War Of 1812 Advantages

The War of 1812 is one of the forgotten wars in American History. The war lasted for over two years and ended much as it had started. During the War of 1812, offensive military actions of the United States failed in every attempt to capture Canada. The British army however was successfully stopped when it attempted to capture Baltimore and New Orleans. There were also a number of American naval victories in which American vessels proved themselves superior to similarly sized British vessels such as the USS Constitution. The military actions during the war were largely a draw. However, to spite any clear advantage or gains on the battle field, the War of 1812 was in fact a war that was very important in American History. The War of 1812 confirmed American Independence to the rest of the world and finally united the “United” States. One of the major events that occurred during the War of 1812 was the British attack and destruction of Washington D.C. British forces landed by sea outside the city and marched toward the capital. At a brief battle on the road, known as the Battle of Bladensburg; the British forces defeat the American forces, who withdraw in disarray. This left Washington completely undefended. The British marched into the city and burned

Fort McHenry was a large fort which stood as the only defense for the city of Baltimore after the British had destroyed Washington. The British navy bombarded the fort for over twenty five hours in an effort to destroy the fort. Even though the British had pounded the fort with 200 lb. cannon balls, the defenders inside the fort refused to surrender to the British. The next day a lawyer on board a British ship named Francis Scott Key saw a large American flag flying proudly atop the fort. This image inspired him to write a poem that would later become our national anthem called the “Stars Spangled