November 1811:
In 1809, the governor of Indiana, General William Henry Harrison, attempted to get multiple Native American chiefs to give away millions of acres of their own land to the United States. Some chiefs, however, were reluctant to give up their land. Among these were the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, and his younger brother, known as Prophet. Believing that the only way to protect their land was to unite all Native Americans, Tecumseh began to negotiate with the British because it seemed impossible to avoid war. In November, 1811, Prophet led a Shawnee attack on Harrison’s troops. In vengeance, Harrison burnt Prophetstown to the ground, the Shawnee capital. Referred to as the Battle of Tippecanoe, Harrison became a national hero, but lost many troops.
April 1813:
In the beginning of the year 1813, American naval forces were readied to fight the British on Lake Ontario. The main British base in Kingston, Ontario seemed like a vital part of the British forces, and General Henry Dearborn had a chance to attack it. However, fearing that Kingston’s numbers were around 8,000, the general decided to attack York instead. Although York was the Provincial capital of Upper Canada, a victory would still not be as significant as a victory against the military base. From late April 26, and throughout the 27th, each side fought with all that they had, until the British surrendered on the 28. Following their surrender, the American forces burnt down parliament buildings, and seized weaponry.
September 1813:
In September of 1813, commander Oliver Hazard Perry and his fleet took control of Lake Erie. After defeating a British fleet on the lake, soldiers recaptured Detroit, while winning multiple battles. Depending on relationships they had developed, Native Americans sided with either the British or Americans. Tecumseh, for example, was one Native American who had fought with the British soldiers. In an effort to stop the United States from expanding, he was killed in the Battle of Thames.
October 1813:
During the Battle of Thames, the Shawnee leader, Tecumseh, was killed. While many of the British soldiers began to flee from the battle, Tecumseh and other Native Americans remained, fighting to stop the Untied States from expanding. Leading to a collapse of Native American support for the British troops, this restored control over the Northwest Frontier to Americans.
March 1814:
While the British were raiding and burning towns throughout the Atlantic Coast, Andrew Jackson was gaining national fame. A general from Tennessee, Jackson won multiple battles, and later defeated Native Americans of the Creek tribe during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in March, 1814. Previously, the Creek tribe had stuck a victory during the Battle of Fort Mims, during which all but 36 of the forts inhabitants were killed. Native American military power in the south was almost completely destroyed after this American victory, which was a significant advantage.
August 1814:
In August of 1814, along the Atlantic coast, British troops were pillaging and burning towns, in response to Americans burning down buildings after the Battle of York. Some of the buildings which the American troops burnt include the governor’s mansion, and several legislative assembly buildings. After getting past some poorly assembled American troops, the angry British forces stormed into Washington D.C. On August 24, 1814, James Madison and other government official were forced to flee from the capital as they burnt the White House, the Capitol, and many public buildings.
September 1814:
In the month of September, 1814, the United States gained complete control over Lake Champlain, while the British retreated to Canada. This reassured the fact the British would never be able to control any of the great lakes, which would have given the access to the United States, and enabled them to invade. Fort Montgomery, also known as Fort Blunder, was built on Lake Champlain by Americans after the War of 1812. This was to protect the country from attacks by the British.
December 1814:
Although Andrew Jackson was unaware, American and British diplomats had already negotiated, and signed a peace agreement. Singed on Christmas Eve, in the year of 1814, the Treaty of Ghent declared an end to the fighting. This armistice, however, did not deal with the problems concerning neutral shipping rights. Nevertheless, Americans accepted the treaty, as they were grateful for the peace.
January 1815:
Two weeks after the peace treaty was signed, Andrew Jackson was stilled uninformed. Following his victory against Native American forces in the Mississippi Territory, Jackson went to defend New Orleans. The American victory in the Battle of New Orleans, also know as the Battle of Chalmette Plantation, gave Andrew Jackson even more fame, and helped to push him towards becoming the president of the United States.
