War of 1812 Events Locations Locator Map and Directory

This map shows events occuring to mark the War of 1812 Bicentennial. There will be hundreds War of 1812 celebrations in the United States and Canada in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Events include battle re-enactments, historical re-enactments, museum exhibits, seminars and symposiums, fort visits, encampments, and fundraisers. Please feel free to add your War of 1812 Bicentennial event to the list!

Background:
The war of 1812 was an international military conflict between the British Empire and the United States of America that lasted from 1812 to 1815. Various causes contributed to the war's outbreak, including stringent trade restrictions imposed by Great Britain against the USA due to the Napoleonic wars with France, the forced impressment of American seamen into the Royal Navy (e.g. the Leander Affair and the Chesapeake–Leopard Affair), British support of North American Indian tribes against US expansion, and public outrage over other percieved humilitations to American honor on the high seas. On June 18th, 1812, US President James Madison signed a declaration of war into law, officially beginning the conflict.

The early stages of the war saw multiple American invasions into Upper and Lower Canada, which were British-run provinces at the time. Britain's offensive measures were somehwat temepred by the fact that most of their resources were tied up in European wars. The Americans gained control of Lake Erie in 1813 (where there are plenty of historical sites and events to be visited over the next fews, including the famous Old Fort Erie) and parts of western Ontario. This effectively destroyed the prospect of an independent Indian state protected by Great Britain in the midwest. In the Southwest, General Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek nation at the battle of Horshoe Bend to consolidate American power in the region. However, Britain's defensive strategy turned offensive after the 1814 defeat of Napoleon, and they sent large armies into Baltimore, New York, and New Orleans, winning a key victory at the Battle of Bladensburg and burning Washington DC (including the White House). All three invasions were utimately repelled by American forces.

Much of the conflict throughout the war took place on the water - especially the Great Lakes - including Lake Ontaio, Lake Erie, and the Saint Lawrence river. There are many historical sites, battle re-enactments, and museums in the area that commemorate the war of 1812. Land battles, on the other ahnd, tended to occur in the mid-Atlantic and the South. For example, American forces manhandled British troops and allies at the battle of New Orleans on the Chalmette battlefield. American forces had similar success at the Battle of Baltimore of 1814 (where the bombardment of Fort McHenry inspired the lyrics of "The Star-Spangled Banner"). When the two sides signed the treaty of Ghent in 1814, ushering in 200 straight years of peace, both the USA and Canada had undergone significant transformations for the better. New senses of nationalism and non-partisanship dominated the era, which today is regarded as "The Era of Good Feelings." Many of the events and sites on this map commemorate not only the bloodshed of the War of 1812, but the prosperity that resulted from it.