War of 1812
Overview
 
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and those of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...

 of American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, British support of American Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 tribes against American expansion, and over national honour after humiliations on the high seas.
Timeline

1812    War of 1812: U.S. President James Madison asks the Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom.

1812    War of 1812: The U.S. Congress declares war on the United Kingdom.

1812    War of 1812: Great Britain revokes the restrictions on American commerce, thus eliminating one of the chief reasons for going to war.

1812    War of 1812: the United States invade Canada at Windsor, Ontario.

1812    War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.

1812    War of 1812: American frigate ''USS Constitution'' defeats the British frigate ''HMS Guerriere'' off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada earning her nickname "Old Ironsides".

1812    War of 1812: The Siege of Fort Harrison begins when the fort is set on fire.

1812    War of 1812: The Siege of Fort Wayne begins when Chief Winamac's forces attack two soldiers returning from the fort's outhouses.

1812    War of 1812: A supply wagon sent to relieve Fort Harrison is ambushed in the Attack at the Narrows.

1812    War of 1812: A second supply train sent to relieve Fort Harrison is ambushed in the Attack at the Narrows.

 
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