Why was the war of 1812 the war 'that nobody won?

Answer 1

It wasn't. Canadians fought to defend their land from a hostile takeover, and they won. A defeat would have eliminated any hope of an independent Canada.

The United States attacked her neighbour, believing that forcibly annexing Upper and Lower Canada would be, in the words of Jefferson, "merely a matter of marching." It launched a full scale invasion, but despite greatly outnumbering the defenders, suffered a number of decisive defeats, and retreated back into the US and beyond, surrendering Detroit, Buffalo, and Fort Dearborn (Chicago).

The defenders consisted of 5200 British troops, and about three times as many native warriors and Canadian militia.

For the British, who went on to take Washington and burn the White House, 1812 was the war they barely noticed; they were already fighting a much, much bigger and bloodier war against Napoleon. But for the English- and French-speaking Canadians, it was literally a war of survival. The land, while still a British territory, had been known as Canada for centuries -- in fact, the term 'Canadian' predates the term 'American' by a century -- and the invasion, the second unprovoked attack by the Americans, brought together the French and English cultures and produced discussion of nationhood as a means of fighting off further attacks. In 1867, Canada became a nation.

Answer:

Because nobody did. For two years Great Britain and the US inflicted damage on each other, and neither country came out of it with any more than was previously had. The Indians and Canadians who sided with the Briish gained nothing from this war either. The War of 1812 was a no-winner for all involved.