If you’re looking for an opportunity to celebrate the War of 1812 Bicentennial this summer right where it happened, national parks from New Orleans to Michigan have special programs planned to help you discover the stories behind the battles.
Learn about the historic Chesapeake Campaign by following a developing national historic trail in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail traces major events and routes from the campaign, which took place in 1814 at the height of the three-year war.
A center of trade and commerce and the seat of the federal government, the Chesapeake Bay region became a significant British military target during the War of 1812. The British navy blockaded the bay in 1813, cutting off international trade, shipbuilding and other forms of maritime commerce in this critical time of commercial development for the young American nation.
In particular, the city of Baltimore became a center of all kinds of wartime activity, especially the building of privateers—private ships hired by the American navy to attack its enemies by sea. Here stands Fort McHenry National Monument, the star fort that served as Baltimore’s primary defense throughout the war. Shortly after the Battle of Baltimore on September 13 and 14, 1814, a witness to the battle, the young lawyer Francis Scott Key, wrote the poem that would become the national anthem of the United States
Not far away, in the new nation’s capital in the District of Columbia, only a few buildings stood in what would become a tightly developed Capital District. When the British invaded in August 1814, they burned the President’s House, the Capitol Building, the Treasury Building and several other structures. They celebrated their triumph at Sutter’s Inn, where the White House Visitor Center now stands.
The War of 1812 extended well beyond the famous conflicts of the Chesapeake region, reaching deep into the Great Lakes with battles over Midwestern cities and territories. The national parks preserve this history at River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Michigan, and at Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial near Toledo, Ohio.
The Battle at River Raisin pitted Native Americans, British and French fighting forces against a division of the Kentucky infantry in a fight for dominion over the Great Lakes. While the Kentuckians lost the initial battle to the British and General James Winchester surrendered to save his men from slaughter, many died the following day as the Native American forces invaded and massacred the survivors. “Remember the River Raisin!” became a rallying cry for American troops, and they returned in the spring of 1813 to run the British out of the area.
On September 13, 1813, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry commanded a fleet of ships on Lake Erie that executed a brilliant strategy and roundly defeated the British fighting fleet. The Battle of Lake Erie may be best remembered for the flag Perry hoisted over his own vessel, emblazoned with the words DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP; but the victory here went well beyond the slogan, ending the dispute over Ohio and Michigan and securing them as territories of the United States.
One battle would never have been fought at all were it not for the slow speed of early nineteenth century communications. The Battle of New Orleans, the last battle of the war, actually took place after President James Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent in Washington and ended the war late in 1814. Word did not reach General Andrew Jackson, however, so he led his troops into battle on January 8, 1815, at Chalmette Battlefield, now part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, near New Orleans. The American troops won a decisive victory over the British, but many lives were lost in this final conflict—so every year on January 8, costumed interpreters lay a wreath and conduct a memorial ceremony for the fallen soldiers.
For a complete list of bicentennial events within and beyond the National Park Service, visit the official War of 1812 Bicentennial site.
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