War of 1812: A History From Beginning to End by Hourly History

Author:Hourly History [History, Hourly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hourly History
Published: 2018-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

—Thomas Jefferson

Optimism was high at the beginning of the war despite the lack of preparation. Meanwhile the attention of the British royal forces was still directed toward Europe. Given the general lack of an American Navy, it is surprising that the first major American victories were at sea, but both involved the U.S.S. Constitution, noteworthy for its exceptional construction. That, of course, is not to say that America was the superior sea power—far from it. The United States had merchant marine strength rather than a battle fleet such as the British had.

After the Revolution, the United States sold all its warships, but in 1794, six frigates were built to fight against privateers from the Barbary State of North Africa. In 1812, there were four classes of vessels in use: the sloop with one mast and one deck; the brig with two masts and one deck; the frigate with three masts and two decks; and the man-of-war—or ship of the line—with multiple masts and decks. The United States had no ships of the line. At the beginning of the war, the American Navy counted only nine frigates, including the heavy frigate Constitution, and the remainder of their ships in smaller classes, although different sources vary in the exact number.

In terms of manpower, the British naval ranks were far more numerous than the American. The Royal Navy listed approximately 140,000 seamen on wages, of whom 31,000 were trained marines. The Americans, on the other hand, had 5,000 seamen and 1,000 marines. But Royal Navy ships suffered from a lack of manpower for which the hated policy of impressment was their best solution. Impressed sailors could be expected to lack loyalty. American shipboard conditions were no better, but many sailors came from coastal communities and were experienced on merchant, whaling, and fishing ships. They were motivated to fight for their freedom to trade, and their officers had practical combat experience against the Barbary States.

The American frigates were built larger and heavier than Royal Navy frigates. As a result, when they engaged in single ship combat, the odds were on the American side. On August 19, the Constitution burned and sank the H.M.S. Guerriere, having done the ship so much damage that it was not worth taking as a prize. On October 25, the U.S.S. United States captured the H.M.S. Macedonian, and on October 26, the Constitution captured the H.M.S. Java. After such losses, the Royal Navy became more cautious choosing its encounters, but these victories were all cheerful news for the Americans who were simultaneously stinging from defeats on land in Canada.

The first major land movement in the war came from Michigan Territorial Governor General William Hull who led American forces into Canada from Detroit. The governor was a veteran of the Revolution and a lawyer not skilled in military tactics. Hull met Brock’s forces and Tecumseh’s warriors and was pushed back across the border into Fort Detroit which he surrendered on August 16, reportedly without firing a shot. Convicted of cowardice and neglect of duty, Hull was sentenced by military court to death.

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