1812 Road Trips: Canada and the U.S. at War

For those of you who snoozed through high school history, the War of 1812 was America’s second struggle against British imperialism. Or if you’re north of the border, Canada’s war of independence against the United States.

Yeah, Americans and Canadians have totally different takes on the war.

This week marks the 211^th anniversary of the first battles, small but significant clashes in Ontario, Michigan and Upstate New York that transported the conflict from a war of words into open combat.

Blame it all on Napoleon. If the French dictator hadn’t tried to conquer Europe, the British Navy wouldn’t have kidnapped American seamen and forced them into service on their own vessels or blockaded U.S. merchant ships from trading with continental Europe.

But if you’re Canadian . . .

The war was really about America’s long-standing ambition to conquer Canada and finally bring the 14^th and 15^th British colonies (Ontario and Quebec) into the Union.

Although the outcome was considered a draw, the war ensured Canada’s permanent independence from the United States and planted the seed of Canadian nationhood.

Nowadays, the War of 1812 is remembered through battlefields, forts, museums, monuments and other sights that make for interesting road trips — even if you’re not a history buff.

Fort McHenry, Baltimore

Oh say, can you see . . . Fort McHenry rising on the other side of the Outer Harbor from downtown Baltimore?

The fort’s enduring fame derives from a 25-hour bombardment by British forces in September of 1814 and a poem written by eyewitness Francis Scott Key that was later set to music and became the U.S. national anthem. McHenry never surrendered and after three days of fighting, the Redcoats retreated.

Now a national monument, the fort celebrated the victory with concerts, ranger programs and living history demonstrations during Defenders’ Day Weekend in mid-September.

NpsFort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (U.S. National Park Service)

The White House, Washington DC

The current presidential residence is actually the second one. That’s because the invading Brits burned the original one after capturing Washington in August of 1814. Allegedly to avenge the American conquest and pillage of York, Ontario (modern-day Toronto) the previous year.

Luckily, First Lady Dolley Madison had the incredible foresight to order the removal of White House artwork and other valuables before the Redcoats torched the place.

One of Dolley’s rescues was the famous Lansdowne Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, which now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.

The White HouseVisit The White House | The White House

Battle of New Orleans

Celebrated in modern movies and music, the Battle of New Orleans is entrenched in American pop culture as the battle that turned the tide of the war for the U.S.

It was anything but. The battle that made Andrew Jackson a household name played out in January of 1815 more than a week after the Treaty of Ghent peace accord between the U.S. and Britain was signed.

On the east bank of the Mississippi River, the battlefield in Chalmette, Louisiana is now part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve near New Orleans.

NpsJean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

Plattsburgh, New York

Following Napoleon’s (first) surrender, the British deployed thousands of battle-hardened veterans from Europe to North America hoping to quickly end the war in their favor.

Eleven thousand Redcoats and 16 warships — the largest force ever to invade the U.S. — swooped into Upstate New York where they were met by American forces in Plattsburgh and adjacent Lake Champlain.

Although outnumbered on land and lake, the Americans crushed the invasion, a victory that forced the Brits into serious peace negotiations and essentially ended the war. The Plattsburgh Battlefield Interpretive Center is dedicated to those momentous events.

Battle of Plattsburgh AssociationBattle of Plattsburgh Association

USS Constitution

Launched in 1797, “Old Ironsides” played a significant role in the War of 1812 by damaging and capturing numerous British warships and merchant vessels.

Nowadays she’s still in active service with the U.S. Navy and permanently stationed at Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston. Naval personnel give guided tours of the world’s oldest ship still afloat Tuesday through Sunday.

NavyUSS CONSTITUTION

Fort George and Fort Niagara

Perched on opposite sides of the Niagara River, Ontario’s Fort George and New York’s Fort Niagara offer two outstanding examples of the fortifications used by both sides during the War of 1812.

They also reflect almost constant fighting in the strategic Niagara Corridor including significant encounters like the October 1812 Battle of Queenston Heights that thwarted an early U.S. invasion of Canada.

CanadaFort George National Historic SiteOldfortniagaraOld Fort Niagara

Battle of Lake Erie

Given their location between the U.S. and Canada, the Great Lakes were hotly contested during the War of 1812. Of the many battles on land and water, the victory by U.S. warships over a British fleet was the most consequential.

U.S. commodore Oliver Hazard Perry knew exactly what was at stake — control of the entire Midwest — when he engaged the Royal Navy at Put-in-Bay, Ohio on September 13, 1813.

Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial on South Bass Island commemorates both the battle and a lasting friendship between the U.S., Britain and Canada that evolved after the war.

NpsPerry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)

Stoney Creek, Ontario

British-Canadian victory at the Battle of Stoney Creek ended another U.S. invasion in June of 1813, the last serious American attempt to capture Upper Canada (Ontario).

Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site in Hamilton offers a museum, guided tours, two historic homes, and an annual battle reenactment on June 6.

HamiltonBattlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site | City of Hamilton