James Madison and the War of 1812
* What: The first major US war since independence, and the most disastrous US war until the Iraq War. By most measures, the war was a greater and more humiliating defeat for the US than the US-Vietnam War, with most of Washington, the White House, and Capital building burned down, and most battles ending in huge embarrassing defeats for US troops, who sometimes surrendered at the first shot. Madison was directly at fault, yet amazingly he was not blamed by most of the US public.
* The Body Count: 15,000 to 24,000 deaths, most from disease rather than combat.
* Who Else Gets the Blame:
* The War Hawks, gung ho hyper nationalist Congressmen favoring war against both Britain and Spain and invasions of Canada and Florida.
* Many pro war Americans at the time blamed solely the British, sometimes American Indians as well. The British were blamed for kidnapping or “impressment” of American sailors and for allegedly inciting Native uprisings. However, the impressment issue was an excuse for war, and Native “uprisings” were actually resisting American invasions. (See Section Five.)
* Some scholars blame Jefferson for not building up the US military prior to the war, or for not “standing up” to Britain. But Jefferson had done his best to avoid war while president, and saw that a war would be disastrous. (See Section Eight.) Yet once his Secretary of State, Madison, was now president, Jefferson kept advising Madison to go to war.
* The first American invasion of another country happened early, in 1797. An American private army, or filibusters, invaded Canada. This was only ten years after the Constitution. From the start, there were many Americans convinced that wars of aggression were right and just. A simple look at America's Indian Wars shows that, or wars against Latin America. (See Section Five again.)
* This aggression was certainly not wanted by all Americans. Most of New England, the Federalist Party, and some Democrats opposed the War of 1812, and Jefferson successfully avoided war with Britain his entire time in office. (See Section Eight.) But time and again a gung ho minority has managed to pull the rest of the US into war. The War of 1812 was the first time that happened
* Madison's leadership during the war, or lack of it, was a disaster. He was a very timid and uncharismatic man, unable to rally half the nation behind him. Not one Federalist voted for the war. Had three congressmen changed their vote, there would have been no declaration of war. The entire New England region went so far as to forbid their state militias to join the military effort. New England even considered and came close to breaking away from the US.
* Madison also made a series of huge tactical mistakes. He relied upon military leaders from the Revolution era, who were mostly too old, or untrained militia leaders. The War Hawks pushed for an invasion of Canada, and Madison agreed to it. General William Hull led a US army into Ontario, hesitated, retreated, and then surrendered to a much smaller British force almost without a shot fired. Most American soldiers went back to the US after promising to not fight anymore. Fort Detroit also surrendered, giving the British control of Michigan Territory. Then yet a third US army surrendered, at Queenston Heights near Niagara.
* Most US troops were militias, not regular army. Poorly disciplined, they looted and burned York, Ontario. In retaliation, British troops invaded Washington DC itself. They burned down the White House, the Capital building, and the Library of Congress. Amusingly, what most US students are taught is to remember is Dolly Madison rescuing paintings and the Star Spangled Banner. Rarely taught is that Francis Scott Key's lyrics also celebrate US troops defeating runaway slaves, who were among the British troops. Other lyrics added to the song during the Civil War changed Key's pro-slavery meaning completely, and celebrated the end of slavery.
* Some accounts claim that Madison himself led troops into battle. Actually he briefly consulted with generals prior to the battle, then left before it started. The Battle of Badensburg was another disastrous defeat for the US. The US Secretary of War, John Armstrong, failed to see it coming. The British would have taken the capital unopposed except they stopped to rest. The US Naval commander even destroyed his own fleet and fled onto land. British soldiers were outnumbered roughly two to three by US militia. But American troops fled almost at the first shot. More British actually died in the battle from heat exhaustion than combat. Madison and most of the federal government fled the capital, narrowly avoiding capture.
* There were limited US naval successes, greatly exaggerated because there were so few US triumphs during the war. The British blockaded US ports, burned Norfolk, and were about to invade New York City, Savannah, and Charleston when the war ended. The only big US victory in the war was the utterly useless Battle of New Orleans, after war's end. News of the war's end had not yet reached the city.
* The Battle of New Orleans shows the power of self delusion among ardent warmongers. News of the battle convinced many Americans the war had been a success. A wave of patriotic fervor hit the country again, so strong the Federalist Party was harshly condemned for opposing the war. The party fell apart, and Madison won re election almost unopposed, the so called Era of Good Feelings.
* That is the biggest legacy of the war, unrealistic images. Most Americans ignored that nothing was changed by the war. The British never halted kidnapping sailors. Canada was not conquered. Britain conceded nothing to the US. The Battle of New Orleans led to Jackson's rise to be president. The US would have been far better off had the war not been fought. A US with either John Quincy Adams or Henry Clay elected instead of Jackson would see a better future. (See Section Eight.)