The more important events in the War of 1812

1. WAR OF 1812 TIMELINE
Christopher Zhang
Per.B

2. July 23, 1805
 British forces captured the American merchant ship Essex for
violating British rules. The Essex had been carrying a cargo picked
up in Martinique—one of Britain's enemy, France. The decision
goes against the doctrine of the "broken voyage" that had allowed
American ship to be neutral carriers. American ships, carrying
French cargoes, will no longer be able to "neutralize" these cargoes
by making a stop in an American port. Within weeks of this ruling,
dozens of American ships were captured by the British navy.

3. June 22, 1807
 The USS Chesapeake, just off the Virginia coast, was fired upon by
the Leopard, a British ship of war, when the Chesapeake's
commander refused to allow the British to board his ship in order to
search for British naval deserters. The Americans were outraged so
Jefferson ordered all British ships out of American waters.

4. March 1, 1809
 Thomas Jefferson signed the Non-Intercourse Act,. This act
legalized trade with all nations except Great Britain and France, and
gave the president permission to re-open trade with either or both of
those countries if they revise their maritime policies and recognize
American claims with neutral shipping rights.

5. March 4, 1809
 James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president of the United
States.

6. May 1, 1810
 Congress passes Macon's Bill No. 2 to replace the Non-Intercourse
Act. This new bill allowed the president to reopen trade with both
Great Britain and France. It also authorized the president to impose
trade restrictions on either country if the other changes its trade
policies before March 3 1811. If one country agreed to allow
American commerce to operate without interference, the other must
match those terms within three months or the president will be
allowed to stop American commerce with the offending country.

7. August 5, 1810
 French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte told America that he is willing
to lift all trade restrictions against the United States if the United
States impose trade restrictions against Great Britain according to
the terms of Macon's Bill No. 2. After receiving the "Cadore letter,"
President James Madison, on 2 November 1810, declared that
trade is open with France and will stop with Britain as of 2 February
1811 unless Britain also lifts trade restrictions.

8. March 2, 1811
 After Britain refused to meet Madison's terms before 2 November
1810, so America stopped trading with Britain.

9. November 8, 1811
 General William Henry Harrison led 1000 men against an Indian
camp on the Tippecanoe River in Indiana Territory. During the
battle, Harrison's men defeat many of northwestern tribes brought
together by Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa who tried to
resist the growing amount of white Americans into Indian lands.

10. June 18, 1812
 The Senate voted 19-13 to pass the declaration of war against
Britain President James Madison asked for. Two weeks earlier, the
House of Representatives passed a similar war vote of 79-49.

11. August 19, 1812
 Captain Isaac Hull, commanding the USS Constitution, destroyed
HMS Guerriere near the coast of Nova Scotia. British artillery fired
failed to destroy the Constitution's wooden hull during the battle,
later this American ship was given its famous nickname, "Old
Ironsides."

12. October 13, 1812
 General Stephen Van Rennsselaer led American forces across the
Niagara River into Canada, where they fought with British forces at
Queenston Heights, Ontario, this was the second major battle of the
War of 1812. New York state militia refused to follow Van
Rennsselaer across the border, they said that they were only
required to fight in New York. Because of this the Americans troops
were defeated and 900 American soldiers were captured.

13. September 10, 1813
 Captain Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet of ten ships against a British
fleet of six vessels on Lake Erie. A fierce ten-hour naval battle
ended with Americans defeating the British, this gave the United
States control over Lake Erie for the rest of the war. Perry
announced to the Americans with pride, "We have met the enemy
and they are ours."

14. September 20, 1813
 General William Henry Harrison led an army 4500 Americans
across Lake Erie chasing after British troops who were forced to
abandon Detroit. On the 5th of October, Harrison overtook the British
at Moravian Town and defeated the British and their Indian allies in
the Battle of the Thames. Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader of the
Pan-Indian confederation was earlier defeated at Tippecanoe, and
was killed in the battle, which made many of Britain's Indian allies to
abandon the alliance.

15. August 24, 1814
 British troops captured Washington, D.C. The White House, the
Capitol, and executive department buildings were all burned.

16. September 11, 1814
 American forces fight back against British’s army of 11,000 men
controlled under the command of Sir George Prevost at Lake
Champlain, New York. The Americans, were outnumbered three to
one, took strategic positions on the lake and shorelines, forcing
Prevost to retreat from the battle. In during his defeat, Prevost
abandoned his attack and retreated back to Canada.

17. September 16, 1814
 The British attacked Baltimore on the 14th of September, they were
held off after three days of fighting so the British begin their retreat
to their ships in the Chesapeake. The victory of this battle was
largely because of the accuracy of the American artillery at Fort
McHenry, which prevented the British ships from entering the
harbor. Francis Scott Key witnesses the battle and him to write
"The Star Spangled Banner."

18. December 24, 1814
 Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Ghent, ending the
War of 1812. The treaty said British must return of all prisoners of
war and captured territory, amnesty for all Indians in the war, the
return of slaves captured during the war by the British, and that both
nations had to try to end international slave trade. The treaty was
later ratified by the United States Senate on February,17 1815.