It is March 15th. Welcome to Episode 74 of History in a Year. Today, the United States accidentally starts a war that it is catastrophically unprepared to fight. Pushed to the brink by the War Hawks and the burning of Prophetstown, President James Madison officially signs a declaration of war against Great Britain. We explore the tragic irony of the transatlantic communication delay, the bitter political fury of New England, and the terrifying realization that the American army is being led by aging, incompetent generals who haven’t seen combat in thirty years.
STEPHEN:
Welcome to History in a Year: America’s First 250 Years.
LEAH:
Join us every single day as we journey from the Revolution of 1776 to the 250th anniversary of the United States.
STEPHEN:
You can find every episode and join the discussion at PointedWords.com. I’m Stephen.
LEAH:
And I’m Leah.
STEPHEN:
It is March 15th. Welcome to Episode 74. We have spent the last few episodes watching the pressure gauge slowly rise.
LEAH:
The British Navy is kidnapping American sailors. The War Hawks in Congress are screaming for blood. And after the Battle of Tippecanoe, the United States has hard evidence that the British are arming Native American tribes on the frontier.
STEPHEN:
President James Madison finally realizes he has run out of options. The diplomatic tricks have failed. The economic embargoes have failed.
LEAH:
On June 1, 1812, Madison sends a message to Congress, officially laying out the grievances against Great Britain and asking for a declaration of war.
STEPHEN:
But here is one of the most tragic, mind-boggling ironies in all of American history.
LEAH:
At the exact same time Madison is asking for war, the British government in London is actually caving. The British economy was suffering from the loss of American trade, and Parliament officially voted to suspend the Orders in Council—which were the very laws causing all the problems with American shipping!
STEPHEN:
The British repealed the laws. But there was no telegraph. There was no internet.
LEAH:
It took weeks for a ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. By the time the news of the British surrender reached Washington D.C., it was far too late. The trigger had already been pulled.
STEPHEN:
But even without knowing the British had backed down, the vote in Congress was incredibly divided.
LEAH:
This was not like the vote after Pearl Harbor. This was the closest formal war vote in United States history. The House voted 79 to 49 for war, and the Senate voted 19 to 13.
STEPHEN:
Every single Federalist in Congress voted against it. The New England states, whose economies relied on maritime trade, were absolutely horrified. When the declaration of war was officially signed on June 18, 1812, church bells in Boston tolled in mourning, and flags were lowered to half-mast.
LEAH:
They didn’t call it the War of 1812. They angrily called it “Mr. Madison’s War.”
STEPHEN:
So, the United States has officially declared war on the greatest military superpower on Earth. But let’s look at the actual military the US is bringing to the fight.
LEAH:
It was an absolute joke.
STEPHEN:
Thanks to Thomas Jefferson’s obsession with small government, the regular United States Army had been completely gutted. On the day war was declared, the US Army had fewer than 7,000 soldiers.
LEAH:
And they were scattered all across the western frontier in tiny, isolated forts.
STEPHEN:
To make up the difference, Madison had to rely on state militias. The plan was to call up 100,000 militiamen. But there was a massive constitutional crisis.
LEAH:
The governors of the New England states basically said, “No. We voted against this war. The Constitution says the militia is only for repelling invasions, not starting them.” They literally refused to send their troops to the federal government.
STEPHEN:
And the troops they did get were poorly trained, poorly equipped, and undisciplined.
LEAH:
But the biggest problem was the leadership.
STEPHEN:
The top generals in the US Army were all Revolutionary War veterans. That sounds great on paper, but the Revolution had ended thirty years ago!
LEAH:
These men were in their sixties. They were exhausted, they were suffering from gout, and some of them were literally too overweight to mount a horse.
STEPHEN:
The senior commander of the US Army was Henry Dearborn. He was known as “Granny” Dearborn because he was so slow and indecisive. Another key commander was General William Hull, who was absolutely terrified of Native Americans.
LEAH:
This is the military that the War Hawks proudly boasted could conquer Canada in a matter of weeks.
STEPHEN:
The American strategy was simple: Launch a massive, three-pronged invasion into British Canada. They figured the Canadian colonists would welcome them as liberators and throw off the chains of the British King.
LEAH:
But the Americans drastically underestimated their enemy.
STEPHEN:
The British forces in Canada were vastly outnumbered, but they were highly trained professional soldiers. And more importantly, they were allied with Tecumseh’s massive Native American confederacy.
LEAH:
And the British in Canada were commanded by an absolute military genius: Major General Isaac Brock.
STEPHEN:
Brock knew the Americans were coming. He knew he was outnumbered. But he also knew the American generals were old, slow, and terrified. He decided the best defense was a brutally aggressive offense.
LEAH:
As the American armies began their slow, clumsy march north toward the Canadian border, the stage was set for one of the most embarrassing military disasters in American history.
STEPHEN:
But before the land war completely falls apart, the United States is going to get a massive, shocking victory where they least expect it.
LEAH:
On the open ocean.
STEPHEN:
Join us tomorrow for Episode 75. Old Ironsides. The tiny, 16-ship United States Navy sails out to face the 600-ship British Royal Navy. We witness an unbelievable naval duel off the coast of Nova Scotia, as the USS Constitution takes on the HMS Guerriere, and British cannonballs literally bounce off the sides of the American frigate.
LEAH:
I’m Leah.
STEPHEN:
And I’m Stephen.
STEPHEN:
You can find every episode at PointedWords.com. And this… is our story.