Us History

I. On to Canada Over Land and Lakes

a. The Army

i. Ill-trained, ill-disciplined, and widely scattered

ii. It was supplemented by the worse militia

iii. Old Revolutionary War generals

b. Canada

i. British forces were the weakest there

ii. They should’ve attacked Montreal, the center of population and transportation, everything to the west might have died

iii. Instead, there were three invading forces:

1. Detroit

2. Niagara

3. Lake Champlain

iv. They were all beaten back as soon as they crossed the Canadian border

c. British and Canadians

i. Won many battles early on

ii. In 1813, American land invasions were again hurled back

d. Navy

i. The American navy did much better than the army

ii. Compared to the British, the American ships were:

1. Better handled

2. Had better gunners

3. Were manned by people who weren’t impressed (so they were eager to fight)

iii. The Constitution is one of the notable ships – it was a thick ship that had heavy firepower – it is still commissioned by the navy and in Boston harbor

e. American Victories

i. An American naval officer, Oliver Hazard Perry managed to fended off attacks in the Great Lakes, a vital area to control. The British retreated from Detroit. This allowed:

ii. Battle of the Thames – General Harrison’s land army beat the redcoats

f. Late 1814

i. Napoleon was defeated and exiled to the Mediterranean isle of Elba

ii. Now, thousands of redcoats were freed up to fight in the war against America

iii. The British again (10,000) wanted to cut off New England through the lake-river route

iv. In Lake Champlain in September 1814, the U.S. defeated the British

v. This saved:

1. At least upper New York

2. More fuel for criticism by New Englanders

3. Possible succession

II. Washington Burned and New Orleans Defended

a. Washington

i. August...