Did the British win Canada in the war of 1812?

Answer 1

The War of 1812 is sometimes seen as a draw, since no territory changed hands in the end, but Canadians regard it as a victory, since their country defeated the second American invasion.

In fact, the US had two goals in starting the war: End the Royal Navy practice of impressing US sailors into RN service, and take the opportunity to seize Canada. The Royal Navy ended the practice before war was declared, but the news hadn't reached Washington.

The US did invade both Upper Canada (now Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec). On both fronts, American forces were defeated, and forced back across the border, losing Detroit, Buffalo, and Fort Dearborn (Chicago), to British forces, Canadian militia, and native tribes. British forces also took Washington and burned the White House.

The US did score a victory at the battle of New Orleans, which occurred three weeks after the signing of a peace treaty ending the war, but Washington's one remaining war aim ended in disaster.

Answer 2

The US lost the war of 1812, which it started to invade and forcibly annex Canada, something Thomas Jefferson called "a mere matter of marching." He was wrong. Canadian militia and natives made up 75% of the defenders -- the remainder being British regulars -- and that greatly outnumbered force inflicted a series of decisive defeats on the invaders, who fled back over the border and beyond, surrendering Detroit, Buffalo, and Fort Dearborn (Chicago).

Had the Americans won even some of those battles, Canada wouldn't exist today, so it's logical to agree with Johns Hopkins University professor Eliot Cohen (a senior adviser to former U.S. secretary of state Condoleeza Rice), who writes in his book Conquered Into Liberty that "ultimately, Canada and Canadians won the War of 1812."

That failed invasion was followed by a counter-invasion, mostly by British regulars, who occupied large areas of the US by late 1814.

At sea, the Royal Navy maintained a complete blockade of American ports, which crippled the US economy. The seven New England states, shocked that such a foolish war had been launched, openly discussed seceding from the union.

The British barely noticed the war of 1812, because they had been in a much, much larger war against Napoleon, but that war had been won by the end of 1814, leaving them free to ship hundreds of thousands of battle-hardened troops to North America (compared to the 5200 British regulars defending Canada at the time of the American invasion.) But Britain was war-weary after its fight with Napoleon, and having absolutely no interest in reversing American independence more than 30 years after the fact, it was happy to sign the Treaty of Ghent, which returned things to the previous borders.

Weeks after the peace treaty was signed, Americans scored a victory over British forces at New Orleans, which, although it had no effect on the outcome of the war, was touted by American newspapers as highly important. It was not, in fact, the final battle, though, as it's often portrayed, because it was closely followed by a notable British victory at the battle of Fort Bowyer.

Answer 3

There were other British colonies in North America that did not join with the 13 colonies involved in the American Revolution. Many people who were loyal to the British Crown left the US after the Revolution and settled in such colonies. These colonies were collectively referred to as British North America, and today they form part of modern Canada. During the War of 1812, much of the armed conflict in British North America occurred in what is now the Canadian Province of Ontario, but which was then known as Upper Canada. Canadian armed forces, although greatly outnumbered by Americans, were successful not only in repelling several attempted invasions, but also in occupying New York State's Niagara Frontier and taking possession of Buffalo. Canadians accomplished such feats through far better planning and preparedness than the Americans. In addition, most of Canada's war effort was directed to defence of its own territory, rather than invading the US. Even the occupation of the Niagara Frontier was mainly for defensive purposes. Canadian territories were never part of the US before the War of 1812, and have remained independent to this day.

Answer 4

Kind of. Lets just say the United States didn't lose. In 1812, James Madison, and other US leaders wanted to defend the US Independence. So, the US declared war on Great Britain and invaded Canada. So keep in mind, the US started the war. The British still a strong imperialistic nation, fought back- hard. They eventually ransacked Washington D.C.. So while the US pushed the British out and didn't lose, it didn't gain anything. While it is clear in a militaristic sense that the US didn't actually win, it is portrayed that they did. It is this way because, the United States, one of the youngest nations in the world, have now beaten the strongest country in the world- twice. So in a patriotic way, the US won- respect.

Answer 5

They won several, could you be more specific? I suppose the most famous, or infamous, would be the Battle of Bladensburg which lead to the burning of Washington, D.C..

Answer 6

Neither England nor the United States won the war of 1812. The losers were the Indians who sided with the British. The other loser was Spain.