In the United States, battles such as the Battle of New Orleans of 1815 and the Battle of Baltimore of 1814 (which inspired the lyrics of the United States national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner") produced a sense of euphoria over this "Second War of Independence" against Great Britain. It ushered in the "Era of Good Feelings" in which partisan animosity nearly vanished.

For Canadians, the War of 1812 does not figure as large on the national landscape, but still represents a rich historical moment steeped in both fact and myth, complete with heroes and villains, glorious victories and disastrous defeats. While the conflict did not predestine the emergence of Canada as a nation, outcomes like the sustained sovereignty of British North America and the collaborative experience of resisting American forces would eventually help to feed Canada’s transition from British colony to dominion to independent nation.

English colonists, French Canadiens and Native Americans alike recognized that American invasion threatened their own independence and way of life. They had good reason to fret: the United States continued to expand relentlessly southward and westward throughout the nineteenth century, eventually annexing Hawaii and the Philippines by century's end.

The War of 1812 was hard fought on both sides for two more years, over which time some of Canada’s proudest moments arose. The hard lessons learned in the War further strengthened the physical and economic ties between Upper and Lower Canada, promoting greater colonial unity. More viscerally, the conflict spawned shared stories and heroes that represent a common thread in the histories of all of Canada’s founding peoples.

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Packaging

Complete Certificate Text

2012: Bicentennial of the War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a fundamental turning point in Canada’s history: it profoundly influenced British North America’s (Canada’s) sense of identity and united French settlers, English settlers, Indigenous communities, farmers, soldiers, artisans, and others, in an effort to preserve their ways of life from American invasion.

From the struggle emerged exceptional accounts of some of Canada’s proudest moments. These stories and the heroes that arose from them, exemplified the extraordinary characteristics required to defend British North America, and have become important symbols and enduring narratives in the history and evolution of today’s Canada.

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Victory on the High Seas: HMS Shannon

The Leda-class frigate, HMS Shannon, was launched from Frindsbury, England, in 1806. Captain Philip Broke led his vessel to many victories against the French during the Napoleonic Wars. When tensions between England and America rose in the autumn of 1811, HMS Shannon sailed to North America.

Captain Broke was a highly disciplined leader who rigorously trained his crew for battle. As a result, HMS Shannon was successful in battle against a number of American ships during the war. But at a time when Royal Navy morale was weakening in the face of endless fighting, including five important losses, Captain Broke sought to defeat a large American frigate in order to raise morale and to stop at least one of these large American fighting ships from seizing further victories.

Having seen USS Chesapeake preparing to put to sea from Boston Harbour in June 1813, Captain Broke sent a letter of challenge to Chesapeake’s commander, Captain James Lawrence. In it, Broke challenged Lawrence and Chesapeake’s crew to meet HMS Shannon in ship-to-ship combat. In his letter to Captain Lawrence, Captain Broke taunted him, suggesting that the engagement might “console” his country and its “little navy.”

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The letter never reached Captain Lawrence, but within hours the two ships were engaged in battle nonetheless. Although equally matched in size, Shannon’s crew was smaller: 330 men to Chesapeake’s 380. In addition, Captain Broke’s men were tired, provisions were running low, and his ship was showing signs of heavy wear. Nevertheless, Captain Broke’s crew was well-drilled, extensively trained and experienced, while his American opponents were not.

Just before 6:00 p.m. on June 1, 1813, battle between HMS Shannon and USS Chesapeake began about 40 kilometres (20 nautical miles) east of Boston. The ships opened fire almost simultaneously, but the unassuming Royal Navy frigate Shannon struck first, taking out Chesapeake’s gun-ports: a tactical manoeuvre that had proven successful for Captain Broke in the past.

By 6:15 p.m., Captain Lawrence had been fatally wounded while Captain Broke had suffered a near-fatal head wound. However, the men of HMS Shannon had successfully boarded and captured USS Chesapeake. It proved to be one of the bloodiest single ship battles in any war in the age of sail and had the highest loss of life in frigate engagement during the War of 1812. Altogether, 228 men lost their lives in the intense fifteen-minute fight.

HMS Shannon escorted USS Chesapeake and her defeated crew into Halifax Harbour five days later. Captain Broke had defeated a powerful American frigate, taken it out of commission, and boosted flagging morale in the Royal Navy. Although the stalwart Captain survived his horrific wound, he never fully recovered, and never returned to active duty. He was, however, raised to the rank of baronet in September 1813.