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First and foremost was the Secure the Duke's of Wellington's wheat supplies for his troops. Ever since the Duke first arrived in Spain he had to secure his supplies lines, and that meant the wheat for the bread for his men. The Wheat came from New England. Thus when the War of 1812 started the British Blockade started in the American South and worked its way North, but even as late as 1814 American Ships were shipping out of New England Harbors and when sighted by British war ships, those British Warships would run them down, and then escort the American Ships and their Valuable cargo of Wheat to Spain and then back to New England to get a new Shipment of Wheat.
Second, was to preserve as much as possible the independence of the Indians of the American Northwest (As that term was used at that time period, i.e. the US Middle west. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and the the surrounding areas. Furs were still a hot commodity in Europe (and would remain so till Silk hats replaced them in the 1840s which lead to the decline in the Fur Trade in the US). Beavers were still considered the best material hats could be made out of (do to the fact Beaver skins are waterproof and lightweight (The invention of the umbrella had a lot to do with silk becoming the hat material of men in the 1840s, with an umbrella you no longer needed the water protection of a beaver skin). The fur Trade (mostly Beavers) was highly profitable and had been since Beavers were almost made extinct in the 1500s by the growth in demands for Beaver hats in the 1500s, which did not end till the 1840s). Thus the Second goal of Britain during the war of 1812 (and the primary goal of Britain from the end of the Revolution till the Duke of Wellington needed New England Wheat) was control of the Fur Trade. The French had controlled it via Quebec before 1759 and after 1763 that was transferred to the British out of Quebec. Settlement of the Mid-West interfered with the Fur Trade so the British support Indian opposition to west ward movement of Settlers. Tecumseh became the focus point of this opposition starting about 1800, and he received full British Support for his movement for an Indians Federation (Through only if the Federation was on land granted to the US by the Treaty of Peace of 1783). In 1805 Tecumseh's brother religious settlement had been destroyed in the Battle of Tippecanoe but Tecumseh movement was able to revive his movement and when the New Madrid earthquake hit in 1811, Tecumseh said it was a sign of the Great Spirit for the Indians to unite and drive out the Whites (With Support from the British). Notice the US was at peace at this time, but that ended within a year as the Congressmen from the West demanded action against the British for their support of the Indians. Yes, Congress claimed it went to war to protect American Sailors, but mos such Sailors were New Englanders, and New England opposed the War. The Midwest congressmen, with no coast line at all in their districts and not sailors, voted to a man for war to protect these Sailors. The real reason was to destroy Tecumseh's supply bases and those bases were in Ontario.
Just think about it, a second rate power (and that is all the US was in 1812, if it was that powerful) went to war with the Greatest Power in the World (England) over that Power's demand that they have the right to trade with people living in the another country, even if that trade consisted of arms and ammunition to be used against that country.
One more comment, do not bring up the contribution of Canada in the war of 1812. When the British took Ft. Detroit early in the Conflict, the Canadian Militia was dressed up in the Uniform of the British army and the American Commander assuming their were regulars not Militia pulled out of Detroit. British War Gamers who studied this conflict have commented the British had to be thank fold for that, for most of the War Gamers who have really studied this conflict do not think the Canadian Militia would have put up to much of a fight. When this British Invasion was repulsed by the US and the US Invaded Ontario the forces meet on the banks of the Thames river. The Battle is interesting, the Canadian Militia was present but conspicuous by it lack of being used by the British or attacked by the Americans. The Native American and British forces fought well. One War Gamer pointed out that the best explanation for both sides ignoring the Canadian Militia was twofold, the British called them up but dare NOT send them back home fearing their will join their relatives in the American Army, and the American Ignored them for their had intelligence (based on relatives visiting each other during the invasion) that the Canadian militia did NOT want to fight (Most farmers of Ontario had moved from New England after the Revolution during the tough time of the 1790s, they had to swear allegiance to the crown, but almost all of them had fought against the Crown in 1775-1783, on the other hand the leadership and certain key troops had been American Loyalists in the Revolution, thus more willing to fight the American Invaders, but this combination made the Militia unusable and thus ignored by both sides in the Battle of the Thames).
As to the French Canadians, the US raised three Regiments of Infantry out of Quebec during the Revolution, by the time of the war of 1812 the British were NOT going to arm any Frenchmen unless they had to. Given that New England oppose the war no invasion of Quebec occurred thus the only real fights were in Ontario, off the eastern Seaboard (After Napoleon was defeated and sent to Alba but before the Hundred days) and New Orleans.
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