater | Occurrence | Notes |
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1803 | May 18 | prelude | Britain declared war on Napoleonic France | Conflict would grow out to War of the Third Coalition. |
1803 | Jul 4 | diplomacy | Louisiana Purchase | Napoleon sold French Louisiana to the U.S. Britain supported deal, hoping to keep U.S. neutral. |
1804 | Nov 3 | prelude | Quashquame's treaty with William Henry Harrison | Many Sauk allied with British instead. |
1805 | May 22 | prelude | Essex Decision | England's admiralty court decided seizing certain U.S. merchant ships was legal, escalating tensions. |
1805 | Oct 21 | prelude | Battle of Trafalgar | Major British victory over France |
1806 | Apr 18 | prelude | Non-importation Act | U.S. embargo on importation of certain British goods, in retaliation of the Essex Decision. |
1806 | Nov 21 | prelude | Berlin Decree | Napoleon imposed trade blockade of British Isles. |
1806 | Dec 31 | prelude | Monroe-Pinkney Treaty signed. | Intended to stop British impressment of U.S. ships, but President Thomas Jefferson rejected it. |
1807 | Jun 22 | prelude | Chesapeake–Leopard affair | Military and diplomatic naval incident, nearly triggering war between Britain and the U.S. |
1807 | Nov 11 | prelude | Orders in Council | Britain launched economic warfare against France, straining relations with neutral countries. |
1807 | Dec 17 | prelude | Milan Decree | Napoleon ordered seizing all ships from neutral countries trading with the British. |
1807 | Dec 22 | prelude | Embargo Act | U.S. act in retaliation against British and French seizure and impressment of U.S. merchant ships. |
1808 | Apr 17 | prelude | Bayonne decree | France began seizing all U.S. ships in French ports. |
1809 | Mar 1 | prelude | Non-Intercourse Act | U.S. act lifting embargoes on all shipping, except those bound for British and French ports. |
1809 | Mar 4 | prelude | President James Madison's inauguration. | |
1809 | Apr 19 | prelude | Erskine Agreement | |
1809 | Sep 30 | prelude | Treaty of Fort Wayne | U.S.–Shawnee tensions lead to Tecumseh's War. |
1810 | Mar 23 | prelude | Rambouillet Decree | France orders seizing all U.S. ships in French ports. |
1810 | May 1 | prelude | Macon's Bill No. 2 | U.S. act intended to compel Britain and France to stop seizing U.S. ships. |
1810 | Aug 5 | prelude | Cadore letter | |
1811 | Feb 2 | prelude | Trade with the United Kingdom closed | |
1811 | Mar 10 | prelude | Henry letters | Fabricated letters caused diplomatic incident. |
1811 | May 16 | prelude | Little Belt affair | Military and diplomatic naval incident, nearly triggering war between Britain and the U.S. |
1811 | Nov 4 | prelude | 12th United States Congress convened. | |
1811 | Nov 7 | prelude | Battle of Tippecanoe | Tecumseh's confederacy defeated. |
1812 | Apr 4 | prelude | American Trade Embargo | |
1812 | May 11 | prelude | UK Prime Minister Spencer Perceval assassinated. | Pro-war sentiment in Britain decreased, and efforts were made to reconcile with the U.S. |
1812 | Jun 1 | prelude | President James Madison's war message | Madison requested the U.S. Congress to declare war. |
1812 | Jun 8 | prelude | Robert Jenkinson became UK Prime Minister | Some measures to avert war were tried, but they were too little, too late. |
1812 | Jun 16 | prelude | Castlereagh announced repeal of Orders in Council | News reached U.S. Congress too late to impact U.S. declaration of war on the UK. |
War
Theaters
Chesapeake campaign 1813–1814 | |
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1813
1814 |
Gulf theater 1813–1815 | |
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Prelude
1813 1814 1815 |
Great Lakes / Old Northwest theater | |
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|
Niagara Frontier | |
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|
St. Lawrence/Lake Ontario frontier | |
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|
The War of 1812 was fought in four major theaters:
- the Atlantic Coast (including the Chesapeake campaign);
- the Gulf Coast;
- the Mississippi River; and
- the Canada–US border. Actions along the Canada–US border occurred in three sectors (from west to east):
- the Great Lakes region (the U.S. side of which is also known as the Old Northwest, and the Canadian side as Upper Canada);
- the Niagara Frontier; and
- the St. Lawrence River (the U.S. side of which is known as New England, and the Canadian side as Lower Canada and Upper Canada).
There were also numerous naval battles at sea, almost all of them in the Atlantic.
In between, numerous events occurred in the areas of diplomacy, and the home fronts (internal politics) of all parties involved. For the United Kingdom in particular, the dynamics of the French invasion of Russia (June–December 1812) and the War of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon (March 1813 – May 1814) in Europe significantly impacted the resources they had available for the War of 1812 with the United States, and their willingness to conduct peace negotiations (which would eventually be held in Ghent, August–December 1814, on territory the Sixth Coalition had just occupied from the First French Empire). For the United States, the Creek War was an important side conflict to increase their control in the South at the expense of Native American factions allied with and supplied by the British, while the Hartford Convention of the Federalist Party (December 1814 – January 1815) played a significant role in voicing strong opposition to the U.S. government's war policy.
1812
Year | Day | Theater | Occurrence | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1812 | Jun 18 | diplomacy | U.S. declaration of war on UK | |
1812 | Jun 22 | home front | 1812 Baltimore riots began | |
1812 | Jun 23 | diplomacy | Finalized Repeal of Orders in Council | |
1812 | Jun 26 | St. Lawrence River | Occurrence at Carleton Island | Four U.S. civilians captured a British sergeant and three privates of the 10th Royal Veteran Battalion on Carleton Island, the first POWs of the war. |
1812 | Jun 29 | St. Lawrence River | Brits capture schooners Sophia and Island Packet | |
1812 | Jul 1 | diplomacy | United States doubled customs duties | |
1812 | Jul 2 | Great Lakes region | Capture of the Cuyahoga Packet | On the Detroit River, Canadian Provincial Marines under Frédérick Rolette captured U.S. merchant schooner Cuyahoga Packet, containing valuable U.S. military intelligence of William Hull (unaware that war had been declared). |
1812 | Jul 12– Aug 8 |
Great Lakes region | Hull's Detroit River campaign | Failed attempt by U.S. general William Hull to invade Upper Canada across the Detroit River at Sandwich. U.S. forces did not capture Fort Amherstburg, and withdrew to Detroit at the news of British reinforcements. |
1812 | Jul 16 | Great Lakes region | Battle of River Canard | |
1812 | Jul 17 | Great Lakes region | Siege of Fort Mackinac | Bloodless capture of Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island by British regulars, 200 fur traders and 400 Native warriors. |
1812 | Jul 17 | naval | USS Nautilus versus HMS Shannon (1806) | The American brig Nautilus was pursued and captured by the British frigate Shannon off the coast of New Jersey. |
1812 | Jul 19 | St. Lawrence River | First Battle of Sacket's Harbor, New York | Failed British naval attack on U.S. naval base Sackets Harbor. |
1812 | Jul 31 | St. Lawrence River | Julia versus Earl of Moria and Duke of Gloucester | Standoff between U.S. schooner Julia and two larger British ships. Both sides retired after a three-hour exchange of fire off Elizabethtown, New York. |
1812 | Aug 5 | Great Lakes region | Battle of Brownstown | Minor British victory (including 25 warriors under Tecumseh), ambushing 200 Ohio militiamen at Brownstown, Michigan Territory. |
1812 | Aug 8 | Great Lakes region | Isaac Brock embarked at Port Dover. | British attempt to relieve Amherstburg, besieged by Americans. |
1812 | Aug 9 | Great Lakes region | Battle of Maguaga | Minor U.S. victory in Michigan Territory, when U.S. troops tried to reopen the supply line between Frenchtown (present-day Monroe) and Detroit was ambushed by British regulars and Tecumseh's native warriors. |
1812 | Aug 13 | naval | USS Essex versus HMS Alert (1804) | Battle off the Azores in which British sloop Alert surrendered to U.S. frigate Essex after an 8-minute engagement. |
1812 | Aug 15 | Great Lakes region | Battle of Fort Dearborn | Massacre of U.S. soldiers and civilians carried out by Potawatomi and Menominee warriors, after Hull ordered the evacuation of Fort Dearborn (Illinois Territory, at present-day Chicago) upon learning the British had captured Fort Mackinac. |
1812 | Aug 15–16 | Great Lakes region | Siege of Detroit | Significant U.S. setback. Hull surrendered Detroit (Michigan Territory) without a fight, despite having a larger force that his opponent Isaac Brock. |
1812 | Aug 19 | naval | Constitution versus HMS Guerrière | After battling fewer than 3 hours c. 500 miles southeast of Newfoundland, British frigate Guerrière surrendered to U.S. frigate Constitution. |
1812 | Aug 19 | Mississippi River | The Great Louisiana hurricane struck New Orleans | Both the U.S. and the British fleet damaged. |
1812 | Sep 3 | Great Lakes region | Massacre at Pigeon Roost, Indiana Territory | Kickapoo warriors raided a small settlement, c. 100 miles south of present-day Indianapolis, Indiana. |
1812 | Sep 4–15 | Great Lakes region | Siege of Fort Harrison, Indiana Territory | A large party of Kickapoo, Miami, Potawatomi, Shawnee and Winnebago warriors from Prophetstown, Indiana Territory attacked the U.S. fort (located on the Wabash River just north of present-day Terre Haute, Indiana) defended by about 60 U.S. soldiers under Zachary Taylor. The Natives withdrew when U.S. reinforcements arrived. |
1812 | Sep 5–12 | Mississippi River | First siege of Fort Madison | Sauk and Fox warriors failed to capture a fort in Missouri Territory (present-day Fort Madison, Iowa) on the upper Mississippi River. |
1812 | Sep 5–12 | Great Lakes region | Siege of Fort Wayne | Failed attempt by about 600 warriors from the Ottawa Nations to infiltrate and attack U.S. garrison at Fort Wayne at the confluence of the Maumee, St. Joseph and St. Mary Rivers in northeastern Indiana Territory. |
1812 | Sep 12 | Great Lakes region | U.S. General Harrison reinforces Fort Wayne | |
1812 | Sep 14 | Great Lakes region | A. C. Muir's British expedition at Fort Wayne | |
1812 | Sep 15 | Great Lakes region | Copus massacre | U.S. troops threatened the forced displacement of Native American peoples in Ashland County, Ohio, against which they resisted. U.S. victory. |
1812 | Sep 16 | St. Lawrence River | Battle of Matilda (Toussaint's Island) | Failed attempt of U.S. from Ogdensburg, New York to intercept a British supply convoy of forty bateaux coming up the St. Lawrence River. |
1812 1813 |
Sep 17– Oct |
Great Lakes region | Harrison's campaign in the Northwest | U.S. campaign by William Henry Harrison, tasked with reestablishing security in the Old Northwest and retaking Detroit. He built Fort Meigs in early 1813, secured his supply line, and reoccupied Detroit after the U.S. victory Lake Erie. |
1812 | Sep 21 | St. Lawrence River | Raid on Gananoque | Successful raid by American troops from Sackets Harbor on the British depot at Gananoque, Upper Canada. |
1812 | Oct 1 | Niagara Frontier | First British raid at Charlotte, New York | British raid seizing U.S. merchantman Lady Murray and a smaller boat, with no U.S. resistance. |
1812 | Oct 4 | St. Lawrence River | Assault on Ogdensburg | Failed British amphibious attack on Ogdensburg, a supply transshipment point on the St. Lawrence River, repelled by U.S. artillery. |
1812 | Oct 7 | Great Lakes region | Winchester's U.S. army arrives near Fort Defiance | |
1812 | Oct 9 | naval | U.S. Navy captures British brigs Caledonia and Detroit | At Fort Erie, Upper Canada, 100 U.S. soldiers raided across the Niagara River from Buffalo and captured two Provincial Marine brigs. The Caledonia was recovered, but the Detroit ran aground and was scuttled to prevent British recapture. |
1812 | Oct 13 | Niagara Frontier | Battle of Queenston Heights | Major U.S. defeat when Stephen Van Rensselaer tried to capture Queenston, Upper Canada on the west side of the Niagara River. Isaac Brock was killed in battle. |
1812 | Oct 18 | naval | Capture of HMS Frolic | |
1812 | Oct 18 | naval | Wasp (1807) versus HMS Frolic (1806) | Battle c. 300 miles north of Bermuda, seriously damaging both sloops. British sloop surrendered after U.S. sloop boarded it. Later that day, with both ship crews making repairs, HMS Poictiers captured Wasp and recaptured Frolic. |
1812 | Oct 22 | St. Lawrence River | Battle of St. Regis | Temporary victory by New York State Militia who captured a British post at Akwesasne (St. Regis). British troops recaptured it and the nearby U.S. post at French Mills a month later. |
1812 | Oct 25 | naval | USS United States vs HMS Macedonian | 2-hour battle c. 500 miles west of Canary Islands; British frigate Macedonian surrendered to U.S. frigate United States, and was acquired by the U. S. Navy. |
1812 | Nov 5 | home front | James Madison reelected | |
1812 | Nov ?? | naval | British blockade South Carolina and Georgia | |
1812 | Nov 9 | naval | Escape of HMS Royal George | |
1812 | Nov 10 | St. Lawrence River | Battle of Kingston Harbour | Isaac Chauncey attacks Kingston Harbour |
1812 | Nov 19 | Great Lakes region | Destruction of Prophetstown | U.S. attack ordered by Harrison on an unoccupied Indian settlement near the junction of the Tippecanoe and Wabash Rivers north of present-day Lafayette, Indiana. |
1812 | Nov 20 | St. Lawrence River | Battle of Lacolle Mills, Lower Canada | Confused U.S. troops attacked each other, then were attacked by British/loyalist troops. U.S. troops retreated to Champlain, and Henry Dearborn called off his planned invasion of Lower Canada. |
1812 | Nov 22 | Great Lakes region | Spur's Defeat | At Wildcat Creek (Indiana), Native American forces supported by the British defeated the U.S. |
1812 | Nov 22 | naval | Vixen (1803) versus HMS Southampton (1757) | Pursuit and capture of U.S. brig Vixen, c. 90 miles east of St. Augustine, Florida, by British frigate Southampton. Both vessels were wrecked on a shoal near Concepcíon Island on November 27; the crews were rescued and taken to Jamaica. |
1812 | Nov 23 | St. Lawrence River | Surrender of French Mills | British victory at French Mills, New York. |
1812 | Nov 27 | Great Lakes region | Americans attack Fort Erie redoubts | |
1812 | Nov 28 | Niagara Frontier | Battle of Frenchman's Creek, Upper Canada | U.S. raid across the Niagara River, spiking British artillery at Red House to enable a future U.S. landing, but failing to destroy a bridge over Frenchman's Creek to prevent British reinforcements. |
1812 | Nov 28– Dec 1 |
Niagara Frontier | Smyth's failed invasion of Upper Canada | U.S. officer Alexander Smyth tried and failed to get his invasion force assembled to cross the Niagara River and invade Upper Canada, but cancelled the entire operation. |
1812 | Dec 3 | home front | William Eustis resigns as U.S. Secretary of War | |
1812 | Dec 3 | home front | James Monroe serves as U.S. Secretary of War | |
1812 | Dec 18 | Great Lakes region | Battle of the Mississinewa | Part of a U.S. expedition against Delaware and Miami villages where the Mississinewa River flows into the Wabash River near present-day Marion, Indiana. |
1812 | Dec 26 | Atlantic Coast | British blockade Chesapeake and Delaware Bay | |
1812 | Dec 29 | naval | Constitution versus HMS Java (1811) | 2.5-hour battle off the coast of Brazil during which British 38-gun fifth-rate Java suffered such serious damage that its captain ordered it scuttled. |
1812 | Dec 29 | home front | Paul Hamilton resigns as Secretary of the Navy |
1813
Year | Day | Theater | Occurrence | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1813 | Jan 12 | home front | William Jones serves as Secretary of the Navy | |
1813 | Jan 22 | Great Lakes region | Battle of Frenchtown | |
1813 | Jan 23 | Great Lakes region | River Raisin massacre | |
1813 | Feb 5 | home front | John Armstrong serves as Secretary of War | |
1813 | Feb 7 | St. Lawrence River | Raid on Elizabethtown | U.S. victory. |
1813 | Feb 16 | Great Lakes region | 104th Regiment commences march from Fredericton to Upper Canada | 104th Regiment of Foot (New Brunswick Fencibles) |
1813 | Feb 22 | St. Lawrence River | Battle of Ogdensburg | |
1813 | Feb 24 | naval | Sinking of HMS Peacock | |
1813 | Mar | USS Essex rounds Cape Horn, preys on British whaling ships | ||
1813 | Mar 3 | Admiral George Cockburn's squadron arrives in Lynnhaven Bay | ||
1813 | Mar 19 | Sir James Lucas Yeo appointed Commander-in-chief of the Lake Squadrons | ||
1813 | Mar 27 | Oliver Hazard Perry constructs Lake Erie fleet | ||
1813 | Mar 30 | Mississippi River | British blockade from Long Island to Mississippi | |
1813 | Apr | Atlantic Coast | Commerce raids begin in Chesapeake Bay | |
1813 | Apr | Great Lakes region | Battle of Tipton's Island | Indecisive clash between Shawnee and U.S. forces. |
1813 | Apr 6 | Atlantic Coast | Bombardment of Lewes | Lewes, Delaware bombarded by British |
1813 | Apr 13 | Mississippi River | Capture of Mobile, Alabama | |
1813 | Apr 15 | Mississippi River | Americans occupy West Florida | |
1813 | Apr 15 | Great Lakes region | Battle of Africa Point | U.S. forces defeat pro-British Native Americans near Fort Lamotte on the Wabash River. |
1813 | Apr 27 | Great Lakes region | Battle of York | At the site of present-day Toronto, Upper Canada. |
1813 | May 1 | Siege of Fort Meigs | ||
1813 | May 3 | Raid on Havre de Grace | ||
1813 | May 5 | St. Lawrence River | James Lucas Yeo arrives at Quebec | |
1813 | May 26 | Atlantic Coast | British blockade middle states and southern states | |
1813 | May 27 | Battle of Fort George | ||
1813 | May 27 | British abandon Fort Erie | ||
1813 | May 27 | John Harvey retreats to Burlington Heights | ||
1813 | May 29 | Atlantic Coast | George Prevost and James Lucas Yeo attacked Sackets Harbor | |
1813 | Jun 1 | HMS Shannon captured USS Chesapeake | ||
1813 | Jun 3 | Capture of U.S. sloops Growler and Eagle near Ile aux Noix | ||
1813 | Jun 6 | Battle of Stoney Creek | ||
1813 | Jun 8 | Skirmish at Forty Mile Creek | ||
1813 | Jun 9 | Americans abandon Fort Erie | ||
1813 | Jun 13 | British vessels repulsed at Burlington, Vermont | ||
1813 | Jun 19 | Commodore Barclay's squadron appears off of Cleveland, Ohio | ||
1813 | Jun 20 | USS Constellation attempts capture of blockading vessels off Hampton, Virginia | ||
1813 | Jun 22 | Battle of Craney Island | ||
1813 | Jun 24 | Battle of Beaver Dams | ||
1813 | Jun 25 | Attack on Hampton, Virginia | ||
1813 | Jun 27 | Privateer Teazer (ship) blown up in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia | ||
1813 | Jul 5 | Raid on Fort Schlosser | ||
1813 | Jul 8 | Final siege of Fort Madison begins, fort defeated sometime in September | ||
1813 | Jul 8 | Action at Butler's Farm | ||
1813 | Jul 11 | Privateers Atlas and Anaconda taken by the British at the port of Ocracoke, North Carolina | ||
1813 | Jul 26 | General Henry Procter quits the siege of Fort Meigs | ||
1813 | Jul 27 | Battle of Burnt Corn | ||
1813 | Jul 31 | Raid on Plattsburg | ||
1813 | Jul 31 | Second occupation of York | ||
1813 | Aug 2 | General Henry Proctor's assault fails at Fort Stephenson | ||
1813 | Aug 4 | Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry sails fleet into Lake Erie | ||
1813 | Aug 5 | Dominica vs. Decatur | ||
1813 | Aug 7 | U.S. schooners Hamilton and Scourge founder on Lake Ontario | ||
1813 | Aug 10 | Naval engagement ships Julia and Pert captured | ||
1813 | Aug 12 | Capture of USS Argus | ||
1813 | Aug 30 | Fort Mims massacre | ||
1813 | Sep 10 | Great Lakes region | Battle of Lake Erie | |
1813 | Sep 25 | Capture of HMS Boxer | ||
1813 | Sep 26 | Great Lakes region | William Henry Harrison lands in Canada, Detroit liberated | |
1813 | Sep 28 | Burlington Races | ||
1813 | Oct 5 | Battle of the Thames | ||
1813 | Oct 26 | Battle of the Chateauguay | ||
1813 | Nov 3 | Battle of Tallushatchee | ||
1813 | Nov 4 | diplomacy | Great Britain offers the United States peace negotiations | |
1813 | Nov 6 | James Wilkinson's flotilla runs past the batteries at Fort Wellington | ||
1813 | Nov 9 | Battle of Talladega | ||
1813 | Nov 10 | Skirmish at Hoople's Creek | ||
1813 | Nov 11 | Battle of Crysler's Farm | ||
1813 | Nov 13 | Skirmish at Nanticoke | ||
1813 | Nov 15 | home front | Funeral of General Covington at French Mills | |
1813 | Nov 15 | James Wilkinson's army goes into winter quarters | ||
1813 | Nov 16 | Atlantic Coast | British extend naval blockade along U.S. coast | |
1813 | Dec 10 | Burning of Newark | ||
1813 | Dec 10 | Major General David Adams burned Nuyaka | ||
1813 | Dec 15 | Skirmish at Thomas McCrae's house | ||
1813 | Dec 19 | Niagara Front | Capture of Fort Niagara | |
1813 | Dec 19 - 31 | British destroy Lewiston, Fort Schlosser, Black Rock, and Buffalo |
1813 Atlantic Coast battles
- Chesapeake campaign (March–September, 1813): British admiral John Borlase Warren tried to blockade Chesapeake Bay, gather intelligence on U.S. strength, destroy the USS Constitution, capture U.S. vessels and supplies. Vice admiral Alexander Cochrane destroyed much on-shore civilian private property. The result was status quo ante bellum.
- Battle of the Rappahannock River, Virginia (April 3, 1813): A British foray up the Rappahannock River, capturing or destroying 14 U.S. ships.
- Raid at Frenchtown, Maryland (April 29, 1813): A British raid on a small U.S. settlement.
- Raid on Havre de Grace and Principio Foundry, Maryland (May 3, 1813): A British raid conducted by a flotilla of boats under George Cockburn, resisted by Maryland militia. Brits burned and looted homes, burned a warehouse and appropriated or killed livestock. At the Principio Foundry they destroyed weapons and an arms factory.
- Raid at Georgetown and Fredericktown, Maryland (May 6, 1813): A British raid by HMS Mohawk on two U.S. villages on the Sassafras River, destroying uninhabited homes, four schooners and stores of sugar, lumber and leather.
- Assault on Craney Island, Virginia (June 22, 1813): An important U.S. victory, in which a British landing party failed to overcome a much smaller U.S. force defending the port city of Norfolk.
- Capture and occupation of Hampton, Virginia (June 25–26, 1813): British occupation and sacking of Hampton, Virginia. The British reportedly took guns, ammunition, wagons, horses, livestock and other foodstuffs, while French troops were reported to have participated in looting, vandalism, raping and killing. British casualties were 5 killed/33 wounded/10 missing.
- Raid at Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina (July 11–16, 1813): A successful British naval operation in the Ocracoke Inlet, capturing a number of U.S. vessels and confiscating stores and livestock from the villages of Ocracoke and Portsmouth.
- Battle of St. Michaels, Saint Michaels, Maryland (August 10, 1813): U.S. victory.
- Second Battle of St. Michaels, Saint Michaels, Maryland (August 26, 1813): inconclusive.
1813 Great Lakes region battles
- First Battle of Frenchtown, Michigan Territory (January 18, 1813): A skirmish in which a U.S. American detachment from Harrison's winter camp drove a British force (consisting of Canadian militia and Potawatomi and Wyandot warriors) out of Frenchtown.
- Second Battle of Frenchtown, Michigan Territory (January 22, 1813): A British victory achieved when a force of regulars, militia and native warriors surprised the Americans in a pre-dawn attack, and after several hours of heavy fighting, accepted the surrender of the entire American command. 410 U.S. troops were killed, the largest loss of life for the U.S. military in the entire war. Harrison ended his winter campaign to recapture Detroit.
- Siege of Fort Meigs, Ohio (May 1–9, 1813): A British force consisting of regulars, militia and over 1,000 warriors led by Tecumseh failed to capture the U.S. fort recently constructed fort at the rapids on the Maumee River.
- Siege of Fort Meigs, Ohio (July 21–28, 1813): A second unsuccessful attempt by the British to capture the fort, this time involving over 3,000 three thousand warriors from the Fox, Menominee, Ojibwa, Ottawa, Sac, Sioux and Winnebago Nations led by Tecumseh.
- Ball's Battle, Ohio (July 30, 1813): A battle near Fort Seneca between a pro-British Native force and a U.S. force (including Pennsylvania volunteers under James V. Ball) en route to Fort Stephenson.
- Battle of Fort Stephenson, Ohio (August 2, 1813): British fail to capture Fort Stephenson on the Sandusky River near present-day Fremont, Ohio.
- Battle of Lake Erie, Ohio (September 10, 1813): The pivotal naval battle, in which a squadron under Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British squadron under Robert Heriot Barclay, giving the United States complete control of Lake Erie. With their supply line cut, the British in southwestern Lower Canada were forced to abandon Detroit and Fort Amherstburg and retreat eastward toward the Niagara Peninsula.
- Battle of the Thames, Upper Canada (October 5, 1813): A U.S. victory at Moraviantown, on the Thames River (near Chatham, Ontario), over the British army retreating from Detroit and Fort Amherstburg. Tecumseh and Roundhead were killed in battle.
- Skirmish at McCrae's House, Upper Canada (December 15, 1813): A British victory over a small contingent of American troops deployed on the Thames River c. 25 miles southwest of Moraviantown. The only time Canadian Militia defeated a regular American force.
1813 Niagara Frontier battles
- Battle of York, Upper Canada (April 28, 1813): An American amphibious assault from Sackets Harbor captured Fort York and the town of York (present-day Toronto). The entire American force withdrew by May 8, after vandalizing and looting much of the town and burning the provincial legislature's buildings. The burning of the Capitol Building during the British raid on Washington was retribution for the American actions in York.
- Battle of Fort George, Upper Canada (May 27, 1813): British Fort George on Lake Ontario was captured during a U.S. amphibious attack across the Niagara river.
- Battle of Stoney Creek, Upper Canada (June 6, 1813): A British night attack on American troops encamped along Stoney Creek west of Lake Ontario, forcing U.S. troops at Fort George to abandon further advances into Upper Canada.
- Second raid at Charlotte, New York, at the mouth of the Genesee River (June 15, 1813): A British raid from James Yeo's Squadron that captured 500 barrels of flour and 1,200 bushels of corn.
- Raid on Sodus, New York (June 19–20, 1813): British victory.
- Battle of Beaver Dams, Upper Canada (June 24, 1813): A successful ambush by pro-British warriors of the Six and Seven Nations of an American detachment from Fort George en route to Beaver Dams.
- Blockade of Fort George, Upper Canada (July 1 – October 9, 1813): A British attempt to reoccupy Fort George following their victories at Stoney Creek (June 6, 1813) and Beaver Dams (June 24, 1813). There were frequent skirmishes (Ball Property) and raids (Black Rock) during this period. The blockade was lifted in order to redeploy troops in response to developments elsewhere along the Canada–US border, especially Wilkinson's Campaign on the St. Lawrence, which began in October, and the British defeat at Moraviantown in Upper Canada, which occurred on October 5.
- Raid at Fort Schlosser, New York (July 5, 1813): A successful British raid across the Niagara River on Fort Schlosser, seizing valuable U.S. military assets.
- Skirmishes at the Ball Property, Upper Canada (July 8 – September 6, 1813): A series of skirmishes that occurred just west of Niagara, Upper Canada, between the American and British lines during the blockade of Fort George (July 1 – October 9, 1813).
- Raid at Black Rock, New York (July 11, 1813): A British raid on Black Rock, New York during the blockade of Fort George. After initial success, the British suffered heavy casualties during their withdrawal.
- Raid at York, Upper Canada (July 31 – August 1, 1813): A brief amphibious American incursion in which the Americans freed some prisoners, confiscated military baggage and supplies and a number of bateaux. Before leaving the Americans burned buildings on Gibraltar Point in retribution for the British raid on Sodus, New York, on June 19.
- Loss of the two American schooners Hamilton (1809) and Scourge (1812) (August 8, 1813): A violent storm destroyed the schooners Hamilton and Scourge.
- Battle of Nanticoke Creek, Upper Canada (November 13, 1813): An expedition of Norfolk and Oxford Militia to capture American loyalist marauders who had been active in the area.
- Burning of Niagara, Upper Canada (December 10–11, 1813): The unprovoked burning of Niagara by a small force of American troops under George McClure, who felt his position at Fort George untenable, and ordered that Niagara be destroyed as he evacuated his command to Fort Niagara.
- Capture of Fort Niagara, New York (December 18–19, 1813): An unexpected night attack by British infantry on the under-strength American garrison at Fort Niagara at the mouth of the Niagara River, which resulted in the relatively easy capture of the fort. Fort Niagara remained under British control for the rest of the war.
- Battle of Lewiston, Lewiston, New York, December 19–21, 1813: British-Native victory.
- Raid at Black Rock and Buffalo, New York (December 30, 1813): A British raid launched following the capture of Fort Niagara to retaliate for the U.S. burning of the town of Niagara, and to mop up all American forces on the Niagara Frontier. The raid achieved complete British control of the Niagara River region.
1813 St. Lawrence River battles
- Raid on Brockville (February 7, 1813): U.S. troops from Ogdensburg, New York raided Brockville after a British party from Brockville crossed the St. Lawrence River to apprehend deserters on New York soil.
- Second attack on Ogdensburg, New York (February 22, 1813): A successful British attack culminating in the capture of Ogdensburg, a U.S. town controlling naval movement and logistics on the St. Lawrence River.
- Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor, New York (May 29, 1813): An unsuccessful British naval and amphibious attack on Sackets Harbor, intended as a diversion while the Americans were bombarding Fort George.
- Capture of the Eagle (1812) and Growler (1812) (June 3, 1813): The British captured two U.S. sloops, Eagle (1812) and Growler (1812), in the Richelieu River. The British renamed them Shannon (1813) and Broke and impressed them to service on Lake Champlain.
- British raid at Sodus, New York (June 19, 1813): A raid from James Yeo's squadron off Sodus Bay, confiscating U.S. supplies.
- Skirmish at Cranberry Creek, New York (July 1 9, 1813): The ambush of a British force advancing up Cranberry Creek to engage an American force.
- Murray's Raid, New York and Vermont (July 29 – August 4, 1813): A successful British raid on American posts and towns (including Champlain and Plattsburgh) located along the Richelieu River and Lake Champlain. The largely unopposed raid resulted in the British capture of eight vessels and supplies, the destruction of a great deal of public property, and asserting British control of Lake Champlain.
- Capture of the American schooners Julia (1812) and Growler (1812) (August 10, 1813): During a Lake Ontario battle, James Yeo's and Isaac Chauncey's squadrons captured U.S. schooners Julia (1812) and Growler (1812). Yeo renamed them Confiance (1813) and Hamilton (1813).
- First Skirmish at Odelltown, Lower Canada (September 20, 1813): A minor skirmish, following which Wade Hampton abandoned his plan to invade Lower Canada, retreating to Four Corners on the Upper Chateaguay River in New York.
- Wilkinson's campaign on the St. Lawrence River (October–November, 1813)': Part of an attack on Montreal by an American force from Sackets Harbor under James Wilkinson, down the St. Lawrence River, combined with an attack northward along the Richelieu River from Lake Champlain, by troops under Wade Hampton. Hampton cancelled the advance after the battle of Chateauguay and the defeat of Wilkinson's army at the Battle of Crysler's Farm.
- Raid at Missisquoi Bay, Lower Canada (October 12, 1813): A raid ordered by Wade Hampton on Philipsburg. The goal of the raid was to reduce smuggling between Vermont and Lower Canada, and to divert British attention from the Richelieu River.
- Battle on the Chateauguay, Lower Canada (October 26, 1813): An unsuccessful American attack on Canadien militia and First Nations warriors defending the lower Chateauguay River.
- Skirmish at French Creek, New York (November 1–2, 1813): An inconclusive attempt by the British to disrupt and harass the advance guard of Wilkinson's army as it advanced from Sackets Harbor down the St. Lawrence River toward Montreal.
- Battle of Point Iroquois (November 8, 1813): The first battle in Wilkinson's St. Lawrence campaign when General Macomb's brigade came ashore in Canada and skirmished with the Dundas Militia at Point Iroquois.
- Skirmish at Doran's Farm (November 8–9, 1813): A small skirmish between advancing American Dragoons and Dundas and Glengarry Militia.
- Battle of Hoople's Creek (November 10, 1813): A successful action by the British, which delayed the advance of Wilkinson's army on Cornwall, Upper Canada, a landing and storage point for British supplies.
- Battle of Crysler's Farm (November 11, 1813): The British victory over the rear guard of Wilkinson's Division near Cornwall.
- Occupation of Cornwall (November 11–13, 1813): Following their defeat at Crysler's Farm, the American army advanced and occupied Cornwall, but with no help from Hampton Wilkinson decided to abandon his St. Lawrence campaign and retreat to New York.
1813 naval battles
- Viper (1806) versus HMS Narcissus (1801) (January 17, 1813): British captured American brig Viper.
- Hornet versus HMS Peacock (1806) (February 24, 1813): Off the Demerara River, Guyana, U.S. sloop Hornet spotted British sloop Espiegle and sloop Peacock (1806). The Peacock opened fire, and was so badly damaged that it sank shortly after surrendering.
- Chesapeake (1799) versus HMS Shannon (1806) (June 1, 1813): This battle, off the New England coast between Cape Cod and Cape Ann, is noted as the war's only action between frigates of equal strength. The ships exchange broadsides at close range after which Philip Broke led a British boarding party onto the American ship, which surrendered.
- Attack on HMS Junon (1810) (June 20, 1813): A flotilla of American gunboats in the Elizabeth River below Norfolk, Virginia attacked the anchored British frigate Junon, which managed to escape after 1.5 hours of engaging the Americans.
- Delaware flotilla versus HMS Martin (1809) (July 29, 1813): An attack by the Delaware flotilla, consisting of eight gunboats and two blockships, on the British sloop Martin, which ran aground on a shoal near Cape May. After 2 hours, the Americans lost a gunboat and withdrew, while the Martin sustained only minor damage and was subsequently refloated.
- Argus (1803) versus HMS Pelican (1812) (August 14, 1813): British brig Pelican damaged American sloop Argus (which had been attacking shipping) in St. George's Channel between Wales and Ireland so much that it was forced to surrender.
- Enterprise (1799) versus HMS Boxer (1812) (September 5, 1813): An hour-long engagement off the coast of Maine, during which the American brig Enterprise caused such heavy damage on the British sloop Boxer that it was forced to surrender, and towed to Portland. Both commanders were killed in battle.
- President (1800) versus HMS Highflyer (1813) (September 23, 1813): An action off the coast of New England during which the American frigate President captured the British schooner Highflyer.
- Vixen (1813) versus HMS Belvidera (1809) (December 25, 1813): The capture of American schooner Vixen (1813) off Delaware after a two-hour pursuit by British frigate Belvidera.
1813 Gulf Coast battles
- Battle of Burnt Corn Creek (July 27, 1813): An American ambush of a party of the Red Sticks faction of Creek Indians. The initially successful Americans were later dispersed.
- Fort Mims Massacre (August 30, 1813): The defeat of the American garrison at Fort Mims by a party of the Red Sticks faction of Creek Indians.
- Battle of Tallushatchee (November 3, 1813): A successful attack on the Creek village of Tallushatchee with a force of 1,000 dragoons under John Coffee.
- Battle of Talladega (November 9, 1813): An action led by Andrew Jackson that broke the siege of the friendly Creek Indian town of Talladega, which was being besieged by an enemy Creek force.
- Hillabee massacre 1 (November 11, 1813): An action in which Gen. White (under Major Gen. John Cocke's command) burned the Hillabee Indian villages of Little Oakfusky and Genalga.
- The Canoe Fight (November 12, 1813): A skirmish fought along the Alabama River, pitting Capt. Samuel Dale's 70 militia against a larger group of Red Sticks Creeks, fought entirely in canoes.
- Hillabee massacre 2 (November 18, 1813): An action conducted by troops under the command of Gen. White (under Maj. Gen. John Cocke's command) during which the town of Hillabee was burned.
- Battle of Autossee (November 29, 1813): An action conducted by Gen. Floyd, with 950 Georgia militia and 400 friendly Indians, attacked the Indian town of Autossee. About two hundred Indians were killed and the town of four hundred houses burned.
- Action at Nuyaka (December 17, 1813): An action conducted by troops under the command of Maj. Gen. David Adams in which the upper Creek village of Nuyaka was burned.
- Battle of Holy Ground – also known as the Battle of Econochaca – (December 23, 1813):An action in which Gen. Claiborne cleared the mostly evacuated Indian town of Econochaca.
1814
Year | Day | Theater | Occurrence | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1814 | Jan 23 | Battles of Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek | ||
1814 | Jan 24 | Battle of Enotachopco | ||
1814 | Jan 27 | Battle of Calebee Creek | ||
1814 | Mar 4 | Battle of Longwoods | ||
1814 | Mar 27 | Battle of Horseshoe Bend | ||
1814 | Mar 28 | Capture of USS Essex | ||
1814 | Mar 30 | Battle of Lacolle Mills (1814) | ||
1814 | Apr 11 | diplomacy | Napoleon abdicates French throne for the first time | |
1814 | Apr 20 | HMS Orpheus defeats USS Frolic | ||
1814 | Apr 14 | diplomacy | United States repeals Embargo Act and Nonimportation Act | |
1814 | Apr 25 | Atlantic Coast | British extend blockade to New England | |
1814 | Apr 29 | Capture of HMS Epervier | ||
1814 | May 1 | General William Clark leaves St. Louis for Prairie du Chien | ||
1814 | May 6 | Raid on Fort Oswego | ||
1814 | May 14 | Skirmish at Otter Creek | ||
1814 | May 18 | Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDouall relieves Fort Mackinac | ||
1814 | May 29 | Skirmish at Sandy Creek | ||
1814 | Jun 6 | Mississippi River | William Clark establishes Fort Shelby at Prairie du Chien | |
1814 | Jun 28 | Major William McKay's expedition leaves Fort Mackinac | ||
1814 | Jun 28 | USS Wasp defeats HMS Reindeer | ||
1814 | Jul 3 | Great Lakes region | Americans capture Fort Erie | |
1814 | Jul 5 | Battle of Chippawa | ||
1814 | Jul 20 | Trials at Ancaster Bloody Assize | ||
1814 | Jul 20 | Mississippi River | Surrender of Fort Shelby | |
1814 | Jul 21 | Battle of Rock Island Rapids | ||
1814 | Jul 21 | Raid on Sault Ste. Marie | ||
1814 | Jul 22 | diplomacy | Treaty of Greenville US and western tribes ally against Great Britain | |
1814 | Jul 25 | Battle of Lundy's Lane | ||
1814 | Jul 26 | Sinclair's squadron arrives off Mackinac Island | ||
1814 | Aug 1 | Schooner Nancy warned of Fort Mackinac blockade | ||
1814 | Aug 2 | Great Lakes region | Siege of Fort Erie | |
1814 | Aug 4 | Battle of Mackinac Island | ||
1814 | Aug 8 | Peace negotiations begin in Ghent | ||
1814 | Aug 9 | diplomacy | Creek people sign treaty at Fort Jackson | |
1814 | Aug 10 | Raid on Stonington | ||
1814 | Aug 12 | Capture of USS Somers and USS Ohio on Lake Erie | ||
1814 | Aug 13 | Part of Sinclair's squadron arrives at Nottawasaga River | ||
1814 | Aug 14 | Schooner Nancy destroyed | ||
1814 | Aug 14 | Gulf Coast | British occupy Pensacola | |
1814 | Aug 15 | Great Lakes region | Assault on Fort Erie | |
1814 | Aug 19 | British land near Benedict, Maryland | ||
1814 | Aug 24 | Battle of Bladensburg | ||
1814 | Aug 24 | Burning of Washington | ||
1814 | Aug 27 | British occupy Point Lookout, Maryland | ||
1814 | Aug 27 | Retreating garrison destroys Fort Washington | ||
1814 | Aug 28 | Atlantic Coast | Raid on Alexandria (Virginia) | British capture Alexandria, Virginia. |
1814 | Aug 28 | diplomacy | Nantucket declares neutrality | |
1814 | Sep 1 | Construction commences on Penetang Road | ||
1814 | Sep 1 | USS Wasp (1813) sinks HMS Avon | ||
1814 | Sep 1 | George Prevost moves south toward Plattsburgh | ||
1814 | Sep 3 | Capture of Tigress and Scorpion | ||
1814 | Sep 4 | Battle of Plattsburgh | ||
1814 | Sep 4 | home front | John Armstrong, Jr. resigns and James Monroe becomes Secretary of War | |
1814 | Sep 5 | Skirmish at Rock Island Rapids | ||
1814 | Sep 6 | Skirmish at Beekmantown | ||
1814 | Sep 6 | Battle of Credit Island | ||
1814 | Sep 8 | Fort Johnson built, abandoned one month later | ||
1814 | Sep 9 | Capture of Fort O'Brian | ||
1814 | Sep 11 | Battle of Plattsburgh | ||
1814 | Sep 12 | Battle of North Point | ||
1814 | Sep 12 | Gulf Coast | British repulsed at Mobile, Alabama | |
1814 | Sep 13 | Bombardment of Fort McHenry | ||
1814 | Sep 13 | Francis Scott Key writes The Star-Spangled Banner | ||
1814 | Sep 14 | Battle of Fort Bowyer | ||
1814 | Sep 17 | Counterattack at Siege of Fort Erie | ||
1814 | Sep 26 | British squadron captures USS General Armstrong | ||
1814 | Oct 19 | Battle of Cook's Mills | ||
1814 | Oct 21 | diplomacy | United Kingdom offers peace on basis of uti possidetis | |
1814 | Oct 26 | Raid through the Thames Valley | ||
1814 | Nov 5 | Americans evacuate Fort Erie | ||
1814 | Nov 6 | Battle of Malcolm's Mills | ||
1814 | Nov 7 | Gulf Coast | Battle of Pensacola | |
1814 | Nov 25 | Gulf Coast | British fleet sail from Jamaica for New Orleans | |
1814 | Nov 27 | diplomacy | United Kingdom drops demands for uti possidetis | |
1814 | Dec 14 | Gulf Coast | British overwhelm American gunboats on Lake Borgne | |
1814 | Dec 15 | diplomacy | Hartford Convention | |
1814 | Dec 15 | home front | United States adopts additional internal taxation | |
1814 | Dec 23 | Gulf Coast | British land their troops below New Orleans | |
1814 | Dec 23 | Andrew Jackson surprise-attacks British | ||
1814 | Dec 24 | diplomacy | Treaty of Ghent signed | |
1814 | Dec 28 | home front | United States rejects conscription proposal |
1814 Atlantic Coast battles
- Cochrane's Chesapeake Bay Campaign (April–September, 1814): British fleet campaign in the Chesapeake Bay area under Alexander Cochrane and George Cockburn, including the attacks on Washington and Baltimore. It involved aggressive measures against American settlements along the coast, as well as issuing a proclamation inviting slaves to join the British in fighting against the Americans.
- Raid on Pettipaug, Connecticut (April 7–8, 1814): A successful British small boat action up the Connecticut River by 136 British sailors and six ships under Richard Coote to burn the privateer fleet at Pettipaug (now Essex), burning 25 American vessels and capturing two, losing only two men. The raid devastated American privateering capabilities.
- Skirmish at Pongoteague Creek, Virginia (May 30, 1814): A successful British amphibious attack on an American battery that had been installed on a bluff at Pongoteague Creek and manned by Virginia militia.
- Skirmish off of Cedar Point, Maryland (June 1, 1814)': Indecisive encounter near the mouth of the Patuxent River between an American flotilla and British ships from George Cockburn's fleet.
- Skirmishes at St. Leonard's Creek, Maryland (June 8–26, 1814): A series of actions initiated by a flotilla of British ships from George Cockburn's fleet against a flotilla of American ships that had retreated into St. Leonard's Creek. While the American flotilla was bottled up in the creek, the British conducted raids along the Patuxent. The American ships fought their way out of the blockade on June 26.
- Maine campaign (July, 1814 – April, 1815): A British naval operation along the Maine coast. The British encountered little opposition, and at various times occupied Eastport, Machias, Castine and Bangor.
- Battle of Stonington (August 9–12, 1814): British vessels HMS Ramillies, HMS Pactolus, HMS Dispatch, and HMS Terror under the command of Sir Thomas Hardy bombarded the borough of Stonington, Connecticut. Stonington residents returned fire for three days, resulting in many British casualties but no American casualties.
- Gordon's Raid on the Potomac River (August 17 – September 6, 1814): An expedition up the Potomac River by a squadron of British ships under Captain James Gordon, as a diversion from the Patuxent River expedition. Gordon's raid expelled U.S. forces at Fort Washington, Maryland, the occupation of Alexandria, Virginia, and much loot.
- Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland (August 24, 1814): The Americans' worst battle of the war during which a British force of fewer than 5,000 troops routed an American force of nearly 7,000, leaving Washington undefended.
- Burning of Washington, DC (August 24–25, 1814): The occupation of the U.S. capital by a British force of 4,000–5,000 troops from George Cockburn's fleet in Chesapeake Bay, usually interpreted as retaliation for the American burning and looting of York in 1813. The British burned the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, the White House and buildings housing the Treasury and War Departments, but the only private building set afire was one from which the British had been fired upon.
- Battle of Caulk's Field, Kent County, Maryland (August 31, 1814): U.S. victory.
- Battle of Hampden, Hampden, Maine (September 3, 1814): British victory.
- Battle of Baltimore, Maryland (September 12–15, 1814): A combined sea and land assault on the important port city of Baltimore. The Americans repulsed both the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the land invasion.
- Battle of North Point, Maryland (September 12, 1814): An important battle that thwarted the British plan to follow up their victories at Bladensburg and Washington with the capture of Baltimore. British troops under Robert Ross met U.S. soldiers under John Stricker; although the latter were forced to retreat, they did so in good order and inflicted significant casualties on the British, killing Ross. His successor Arthur Brooke delayed the advance against Baltimore, buying U.S. forces time to prepare the city's defenses.
- Bombardment of Fort McHenry, Maryland (September 13–14, 1814): The failed British attempt during the attack on Baltimore to subdue Fort McHenry, which blocked access to Baltimore Harbor. When it became evident that Fort McHenry would not surrender, the major British land assault was called off, and the troops that had landed at North Point were withdrawn.
- Skirmish at Farnham Church, Farnham, Virginia, December 6, 1814: U.S. victory.
1814 Great Lakes region battles
- Skirmish at Longwoods, Upper Canada (March 4, 1814): An American victory that occurred when a mounted raiding party from Detroit was intercepted by a British force from an outpost at Delaware, Upper Canada, west of Lake Ontario.
- Sinclair's campaign on the Upper Lakes (July–August, 1814): A largely unsuccessful U.S. attempt by to seize control of the upper lakes following the British withdrawal around Detroit. The only American successes were to capture three British merchantmen, destroy an abandoned British fort on St. Joseph's Island and conduct a raid on the trading post on the St. Mary River. They failed to recapture Fort Michillimackinaw, and lost two schooners on the return trip.
- Raid at St. Marys River, Upper Canada (July 23–26, 1814): A raid by Arthur Sinclair's squadron on the St. Marys River, capturing a fur-trading post, destroying buildings and capturing British schooner Perseverance (badly damaged and then set afire).
- Assault on Mackinac Island (August 4, 1814): A failed U.S. attempt to recapture Mackinac Island during Sinclair's campaign on the Upper Lakes.
- Destruction of HMS Nancy (August 13, 1814): British schooner Nancy in the Nottawasaga River was destroyed by a U.S. landing party.
- Capture of the American schooners Tigress and Scorpion (September 3 and 6, 1814): A small detachment of Royal Newfoundland Fencibles and a few seamen captured U.S. schooners Tigress and Scorpion near Drummond Island.
- McArthur's Raid/Battle of Malcolm's Mills (November 6, 1814): An American victory in the upper Thames Valley between Canadian militia and an American force of 750 mounted infantry under Duncan McArthur. McArthur's two-week raid into Canada destroyed the mills that the British forces in the Great Lakes region were dependent upon for flour and bread, and created a diversion allowing U.S. forces at Fort Erie to escape unharmed. The Americans reportedly killed, wounded or captured over 450 enemies, while losing only one killed and six wounded.
1814 Niagara Frontier battles
- Raid on Port Dover, Upper Canada (May 14–15, 1814): U.S. raid on settlements on Lake Erie's northern shore, burning mills and storehouses (as well as private dwellings) containing supplies used by British troops stationed in the Niagara Peninsula. The raid is claimed to have been in retribution for the British raid at Black Rock and Buffalo in December 1813.
- Brown's campaign on the Niagara River (July–October, 1814): The most competently planned and executed attempt by the Americans under Jacob Brown to invade Canada along the Niagara Frontier. Despite early victories at Fort Erie and Chippewa, it stalled at the well-fought draw at Lundy's Lane, and ended when the Americans retired to Fort Erie.
- Capture of Fort Erie, Upper Canada (July 3, 1814): First battle in Jacob Brown's campaign on the Niagara River. The British surrendered the fort without much of a fight.
- Battle of Chippawa, Upper Canada (July 5, 1814): A well-fought American victory against a numerically superior British force just south of Chippawa Creek.
- Burning of St. Davids, Upper Canada (July 18, 1814): A raid by New York militia encountering unexpectedly fierce resistance from residents of a village close to Queenston Heights, where Jacob Brown wanted to occupy a position following the Battle of Chippawa. Brown dismissed the U.S. commander who ordered the action.
- Battle of Lundy's Lane, Upper Canada (July 25, 1814): The bloodiest battle of the war taking place near Niagara Falls. A tactical draw, it was so costly U.S. forces they had to fall back to Fort Erie, ending Brown's invasion of Upper Canada.
- Battle of Conjocta Creek, New York (August 3, 1814): Following the Battle of Lundy's Lane, a British raid sought to destroy U.S. American supplies and batteries at Black Rock and Buffalo. They were defeated in a skirmish at Conjocta Creek.
- Siege of Fort Erie, Upper Canada (August 5 – September 21, 1814): Failed British attempt to recapture Fort Erie, involving nearly continuous skirmishing and a failed assault on August 15.
- Capture of the American schooners Ohio and Somers (August 12, 1814): Two U.S. schooners captured by the British during the Siege of Fort Erie.
- Destruction of the British brig Magnet (August 15, 1814): George Hawkesworth deliberately ran his ship, the British brig Magnet, aground near the mouth of the Niagara River to prevent the Americans capturing it. To avoid court-martial, Hawkesworth defected to the Americans.
- Assault on Fort Erie, Upper Canada (August 15, 1814): Failed British attempt to recapture Fort Erie from the Americans. The British tried an initial bombardment followed by a diversionary attack by native warriors and a coordinated night attack from the south, west and north, against a larger-than-expected and well-led American force on the inside.
- Sortie from Fort Erie, Upper Canada (September 17, 1814): A sortie against British batteries still bombarding the fort after the failed British assault, a costly action for both sides. Shortly thereafter the British lifted the siege, retreating to Chippawa.
- Skirmish at Cook's Mills, Upper Canada (October 19, 1814): The final engagement of the war on the Niagara Peninsula, also known as the Skirmish at Lyons Creek. The Americans attempted to seize and destroy British provisions at Cook's Mills after the siege at Fort Erie, destroying 200 bushels of grain.
1814 St. Lawrence River battles
- Salmon River Raid (1814) (February 14–24, 1814): British raids on U.S. depots and supply centers following James Wilkinson's army's evacuation of French Mills in early February. The British captured lots of provisions and equipment from depots at French Mills, Malone, Fort Corners, Madrid and Hopkinton before returning to Canada.
- Second Battle of Lacolle, Lower Canada (March 30, 1814): A British victory ending the last U.S. attempt to invade Lower Canada along the Richelieu River.
- Assault on Oswego, New York (May 5–6, 1814): A successful British amphibious attack on U.S. transshipment point Oswego, New York for supplies, especially heavy ordnance and equipment. The British also captured lightly-defended Fort Ontario.
- Skirmish at Otter Creek, Vermont (May 14, 1814): U.S. victory by a naval squadron under Thomas MacDononough, supported by a battery at Fort Cassin, over a British naval force sailing from Isle-aux-Noix, Lower Canada, attempting to attack the shipyard at Vergennes, Vermont.
- Battle of Big Sandy Creek, New York (May 30, 1814): U.S. force ambushes 7 British ships (several loaded with troops) tricked into following an American boat up the river before launching an attack from the banks.
- Second Skirmish at Odelltown, Lower Canada (June 28, 1814): One of several indecisive skirmishes at the New York / Lower Canada border in spring–summer 1814.
- Prévost's Lake Champlain campaign (August 30 – September 12, 1814): Failed British invasion of the United States along the Richelieu River and Lake Champlain. The U.S. victory significantly impacted the peace negotiations at Ghent, allowing the Americans to insist upon exclusive rights to Lake Champlain and denying the British exclusive rights to the Great Lakes.
- Battle of Plattsburgh, New York (September 11, 1814: U.S. victory ending the British invasion of New York. George Downie's squadron and some of George Prevost's divisions were defeated on Lake Champlain, New York, by Thomas MacDonough's squadron and Alexander Macomb's land forces.
1814 Gulf Coast battles
- Battles of Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek (Jan 22, 1814)
- Battle of Calebee Creek – also called Battle for Camp Defiance – (Jan 27, 1814)
- Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814) (Mar 27, 1814)
- Cochrane's Gulf Coast campaign (May, 1814 – February, 1815): British naval operation off the southern U.S. coast to fashion an alliance with the Creek Nation against the Americans, and support British attacks on Mobile and New Orleans.
- Attack on Fort Bowyer, Spanish West Florida (September 15, 1814): Failed British attempt to capture Fort Bowyer near the mouth of Mobile Bay.
- Capture of Pensacola, Spanish Florida (November 7, 1814): Successful U.S. operation under Andrew Jackson to remove the threat posed to Mobile by British troops based at Spanish-held Pensacola.
- Battle of Lake Borgne, Louisiana (December 14, 1814): A battle on Lake Borgne east of New Orleans, between a U.S. flotilla and British ships under Alexander Cochrane. The British eventually prevailed in a hard-fought battle, thereby enabling a landing close to New Orleans.
- Battle at the Villeré Plantation, Louisiana (December 23, 1814): Opening engagement of the Battle of New Orleans, precipitated by a U.S. surprise attack on the British advance force camped on Jacque Villeré's plantation on the Mississippi River's east bank.
- Reconnaissance in force by British at New Orleans, Louisiana (December 28, 1814): A British probe of U.S. commander Andrew Jackson's main defense line on the Rodriguez Canal about 4 miles below New Orleans.
1814 Mississippi battles
- Occupation of Prairie du Chien, Illinois Territory (June 2, 1814): A preemptive move by the Americans to occupy a fur-trading settlement at the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers' confluence, preventing potential British invasions. The Americans constructed Fort Shelby afterwards.
- Siege of Prairie du Chien, Fort Shelby, Illinois Territory (July 17–20, 1814): The British captured Fort Shelby to secure the lucrative fur trade passing through Prairie du Chien.
- First skirmish at Rock Island Rapids, Missouri Territory (July 21, 1814): A pro-British band of Sauk warriors attacked 5 U.S. boats carrying supplies up the Mississippi River to Fort Shelby, forcing them to retreat. These engagements were the westernmost actions in the War of 1812.
- Second skirmish at Rock Island Rapids, Missouri Territory (September 5, 1814): Failed U.S. expedition sent up the Mississippi River to destroy villages and crops of the Sauk and Fox Nations at Saukenuk (modern northwestern Illinois). Over 1,000 native warriors attacked the expedition, forcing the Americans to retreat downstream.
1814 naval battles
- Constitution versus HMS Pictou (1813) (February 14, 1814): U.S. frigate Constitution captured and scuttled British schooner Pictou between Barbados and Surinam.
- Essex versus HMS Phoebe and HMS Cherub (March 28, 1814): British frigate Phoebe and sloop Cherub captured U.S. frigate Essex as it tried to escape from the neutral harbor of Valparaiso.
- Frolic (1813) versus HMS Orpheus (1809) and HMS Shelburne (1813) (April 20, 1814): British frigate Orpheus and sloop Shelburne captured U.S. sloop Frolic off the coast of Cuba after a six-hour pursuit. The British renamed the Frolic the Florida and impressed it into service.
- Peacock (1813) versus HMS Epervier (April 29, 1814) : A 45-minute battle off Cape Canaveral, Florida in which U.S. sloop Peacock captured British brig-sloop Epervier.
- Rattlesnake (1813) versus HMS Leander (1813) (June 22, 1814): British 50-gun fourth-rate Leander captured U.S. brig Rattlesnake near Sable Island off Nova Scotia. The Rattlesnake jettisoned its guns in a vain attempt to outrun its pursuers.
- Wasp (1813) versus HMS Reindeer (June 28, 1814): A battle in the mouth of the English Channel resulting in the capture and destruction of British sloop Reindeer by U.S. sloop Wasp.
- Siren versus HMS Medway (1812) (July 12, 1814)': British 74-gun third-rate Medway captured U.S. brig-sloop Siren off the coast of South Africa after an 11-hour pursuit.
- Wasp (1814) versus HMS Avon (September 1, 1814): A battle off the coast of England in which U.S. sloop Wasp defeated British sloop Avon. The Avon sank before Americans could capture it, or other British warships could recover it.
- Defense of the cutter Eagle, Long Island, New York (October 10–13, 1814): British victory.
1815
Further information: Results of the War of 1812Year | Day | Theater | Occurrence | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1815 | Jan 1 | Gulf Coast | Artillery duel at New Orleans | A three-hour cannon duel between 4 British batteries, including heavy naval guns and a rocket battery, and 7 U.S. batteries in Andrew Jackson's line of defense. The British ceased fire when their artillery ran out of ammunition and failed to breach Jackson's ramparts. |
1815 | Jan 8 | Gulf Coast | Battle of New Orleans | Most lop-sided U.S. victory of the war: British had 2037 casualties (KIA, WIA, POW), Americans around 71. |
1815 | Jan 9– 18 |
Gulf Coast | Siege of Fort St. Philip (1815) | Failed British attempt to dislodge U.S. forces at Fort St. Philip, Louisiana that would have blocked efforts to supply the British in New Orleans. |
1815 | Jan 13–14 | Atlantic Coast | Battle of Fort Peter | British victory. |
1815 | Jan 15 | naval | Capture of USS President | British warship HMS Endymion captured U.S. frigate President attempting to break out of the British blockade of New York City. The President was severely damaged, and surrendered. |
1815 | Jan– Mar |
Gulf Coast | Cumberland Island campaign | Diversionary expedition of Cochrane's Gulf Coast campaign (May 1814 – Feb 1815) to the southeastern U.S. coast. Brits under George Cockburn occupied Cumberland Island, a fort and the town of St. Marys in Jan 1815, effectively blockading Savannah, Charleston and other coastal areas. Cockburn left on March 18 after learning of the Treaty of Ghent. |
1815 | Feb 1 | home front | Penetanguishene Naval Yard construction begins | |
1815 | Feb 4 | diplomacy | United States adopts second enemy trade law | |
1815 | Feb 12 | Gulf Coast | Battle of Fort Bowyer | Last Gulf Coast theater battle. British forces retreating from New Orleans landed on Dauphine Island and recaptured nearby Fort Bowyer, but withdrew upon news of the Treaty of Ghent. |
1815 | Feb 17 | diplomacy | United States ratifies Treaty of Ghent | |
1815 | Feb 17 | diplomacy | United States rejects First Bank of the United States proposal | |
1815 | Feb 20 | naval | Constitution versus HMS Cyane and HMS Levant | U.S. frigate Constitution captured two British sixth-rates Cyane and Levant about 200 miles northeast of Madeira. The Levant was later recaptured by British frigate Leander. |
1815 | Feb 26 | naval | US privateer Chasseur versus HMS St Lawrence (1813) | U.S. privateer Chasseur captured British schooner St. Lawrence, which was carrying news of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent to the British, in the Gulf of Mexico. |
1815 | Mar 1 | diplomacy | Napoleon escaped from Elba, triggering the Hundred Days | |
1815 | Mar 10 | diplomacy | Treaty of Nicolls' Outpost (unratified) | |
1815 | Mar 11 | naval | Recapture of HMS Levant (1813) | British squadron under Collier recaptured British warship Levant as Constitution tried to flee with its two prizes from the harbor at Porto Playa in the Cape Verde Islands. |
1815 | Mar 23 | naval | USS Hornet versus HMS Penguin | U.S. sloop Hornet captured British sloop Penguin in a battle near Tristan de Cunha. |
1815 | Apr 6 | naval | Escape from H M Dartmoor Prison | |
1815 | May 24 | Mississippi River | Battle of the Sink Hole | Last land battle of war, between Missouri Rangers and Sauk warriors led by Black Hawk, near Cuivre River's mouth, Missouri Territory. |
1815 | Jun 30 | naval | Peacock versus East India Company ship Nautilus | Final naval engagement of the war. U.S. sloop Peacock fired on and seriously damaged East India brig Nautilus in the Straits of Sunda. British captain Boyce informed the U.S. ship commander the Treaty of Ghent had been signed on Dec 24, 1814, but the U.S. ship opened fire anyway. |
See also
Notes
- Most of the information in this list has been extracted from Robert Malcomson's "Historical Dictionary of the War of 1812," augmented in some cases by information from other Misplaced Pages articles and from John Mahon's "The War of 1812."
References
- "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- A Full and Correct Account of the Military Occurrences of the Late Wat Between Great Britain and The United States of America..1818, Volume 2 William James. p. 417
- John Brannan, Official letters of the military and naval officers of the United States, during the war with Great Britain in the years 1812, 13, 14, & 15, Washington City: Way & Gideon, 1823, pp. 275,
Bibliography
- Mahon, John K. The War of 1812. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press, 1972. ISBN 0-306-80429-8.
- Malcomson, Robert. Historical Dictionary of the War of 1812. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-8108-5499-4.
External links
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