There are many imperative battles that were fought during the war of 1812. Three battles were: Battle of New Orleans, Battle of Bladensburg, and the most crucial, Battle of Baltimore. Each battle stood out because they all contain very important information that gave an impact on history.
Battle of New Orleans
Date: January 8-18, 1815
Place: New Orleans, Louisiana
Key Figure(s):
Andrew Jackson, Daniel Patterson (American)
Edward Pakenham, Alexander Cochrane (British)
Troops: approx. 4,000 men (American)
approx. 8,000-9,000 men (British)
In the beginning of the Battle of New Orleans, there was a horrible chain of events that lead to British defeat.
The British had the upper hand in the war and everything was in their favor; they already outnumbered the Americans by about 6,000 men. However, their mistake was they had a plan that was apparently too complicated for the troops to understand.
In the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson lead militia fighters and other American forces to an unexpected victory. They did this by overcoming the British attack, and holding up against the British forces. In the war the general Andrew Jackson had a thirst for revenge and in the battle there was no holding back. The Americans had approximately 13 deaths, whereas the British suffered over 2,000 deaths.
This Battle is also important, because the battle allowed all the not very well known leaders, such as Andrew Jackson to rise up to the occasion and leave behind a legacy allowing him to become one of the most crucial people in history.
Battle of Bladensburg
Date: August 24, 1814
Place: Bladensburg, Maryland
Key Figure(s):
General William Winder (American)
General Robert Ross, George Cockburn (British)
Troops: approx. 6,900 men (American)
approx. 4,500 men (British)
In the Battle of Bladensburg, Americans were defeated badly and were automatically forced to retreat. As Americans went to retreat, they forgot to burn the bridge that lead into Washington, D.C., so this gave the British army a clear path towards the capital. The British army began executing all the major people in sight and planned on capturing the president and hold him as hostage. The British began burning down all of the capital buildings after forcing all American troops in D.C. to retreat.
During the burning of Washington, D.C., the president's wife, Dolly Madison, showed her remarkable bravery by risking her life to save all the imperative documents instead of taking cover and retreating to Baltimore like all the other civilians. In the process she decided to leave behind all her personal belongings and she showed her selflessness in many ways by doing this.
As the British began to advance to Baltimore, a unexpected tornado hit the area of D.C. wiping out tons of British soldiers and putting the army in a very vile condition. The tornado slowed the British down immensely and it is said that the tornado caused more casualties for the British than the Americans did themselves. It seems that if the tornado hadn't hit the British, the Americans would never be given the upper hand in the war and they wouldn't be given an opportunity to win the war at all. This event made a prodigious impact on the Battle of Battle of Baltimore as well in many imperative ways.
This battle is important because it showed a sensational importance in the war, even though the Americans lost the battle. Most historians believe it was just the prominent chain of events such as the tornado that actually made a importance in the battle.
Battle of Baltimore
Date: September 12-15, 1814
Place: Baltimore, Maryland
Key Figure(s):
Samuel Smith , George Armistead (Americans)
Alexander Cochrane, Robert Ross (British)
Troops: approx. 15,000 men (American)
approx. 5,000 men (British)
Although the Americans won the battle, it was not easy to accomplish. It took bravery and the will to win in order to overcome the once strongest army in the world. General Samuel Smith prepared his troops by setting up about 60 cannons to get ready for the British’s attack.
The Americans were able to take 25 hours of bombardment and in the back, proud to see the flag still in the air, was Annapolis lawyer Francis Scott Key. Francis Scott Key was the one who wrote a poem in their honor called, "The Defense of Fort McHenry." The poem was renamed the Star Spangled Banner and Congress proclaimed The Star Spangled Banner the U.S. National Anthem in 1931.
At the end of the battle, the British were forced to retreat and the Americans won.