During the War of 1812, the inland seas of North America—the Great Lakes—were the setting for major maritime operations. Both Britain and the United States devoted tremendous energy and resources to creating naval forces on the lakes as water provided the best means of transporting and supplying land forces. Naval bases sprung up almost overnight and ship construction was maintained at a dizzying pace. At the outbreak of war, the U.S. had exactly one warship on the Great Lakes, a 16-gun vessel on Lake Ontario. By 1814, it had 28 major warships, the largest mounting 58 guns. The Royal Navy expanded in a similar proportion. In 1814 the U.S. Navy constructed and commissioned a warship on Lake Champlain in the amazing time of 33 days, while Britain built a battleship, HMS St. Lawrence, on Lake Ontario that was larger than HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar.

Last fall, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore announced the federal government would invest millions of dollars to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. That celebration, he stated, was an opportunity for all Canadians to take pride in their history and participate “in the events and activities that will mark this important anniversary for Canada.” The problem is that, with the gradual disappearance of history from school curriculums in recent decades, many Canadians today—particularly younger ones—have only the haziest of notions about the war, its causes, course and outcome. Therefore, a review of this “forgotten” conflict might be useful for those who would like a
primer on the forthcoming commemorations.