Did the British or the Americans win the war of 1812?

Answer 1

The Treaty of Ghent returned everything to pre-war conditions. As such, the war could be considered a draw, and there wasn't really any 'success' or 'failure' on either side, other than the lives lost.

Answer 2

== == The British won due to the fact that they completed their objectives; defend Canada by killing the Americans who tried to invade. American Deaths: 2,260 killed in action.

4,505 wounded.

Approx. 17,000 died from disease (estimated). British Deaths: 1,600 killed in action.

3,679 wounded.

3,321 died from disease. I would also like to add that Britain won the last battle between the two countries - "Battle of Fort Bowyer" and that during the time of this war Britain was also involved in the napoleon war. The Americans having failed all their objectives lately forfeited and wanted to sign a peace treaty. Our grade-school history books claim that the main cause of the war was that U.S. ships trading with Napoleonic France were being hassled by the British. This activity did occur, for Britain was at war with Napoleon at the time, and U.S. commerce was aiding France at the time. However, the British repealed the orders to search U.S. ships a day before the U.S. declared war. Granted, communication was slow at the time, and the U.S. did not learn of the fact until five weeks later. But why, if this was the case, did the U.S. remain at war for two and a half years? A desire to expand beyond the Appalachian Mountains was one of the primary reasons for going to war against England in 1776 (Britain had declared that no settlers could legally penetrate this barrier), and the country's desire to expand was invoked as justification for wars against Canada, Mexico, Florida and the native Americans throughout the country's early history. In 1812, the U.S. attempted to take over Canada, which was still in British hands at the time. England would likely have defeated the U.S. swiftly had had they not also been involved in war in Europe. == == == == == == == == == == === === === === The primary goals of the War of 1812 were conquering Florida, at the time native American territory, and Canada, then British territory. Although the U.S. ostensibly went to war over maritime issues, John Randolph of Virginia noted, "Agrarian cupidity, not maritime rights, urges this war. Ever since the report of the Committee on Foreign Relations came into the House, we have heard but one eternal monotonous tone - Canada! Canada! Canada! Not a syllable about Halifax, which unquestionably should be our great object in a war for maritime security." U.S. leaders were confident of easily taking over our neighbor to the north. William Eustis, the U.S. Secretary for War declared: "We can take the Canadas without soldiers, we have only to send officers into the province and the people . . . will rally round our standard." John C. Calhoun claimed that "In four weeks from the time that a declaration of war is heard on our frontier, the whole of Canada will be in our possession." James Madison similarly proclaimed that "[t]he acquisition of Canada this year will be a mere matter of marching," and Henry Clay boasted, "I trust I shall not be deemed presumptuous when I state that I verily believe that the militia of Kentucky are alone competent to place Montreal and Upper Canada at your feet." A variety of motives contributed to this sentiment. The Rev. McLeod described the war as "extending the principles of representative democracy - the blessings of liberty, and the rights of self-government - among the colonies of Europe." A Virginia newspaper (the Virginia Argus of Richmond) was more frank about the "advantages to be derived from the acquisition" of Canada, including "the suppression of a great deal of smuggling [and] the curtailment...of the British fur trade..." The U.S. had made feeble attempts during the Revolutionary War to invade Canada. In September of 1775, Col. Ethan Alan was taken prisoner during an unsuccessful attempt to capture Montreal. Three months later, Gen. Montgomery led an attack on Quebec during a blinding snowstorm; Montgomery was killed and Gen. Benedict Arnold was wounded. This attack also failed, and half the American forces were killed or wounded. Attempts to invade Canada during the War of 1812 failed even more spectacularly. An early attempt to invade failed before it began when Gen. William Hull, reportedly frightened into a state of near incoherence, surrendered his entire army at Detroit without firing a shot. Two months later another attempt was bungled when Gen. Stephen Van Rensselaer failed to persuade his militia to cross the U.S.-Canada border. A small detachment of troops which entered Canada was shot down and forced to surrender while Van Rensellaer's troops stood by and watched. Another invasion attempt, on 19 November 1812, collapsed when American troops refused to leave New York State and forced their leader, Gen. Henry Dearborn, to march them back to Pittsburgh. Less than two weeks later, Gen. "Apocalypse" Smythe twice ordered his troops to cross the Niagara, both times failing in his courage and calling off the attacks. On returning from the second attempt, the soldiers turned their weapons on Smythe, forcing him to flee to Virginia. The following April, U.S. troops attacked again in an unsuccessful attempt to gain control of Lake Ontario. Granted, the U.S. did win some battles, but once Britain was freed from its involvement against France, defeat was inevitable. === === === === === === === === === === === === === === As in the Vietnam War, the U.S. considered its position at the end of the War of 1812 a draw. In retrospect, both wars could reasonably be considered a loss to this country, having failed in our expansionist goals, having lost ground to the "enemy," and having expended human lives and extraordinary resources for naught. == ==

Answer 3

The war of 1812 was fought by the United States and by England. We did win the war, though it eventually took a little while, by winning we came up with the treaty of Ghent.

The "we" in question, however, refers to Canadians, and ironically it was this second defeated attempt to forcibly annex Canada that led to nationhood.

"War Hawks" in the US Congress stampeded the president into thinking that invading Canada would be, in Jefferson's words, "a mere matter of marching" and the US started a war and attacked its neighbour in June of 1812.

Big mistake. The poorly trained US invasion forces were decisively defeated in a series of battles by a much smaller force of British regulars, Canadian militia, and natives. The Americans fled back over the border, surrendering Detroit, Buffalo, and Fort Dearborn (Chicago).

The British went on the attack, capturing Washington and burning the White House, but they were just finishing a much, much bigger war against Napoleon. That freed up hundreds of thousands of battle hardened troops to cross the Atlantic, but when the Americans asked for peace talks, the British, weary of war, agreed.

After a peace treaty was signed, the Americans won a battle at New Orleans (word of the peace hadn't reached them) and the British won a battle at Fort Bowyers, but neither battle had any impact on the war, which was already over.

Canadians won a huge victory. An American win would have destroyed any hope of a country called Canada; instead, French and English speaking Canadians, having turned back the invaders together, began discussing nationhood.

Answer 4

In the end, the AMERICANS,French,Spanish,Dutch Republic won an amazing victory against the British.

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Much more accurate to say that AFTER the end, the Americans won an amazing victory at New Orleans. British and American negotiators signed an agreement ending the war, but three weeks later, news of the peace still hadn't reached New Orleans, and the battle fought there was a decisive American victory.

During the war, however, things were different. The United States had two goals: stop the Royal Navy from boarding American ships and taking American sailors, who were seen by London as still British, four decades after the revolution. In fact, the British did stop, before the war began.

The second goal was to use the opportunity to invade and annex Canada, something Thomas Jefferson called "simply a matter of marching." A previous attempt to invade Canada during the Revolutionary War had failed utterly, but "War Hawks" in Washington felt that Canadians would welcome "liberation."

Invasion forces sent into Ontario and Quebec were decisively defeated, however, in a series of battles, by relatively small numbers of British regular forces, aboriginal allies, and Canadian militia.

Those forces chased the invaders out of Canada, captured Detroit, Buffalo, Fort Dearborn (Chicago), and sacked Washington.

The young American navy did enjoy several victories on the Great Lakes and the Atlantic, and some American writers have focused on those victories, a few of them declaring the war an American victory.

In one sense, both the United States and Canada benefited. In both countries, the call to arms produced a greater sense of nationhood.

Also at the time of the Revoloutionary War the British were fighting 3 other wars in diffrent parts of the world at the same time. France was an allie to the US fighting alongside them in the US but Napolean and the French Empire also decided that it would be a perfect time to attack the British over in Europe. The British were also fighting the Mongol Empire ( wich was the 2cnd biggest Empire on earth) and also the Japanese Empire. These 3 other Wars had everything to lose and everything to gain for the British the war with the US had nothing for them to gain as it was too young of a country,so Britain moved on to concentrate on fighting those 3 other wars wich they won all 3.

Answer 5

The battle of new orleans, look it up on wikipedia for more. It was fought after the treaty of Ghent was signed, but the treaty was not ratified until 1815, so this can be counted as part of the war.

Answer 6

Because no one won. Americans tied the British because no one really had a definitive victory... the British burned the White House but the US defeated the British at a fort (in Maryland i THINK). We tied up on the Great Lakes through Oliver Perry's excellent defense against superior numbers, and the great victories of Andrew Jackson in the South and at the Battle of New Orleans (the only real MAJOR US victory in the 1812 war) was concluded two weeks after the signing of the treaty that ended the war.

Answer 7

the war was nethier a victory or defeat because war is never a victory