Overlapping in time with the later portion of the Wars of the Napoleonic Era was the War of 1812 that lasted from 1812 to 1815. It was fought between Great Britain and the fledgling United States of America over the issue of maritime rights violations.
So how then did the situation come to be? American shippers had greatly prospered from trade with the French and the Spanish since the late 18th century. However the situation started to become more complicated when Napoleon set up his Continental System (1806) to isolate Britain as a trading power. The British responded with the so-called Orders in Council (1807). The Orders stipulated that neutral shippers had to acquire a trading license at British ports if they wished to trade with the French. If not they could be subject to attack by ships from the Royal Navy.
The decision by the British invoked a French response through the mechanism of the Milan Decree (1807) that ordered the capture of ships that had been searched by the British. American shipping interests were caught in between this continental power struggle. They were open to attacks from both sides. For the Anglo-skeptic US President Thomas Jefferson this was a difficult predicament.
Battles of the War of 1812 source: thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
On top of all of this the Royal Navy was following a policy of Impressment whereby they seized American ships under the auspices of ferreting out Royal Navy deserters. This infringement of American rights reached a head when the US Navy frigate Chesapeake was fired on by a Royal Navy vessel and subsequently boarded. Three US citizens were seized forcing Britain to apologize for the incident to avert war.
However tension in the US congress remained high and in 1807 the Embargo Act was passed which forbade all export shipping from US ports while closing American ports to British ships. This however caused more problems than it solved. American shippers for one were not keen on the idea forcing congress to back track with a series of later acts. Meanwhile in France Napoleon claimed that he would exempt American ships from the Berlin Decree (the driving force behind the Continental system) and the later Milan follow-up as well. Britain though still refused to compromise on neutral shipping.
Meanwhile on the Indian Frontier of North America the Shawnee chief Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa attempted to form a confederation to resist American encroachment on their land. The Shawnee were defeated at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 by the American Governor William Harrison (a future President) but the net effect was to drive his people into an alliance with the British. At the same time Canadian/British fears about American expansion was also intensifying the situation.
Shawnee Chief Tecumseh source: the star.com
The American President, James Madison, was trapped as well between competing interests back home. War Hawks (such as Henry Clay) were demanding a defense of American honour. Western and Southern Interests supported expansion New Englanders tended to oppose it. At the end the former carried the day. The US acted on such sentiment and attacked Canada.
From a British perspective the war was seen as somewhat of a nuisance. London was preoccupied with the Napoleonic conflict. However they couldn’t stand by while Canada (which was part of the British sphere of influence) was attacked. Isaac Brock (the British Commander) and Tecumseh chased the Americans back to Detroit.
Depending who you ask (American, British/Canadian) each side claims that they won the War of 1812. While the British prevented an American invasion of Canada, burnt down the White House in 1814 and achieved victories at Queenston Heights (October 1812 – a battle that cost Brock his life) and Chrysler’s Farm (Nov 1813), the Americans had a great deal of success as well.
The Americans burnt York (modern day Toronto) and were victorious at Fort Stephenson, the Naval Battle on Lake Erie and the Battle of Thames. All of this occurred in 1813. In addition they followed this up with a victory at Chippawa and a brave stance at Lundy’s Lane (although this was technically an American defeat) in 1814.
The British burning of the White House (1814) source: history.com
James Madison did flee Washington ahead of the burning of the White House but this proved to be only a temporary setback for the Americans who guaranteed their northern front with a victory at Plattsburg in 1814. The later Battle of Baltimore (which inspired the writing of the Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key) was perhaps the most memorable moment for the Americans in the war. Although the American retreated they inflicted heavy casualties on the British.
By December 1814 both sides came to the table to work out a schedule for the ending of the War. The Treaty of Ghent was agreed on and later ratified by the US Congress in February 1815. Before its ratification though the future President Andrew Jackson defeated British forces at the Battle of New Orleans , which was the last major engagement of the war. This helped the US secure its gains from the Louisiana Purchase.
Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans source: history.com
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