War on Land

Battle of New Orleans by Dennis Malone Carter (1820–1881?)

The land battles of the War of 1812—while small in comparison to the Napoleonic Wars—ranged over a vast continent; from New Orleans to Horseshoe Bend in central Alabama, to Tippecanoe in the Indiana Territory, Detroit in the Michigan Territory, the Niagara frontier, and Lower Canada at the Battle of Châteauguay.

The American conquest of Canada would not be, as Thomas Jefferson had claimed, “a mere matter of marching.” Under capable officers, like Major General Isaac Brock, the British offered stout resistance. They were aided by Canadians who fought bravely in defense of their homeland. In addition, many Indian nations, under such gifted leaders as Tecumseh and John Norton, aligned with Great Britain, and significantly affected the course of the war.

With the command of new officers such as Brigadier General Winfield Scott and Major General Jacob Brown, American regular forces made rapid improvements, both in the quality of their officers and the discipline and courage of their soldiers. The abject surrender of the elderly Brigadier General William Hull at Detroit in August 1812 would be more than compensated for by the bravery of a new generation of officers at Chippawa and Lundy’s Lane in July 1814.

Of the battles fought on American soil, the disastrous Battle of Bladensburg followed by the burning of Washington, the defense of Fort McHenry, and the final victory at New Orleans captured the attention of contemporaries. While Britain lost some of its finest officers, Robert Ross at North Point and Edward Pakenham at New Orleans, on the American side young officers such as Winfield Scott, William Henry Harrison, and Andrew Jackson attained enormous popularity. 

Teachers, use this website to help teach your students. Lesson plans available for grades 4 - 12.
Read More →

Thumbnail image

William Henry Harrison 1773–1841
Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860)
Oil on canvas, c. 1813
Read More →

Thumbnail image

Dying Tecumseh
Ferdinand Pettrich (1798–1872)
Marble with painted copper alloy tomahawk, 1856
Read More →

Thumbnail image

Tenskwatawa (The Prophet) 1768–1837
Henry Inman (1801–1846), after Charles Bird King
Oil on canvas, c. 1830–33
Read More →

Thumbnail image

Winfield Scott 1786–1866
William Rush (1756–1833)
Plaster, c. 1814
Read More →

Thumbnail image

George Cockburn 1772–1853
John James Halls (1776–1834)
Oil on canvas, c. 1817
Read More →

Thumbnail image

Robert Ross 1766–1814
Unidentified artist
Oil on canvas, c. 1815
Read More →

Samuel Smith 1752–1839
Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828)
Oil on canvas, c. 1800
Read More →

British officer’s drawing of the Battle of Bladensburg
Unidentified artist
Graphite and wash on paper, 1814
Read More →

Battle of New Orleans
Dennis Malone Carter (1820–1881?)
Oil on canvas, 1856
Read More →

Andrew Jackson 1767–1845
Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827)
Oil on canvas, 1819
Read More →

Jean Laffite(?) 1780?–1826?
Unidentified artist
Oil on canvas, early nineteenth century
Read More →