Even though the United States was fortunate to earn a draw against Great Britain in the War of 1812, it showed what it could do ... and what it could have done.
Few Americans or Britons remember much about the War of 1812. Those few who studied it may not even agree about the ultimate outcome of the war. However, the United States showed flashes of what it could have accomplished had it truly been prepared to fight.
According to many historians, the United States had a very small navy of between 14 and 20 seaworthy ships to go against hundreds of ships in Britain's Royal Navy. The Royal Navy was considered by many the best navy in the world. In 200 single-ship encounters in the 10 years before the War of 1812 began, the Royal Navy lost five.
However, historians who have written about the War of 1812 often write that American ships were by and large better built, better manned and better led than their British counterparts. In the first six months of the War of 1812, the United States won five single-ship encounters: Constitution vs. Guerriere, United States v. Macedonian,Wasp v. Frolic, Essex v. Alert, Constitution v. Java. In fact, William M. James, who wrote the book A Naval History of Great Britain: During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Vol. 6: 1811-1827, frequently lambasted the differences between British and American ships as if the Americans cheated their way to victory.
Contrasted with American successes on the high seas, the Army performed dismally. Gen. William Hull surrendered Detroit just days before his nephew, Capt. Isaac Hull, commanded Constitution's victory over Guerriere. American attempts to invade Canada only resulted in the burning of York (now Toronto). The British eventually avenged that by burning Washington in 1814.
However, Brig. Gen. Winfield Scott led American troops to a resounding victory in the Battle of Chippewa in 1814, during which Maj. Gen. Phinneas Rheal is believed to have proclaimed, "by God, those are regulars!" when he saw Americans calmly handling battle. Far more celebrated was a battle that happened after the Treaty of Ghent was signed: The Battle of New Orleans.
So what lessons should someone learn from the War of 1812? A disjointed Army effort led to routs, but when the American army was well-led and trained, it could defeat the British. The U.S. Navy acquitted itself admirably when given the chance. The Treaty of Ghent preserved a status quo ante bellum, which meant no territory changed hands, but what did change was how America was perceived. Instead of being a collection of rabble and simply an "American Experiment," they were now taken seriously by other nations. When the United States truly lives up to its name, it's hard to beat.
Michael Sarzo - I am a former newspaper editor, having worked as the managing editor of The Prince George's Sentinel from May 2006 until November 2006. In ...
