Im british and i agree with you, i would say that we won if we had taken back large amounts of land and caused large economical damage, but we respected that the US was an actual nation not just a colony anymore.

I think its pretty obvious who won that one. It had nothing to do with Canada. That was just a bonus that we lost. Our whole intent was to secure our validity on the high seas, which we did. After war of 1812, England no longer abducted our sailores and impressed them. Thats why we went to war in the first place. Nowhere in the declaration of war does it talk about canada, that was just a strategic bonus. However, the addressing to congress does mention over and over again about the impressment of our sailors. And yes, the brits did burn down DC , but nobody above has mentioned the fact that a handful of Baltimore militia withstood the heaviest naval bombardment in the history of naval warfare up to that time. That I believe, was the biggest battle of the war for the Americans. It not only was a huge strategic victory, but also a huge morale builder. If Baltimore fell, America probably would have lost the war.

Who won the war ???
Well, the easiest way to find out is to look at the war aims of both nations at the start of the war.

The USA went into the war with two goals--one spoken and the other under the table. The US wanted to end British impressment of American sailors and many in Congress saw this as a chance to gain Canada and Spanish Florida which was under British protection at the time(Henry Clay and the War Hawk faction) .

Britain entered the war simply because it was attacked. The only war aim it had was to defend itself and its possessions

There is absolutely no mention of impressment in the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812. The British refused to discuss it, and the Americans went along. British policy on the rights of neutral shipping and sailors, although by Ghent almost a dead issue, did not change in the least.( The war with France was over, Britain no longer needed to impress US sailors or seize US ships )
The official American war aim was not met.

The existence of Canada also shows what happened with the 'other' US war aim.

Thus the US had a reason in starting the war and failed to gain it.

The British, who didn't really want to fight the USA in the first place, came out of the war without giving up a thing.

These facts point to only one conclusion.

The War of 1812 was a defeat for the USA.

Originally Posted by Shadowalker

Im british and i agree with you, i would say that we won if we had taken back large amounts of land and caused large economical damage, but we respected that the US was an actual nation not just a colony anymore.

In the over all scheme of things...that was the most important victory immaginable...respect from the one power that could and did define what a new country could be in the world order of its day. And Great Britain was the most modern, technologically advanced civilization of its era. maybe reconition was not gleaned from this war..but certainly continued .as we entered into negotiations for peace..and not surrender terms.

i think canada won in a way we burned the white house

Canada won. Plain and simple. We drove the US out of Canada, and burned down the white house. The reason why it's not publicized very well at all, is because the U.S> does a good job of covering up it's defeats.

I do not think the burning of a government building constitutes the winning of a war. If I remember correctly, the British did not stick around Washington DC.

Then there is the fact that Jackson smashed the British at New Orleans. The war may have been over then, but the troops on both sides had not received the word yet.

Originally Posted by Trevor

Canada won. Plain and simple.

This appears to be the universal belief of Canadians. BTW, Canadians are the only ones that believe that anybody clearly won that war. Its a fact I find to be odd.

We drove the US out of Canada, and burned down the white house.

Actually, that was the British, not the Canadians. I'm sure the Canadians helped where they could, but Canada technically did not exist as an independent country yet, nor would they for a very long time. As an ideal (the Monroe Doctrine), the United States saw "liberating" Cananda as a secondary goal of the war, but it was never attempted with any enthusiasm by the United States. Frankly, it was only ever tried half-ass.

The reason why it's not publicized very well at all, is because the U.S> does a good job of covering up it's defeats.

And Canada appears to need SOMETHING they can call a victory in a war, so they apparently take credit for British success in the War of 1812 and call it their own. Then they say they won it, whereas the Brits never claimed to have won at all. That seems strange to me.

Consider that during the peace negotiations, the consessions were not exactly severe on either side. Britain agreed to stop capturing US sailors and forcing them into their navy and agreed to respect the United States territorial borders. The disputed borders were clearly defined.

Isn't it strange that the traditional role of War Reparations, loss of territory, etc was not filled by the United States nor was it filled by Great Britain. In almost all cases, peace negotions of the time undertook to punish the loser in some form. The lack of this happening to either side is the strongest case for saying that the War of 1812 was a draw. To the victor goes the spoils they say, so what were the spoils?

That's how american textbooks put it, which have no interest in the rest of the world other than the U.S. itself. And in this poll, how can anyone say the U.S. won? Last time I checked, retreating was not a sign of victory. Sheer Ignorance. 1812 is not only Canada's war vitcory. Vimy Ridge, and Juno Beach on D-Day to name a few.

actually, I read a good piece on the War of 1812 written by a British author. The book was called Impossible Victories. The book contained the campaign into Canada in 1814 by the Americans. The author commended the Americans in the campaign for fighting so well against the British. That is where I got my info for my first post in this topic.

My point is that some Americans look farther into history than our own US history books (NOT TEXT BOOKS). To get closer to the truth, one must cast away history text books. Here are my views on the matter
http://www.military-quotes.com/forum...pic.php?t=3941

SGT Doody