[bootlegga]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

While nobody really won the war of 1812, the US definitely lost. It invaded and was repulsed. The Treaty of Ghent basically set both sides back to pre-war boundaries.

The Canadian colonies were well on the road to nationhood and the Brits gave us the Rideau Canal, transferred the capital to By Town and set the stage for the Rebellion, responsible government and confederation. I think we did pretty well out of it.

+1 Good points all...

[EyeBrock]

I think it was a very interesting war Doc. Not only for the battles/politics of the day on both sides but it really set into motion the major events that led up to 1867.

It does baffle me that Canadians have let this part of our history have such a low profile.

[EyeBrock]

bootlegga bootlegga:

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

While nobody really won the war of 1812, the US definitely lost. It invaded and was repulsed. The Treaty of Ghent basically set both sides back to pre-war boundaries.

The Canadian colonies were well on the road to nationhood and the Brits gave us the Rideau Canal, transferred the capital to By Town and set the stage for the Rebellion, responsible government and confederation. I think we did pretty well out of it.

+1 Good points all...

Thanks Boots!

[raydan]

I remember reading this when I was younger. Shame on us, saying the American generals James Wilkinson et Wade Hampton were incredibly incompetent, just because they lost to an "army" a tenth of their size, led by Charles de SALABERRY and then Joseph Wanton Morrison, composed of a few British solders, Voltigeurs, militia and native indians..

$1:

Bien que les Américains aient porté un coup fatal au Bas-Canada, leurs armées d'occupation, dix fois plus nombreuses que les armées ennemies, sont dirigées par des généraux à l'incroyable incompétence, James Wilkinson et Wade Hampton. C'est sous le commandement du lieutenant-colonel Charles de SALABERRY qu'un groupe hétéroclite de réguliers britanniques - composé de VOLTIGEURS, de membres de la milice et des autochtones des Premières-Nations- arrête les Américains dans leur avancée ; le 11 novembre , la situation se répète à CRYSLER'S FARM (près de Morrisburg, Ontario), sous les ordres du lieutenant-colonel Joseph Wanton Morrison.

[gonavy47]

I recently donated, in my father's memory, an American Springfield musket from 1813 to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 622 (Battlefield Branch) in Stoney Creek, Ontario. It was found on the battlefield 198 years ago. If you happen to visit that part of the country, go and see it. They'll be happy to show you. Also, a few blocks away is a towering monument to General Brock, that overlooks the actual site of the battle of Stoney Creek.

[BartSimpson]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

The War of 1812 was really the final phase of the American War of Independence. They made it clear to Mother that she was to take them seriously as an independent nation.

Precisely. The thing that set off the war was the Royal Navy's insistence that American merchant ships were a source of slave labor for them. They'd stop US flagged ships at sea and 'impress' (kidnap) American sailors and force them to become slaves in the Royal Navy that treated sailors like hell. Yes, once things got going then other agendas (such as invading Canada) came along, but what was won from this war was that the British kept their mitts off of US shipping.

It was the end of the war and on to the end of the 19th century that saw the increased power of the Yankee merchants and the Nantucket whalers. Absent the results of the war American trading as we know it would have never existed.

[Mustang1]

A quick overview of the causes (not necessarily in order of importance),

1. Retention of the Western Posts
2. The Amerindian Question
3. Jay’s Treaty
4. Impressment
5. Chesapeake Affair (1807)
6. Trade Warfare
7. American Amerindian Suspicions
8. War Hawks' Agitation

And the War Hawk Agitation was largely related to #2,4,5,6 and 7.

Britain accomplished war objectives - U.S. did not.

[BartSimpson]

Mustang1 Mustang1:

Britain accomplished (1812) war objectives - U.S. did not.

Which explains why the Brits retained the Oregon Territory and their sphere of influence in Hawai'i.

[EyeBrock]

#4 was a big excuse the Hawks used. I know you are well versed on this subject Mustang.

Why do you think that this war has been largely ignored by the Canadian mainstream?

[BartSimpson]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

#4 was a big excuse the Hawks used. I know you are well versed on this subject Mustang.

Why do you think that this war has been largely ignored by the Canadian mainstream?

It'll probably gain some attention in the coming year...

http://www.visit1812.com/

[EyeBrock]

True. It struck me when I first got here though. Here was an event that really was huge in the development of Canada as a nation but it's barely mentioned.

I look at the Napoleonic Wars profile in the UK and it’s a big difference. TV shows, movies, lots of documentaries etc.

Same with the UEL’s and their settlement in Ontario/NB/NS.

Here in Ontario the UEL’s are just not on the radar but their landing with Haldimand was our ‘Mayflower’ moment. Instead their contributions to the building of Canada are largely ignored. I find it all very odd.

[BartSimpson]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Here in Ontario the UEL’s are just not on the radar but their landing with Haldimand was our ‘Mayflower’ moment. Instead their contributions to the building of Canada are largely ignored. I find it all very odd.

I don't. The UEL's are ignored because they were Americans and it goes against the grain in Canada to contemplate that Canada owes anything to anyone from America.

[Mustang1]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Mustang1 Mustang1:

Britain accomplished (1812) war objectives - U.S. did not.

Which explains why the Brits retained the Oregon Territory and their sphere of influence in Hawai'i.

Immediate British "War" objectives were indeed accomplished.

[Mustang1]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

#4 was a big excuse the Hawks used. I know you are well versed on this subject Mustang.

Why do you think that this war has been largely ignored by the Canadian mainstream?

I don't think it is "ignored" insomuch as it remains a very "regional" conflict. Ontario - for obvious reasons - puts a great deal of effort into commemorating the War, especially through education, monuments and overall recognition. In a very real way, this war, while vital to shaping Canadian nationalism and fostering an early identity, resonates more with Upper Canadians rather than the "new" West, which doesn't share the sites, myth-making or common memory of the event.

That's why many of us end of knowing a lot about it because it becomes ingrained very early how important it was in shaping early Canada.

[BeaverFever]

The real reason that 1812 is not of high interest in Canada is that it is not of high interest in the US and the Canadian public interest is generally fed by entertainment media from the US. It's the same reason that many Canadian have more interest in the NFL than the CFL.

I gurantee you that if Hollywood USA had been filling our TV screens and movie theatres with blockbusters and sepcials about 1812 the same way they do with WW2, would be stunning 1812 memorials and commemorations all over Central Canada.