During the Napoleonic war, Britain was concerned with preventing France from trading with neutral countries, including America.
- The Navy sought out and intercepted American merchant vessels
- Sometimes they removed the crew and ‘pressed’ them into serving the King’s Navy.
- Needless to say the Americans were not happy with this turn of events
- On 12th June 1812, they declared war on Britain.
This war continued for several years to 1815 and it was fought on several fronts
- At sea
- Along the Atlantic coast with several large scale raids inland and a devastating blockade
- Along the frontier between Upper and Lower Canada and the US
- Along the Gulf of Mexico
The outcome was probably more significant for America and Canada than for Britain, who were more concerned with defeating the French
Intriguing Connections
- Did Canada emerge from this war a stronger entity and was this the beginning of it starting to have a greater sense of national security and pride?
- To find out more about the history of Canada, including description of the 1812 war watch the link below
