Introduction

The War Of 1812 was fought between the United States and the British Colonies of Upper and Lower Canada. The war was fought on four fronts ( Niagara, Detroit, Kingston and St. Lawrence ). The biggest part of the war was on the Niagara frontier where it was the easiest way for the Americans to invade Canada. The Americans eventually were able to control Lake Erie because Niagara Falls prevented the British Royal Navy from entering the lake. They won the lake over in the battle of Lake Erie ( Put-In Bay ). Half way through the war the Americans stopped pressing attacks on the St. Lawrence frontier after they were humiliated at the battle of Cryslers Farm.There were also many pointless raids the Americans launched just to destroy towns that they thought had weapons, ammunition's and armouries. They really just ended up destroying lots of houses and killing livestock, like in the Raid Of Port Dover. The War Of 1812

The Battle Of Lake Erie

The battle of Lake Erie was fought on the 10th of September 1813, in Lake Erie off the coast of Ohio during The War Of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of Great Britain's Royal Navy. This ensured American control over the lake for the rest of the war, which in turn allowed the Americans to recover Detroit and win the battle of the Thames to break the Native Confederation of Tecumseh. It was one of the biggest naval battles of the war of 1812. At the beginning of the battle (the first shot was fired at 11:45am) the two British large ships, Detroit (British Flagship) and Queen Charlotte destroyed the American flagship (Lawrence). Sadly after this the Detroit and Queen Charlotte collided making them unmanageable for the rest of the battle. They were unable to prevent the other smaller British ships from being captured. Around 3:00pm after the crews of the Detroit and Queen Charlotte untangled themselves, they found themselves surrounded and unable to resist the American fleet. The British and American commanders were Robert Heriot Barclay (British) and Oliver Hazard Perry (American). Casualties: The British had 41 killed and 94 wounded. There were 306 survivors including the wounded. Captain Barclay who previously lost his right arm in 1809 lost a leg and part of his thigh in the action, while his remaining arm was rendered permanently motionless. The Americans had 27 killed and 96 wounded, two of whom later died.                                                                                                                 The Battle Of Lake Erie

The Battle Of Cryslers Farm

The battle of Cryslers Farm was fought on November 11, 1813. The battle was fought between William Mulcaster (British) and John Parker Boyd (Americans). It was cold and raining though the rain later eased. Firing broke out in two places. On the river, Mulcaster`s gunboats started firing at American gunboats clustered at Cooks Point, while a Mohawk fired a shot at the American patrol scouting near the British encampment, who replied with a yell. Half a dozen Canadian militia dragoons bolted to the main British force calling that the Americans were attacking. The British force dropped their half cooked breakfast and formed up, which caused the American sentries to report that the British were attacking and forced the Americans in turn to form up and stand to arms. Boyd did not order an assault until the middle of the afternoon. He ordered Lieutenants Ripley and Coles to advance along the edge of the woods on the left, but they were attacked by British regulars and were forced to retreat. Boyd could not bring all six American guns into action until his infantry were already falling back. When they started firing, Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey ordered the 49th British division to capture them. They attacked to no avail. The rest of the Americans then attacked the exposed side of the 49th but failed even after two more attempts. The Americans were now in full retreat, but the British did not stand down from the battle stations for some time, thinking that the Americans would attack again. This was the last battle in the War of 1812 on the St. Lawrence frontier. The British had around 900 regular soldiers and Militia, they had 31 casualties, 148 wounded and 13 missing. The Americans had around 8000 regulars, but only 2500 to 4000 engaged. They had 102 casualties, 237 wounded and 120 captured ( Battle Of Cryslers Farm monument above).                The battle of Cryslers Farm

Raid On Port Dover

The raid on Port Dover took place between the 14th and 16th of May in 1812. Port Dover was completely destroyed by 750 United States troops led by commander John B. Campbell. The only resistance they met was a few scattered militiamen and British regulars. When Campbell and his men landed near Port Dover there was a small skirmish between American militiamen and some Canadian militiamen who were trying to remove goods from a storehouse. The next day they marched into the village of Dover, where they drew up in a formal line of battle (although there was no opposition). They set fire to all of the homes and buildings in the town, only allowing the women and children to collect a few small belongings. They also needlessly slaughtered animals. Some of the other American officers were mad at Campbell and they prompted the United States army to hold a court. It was concluded that Campbell was justified into burning the mills and distilleries which might have been used to supply flour and spirits to British troops, and that some of the nearby buildings were unavoidably involved.

Resources ( Bibliography )

Photographs: 1. The War Of 1812,  Web site design and hosting donated by PIVOT.ca. Title of website, Musee Missisquoi Museum. Website address: http://www.museemissisquoi.ca/a2.html. Created in 2007.

                              2. The Battle Of Lake Erie, from  William H. Powell. Title of website, Visit Surin. Website Address: http://www.visitsurin.com/?mo=3&art=559581. Copyright 2005-2012.


                              
                              3. Memorial Monument: Battle of Crysler's Farm, from US Public Domain. Title of website, War of 1812 Bicentennial. Website address: http://www.warof1812-bicentennial.info/imagedesc/cryslers_farm_monument_ucv_24.php. Published in 1960, last update: May 15, 2012.

                                
                              4. Campbell's Raid, Port Dover, Ontario, Photo by J. Gray. Title of website, Canadian Military. Website address:  http://www.canadianmilitary.page.tl/Plaques.htm. Posted ?

                                 5. British brig The Frolic, battles the American cruiser, The Wasp. From ? Title of website, IRK.EM. Website address: http://www.irk.fm/vera/photo/1/?ok?ok. May 23 2012.
                                     

                                                                                                 Videos:         1. A production of WNED-TV, Buffalo/Toronto and Florentine Films/Hott Productions Inc. Title: The War Of 1812 ( Trailer ). Published April 27th 2011.



                    2. By: Hickey, Donald. Title: The War Of 1812. Private site. Made on ?



                              3. By: Hickey, Donald. Title: The War Of 1812. Private site. Made on ?




Websites:    1. By the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Title: The Battle Of Lake Erie. Website address: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lake_Erie. The page was last modified on May 8, 2012 at 18:38.




                             2. By the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Title: The Battle of Cryslers Farm. Website address:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Crysler's_Farm. The page was last modified on May 22, 2012 at 13:11.



                     3.  By the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Title: Raid On Port Dover. Website address: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Port_Dover. The page was last modified on May 9, 2012 at 12:48.