United states Historical Society. We thank two wonderful partners for being with us today and cricks they have made to make this a successful event. We would also like to extend a special word of thanks to the company that generously overrode this. If youre with us for dinner youll receive a special gift made from kim art for this symposi symposium. Were grateful for the relationship weve had 34 years in the production of our White House Christmas ornament. This began in 1981 and a very significant part of what we do given proceeds of the sale of this ornament go to support our work with the white house. Take a moment to visit our shop, right across the courtyard behind you today as well as online at www. White house history. Org to obtain 2014 christmas ornament. Finally to White House Association in washington and those watching on cspan from across america, 14 prestigious supporters guide us through one of our most significant periods in history. To begin our full program, its my pleasure to welcome president and ceo of James Madison montpelier to present our session one apprehenders. Good afternoon. Its so wonderful to be here. I wanted to say our board chair in may joins us as many montpelier board members. I hope under the circumstances a chance to meet our leadership. Could not be more pleased to have this ton to sponsor this next two days, mr. Madisons war and the burning of washington city. Declaring war, congress and the president exercised pourt that were granted by the constitution. For our Young Country only three decades removed from war of independence. The war of 1812 tested many of the ideas in the constitution and it called upon madison to abide by limitation of powers he worked so hard to institute. As we commemorate sobering events of 1814, this panel will be shedding light on scholarship and ideas about origins and outcomes of the war. Fittingly i love we begin with the british context of the war. Im pleased to welcome to the program dr. Andrew lambert. Hes professor of naval history at Kings College in london. In addition to writing about british strategy and technology, hes the author of an Award Winning volume on the war titled the challenge, britain against america in the naval war of 1812. It was just honored with the anderson award. If i can have you help me join in welcoming dr. Lambert to the podium. [ applause ] have you very much for extremely kind introduction. The war of 1812 is somewhat ironic back home. We didnt know it happened. Its a great honor to be here today. My thanks to the team at White House Historical association and all that managed to put this esplanade it event together. Its important when viewing great events of National History to take a look outside and to see what everybody else is doing at the same time where this particular set of events in this country fits into the picture. The war of 1812 in World History and to put that relationship between britain and america in 1812. The war of 1812 presented problems for both side of the atlantic. In the United StatesJames Madison decision for war split the country. A conflict of economic interests. South and west welcomed it as an opportunity for territorial expansion and address of other significant internal issues. News of the war reached a British Government which had recently been reconstructed, Prime Minister shot in the house of commons and replacement liverpool was not thought to be destined for a longterm in office. In fact, he would last 15 years, Prime Minister, but nobody knew that at the time. He was not thought to be a great leader, an inspiring figure. He was not a man with a command of the rhetoric of parliament or, indeed, a public person ark, a heroic figure but he turned out to be a very good manager of a cabinet at a time they needed management because the king, zi king of this cunning george i country, george iii plunging intonro madness. We needed a leader that solid, reliable and turned out to be that man. The tenth year in the conflict with napoleon bon mart. War broke out in 1803. Issues many and various but waging war against greatest warrior in American History for a decade. They had managed motte to lose partly was they lived on an island. They had optimism the war of 1812 would end well. Lat major victory, battle of trafalgar, since then hung around the mountains knows french and hoping the rest would realize being ruled by france was a bad idea. Some europeans had seen this but not all of them. They were not especially worried by american declaration of war. The United States was quite a small country, had relatively limited resources and no great reputation for having a large and powerful army or large navy either. What the british were worried about was additional strain on already seriously overstretched resources. I show you this to remind people that the Louisiana Purchase was transformational for the United States it turns a country which looks to the atlantic to one that looks to the rest of the contine continent. Not just west but north and south as well. The war between britain and america was, of course, a consequence of the anglo french war, britains strategy of locating europe with extreme legal measures that brought on the clash with the United States. After the destruction of his navy at trafalgar, napoleon instituted a total war against britain. His strategy was to exclude British Trade from europe and try to bankrupt the british. Napoleon understood the basis of british power was notaeo men, armies or even fleets, it was trade and money. If napoleon could break british economy, britain would surrender. His continental system would harness european continent in a war against britain. They would exclude all British Trade from europe on penalty of seizure and destruction. The british counterblockade did exactly the reverse. It cut europe off from the rest of the world. Europeans had to fight 12 year long war without coffee and there were a few other things they missed as well. British counterblockade cut europe off from africa, asia and americas and fundamentally threatened americas economic development. From 1803 to 1812 american shippers, merchants and traders made a lot of money being the last carrier, last country that could carry goods from french to europe through the british blockade. They were also trading with the british. Neither the british nor the french treated the americans particularly kindly. The british would arrest their ships and send them before a court and napoleon simply burned them. But the American Government thought napoleon was less dangerous than the british. Or indeed, less dangerous to their interests. The continental system, not this continent but the european continent, was beginning to destroy the economies of other european states. Napoleon protected france from the economic war by asset stripping all of the conquered territories. First country to rebel would be russia. Napoleons only serious ally and a Major Trading nation with a big export trade geared towards supplying british market. Inside continental system from 1807 to 1811, russia saw her economy collapse. Being part of napoleons team was very bad for your business. In 1811, the czar of russia, alexander realized if he carried on like this, his country would be bankrupt and he would follow his father to an early grave. The last time russia made war on britain, the czar was murdered and they changed the government. Basically most of the landowners in russia relied on selling goods to the british to pay their bills. The czar decided bankruptcy and debt was slightly less bad than being invade by napoleon but only slightly. Even as the war of 1812 is about to start, the cracks in napoleons system are becoming quite fundamental but the british havent yet seen the future. 1811, the longrunning interchange of arguments reached a high point with the incident between u. S. President and little belt. The little belt is the small one with the union flag. A case of mistaken identity according to john rogers, a case of deliberate aggression according to Arthur Bingham who commanded the little belt. But british, far too busy doing other things. In 1811, 1812, napoleon beginning to gear up for russia, the Great Campaign that will decide outcome of the conflict in europe. The war depends on the french winning. If russia collapses back into the continental system, napoleon dominant in europe, what possible hope have they got of carrying on. They will have to make terms. It will be possible then to negotiate with them on a range of issues. But the british wouldnt surrender to napoleon, little known to James Madison. The main british Army Fighting successfully in spain and duke of wellington and royal navy protecting global trade. The british had no spare ships, men or money to fight a war with anybody else. Indeed, during the war of 1812 British Military effort on land and sea was rarely more than 7 of their land and sea forces. They simply didnt have any more to spare. They didnt have a choice. That was all their was. British defensive, largely reactive. Americans had the initiative. They chose where to fight and how to fight. As we know, the United States opened a conflict with what should have been a threepronged defensive and what is now canada and a surge of warships and privateers in the western atlantic to cut britains Economic Life lines. The canadian frontier became the main military theater. For three years heavily outnumbered british regulars, canadian militia and warriors defended the border. To meet attacks british shifted some troops into the canadian theater. They came from the west indies, not from europe. The british moved no soldiers from the european theater until after the napoleon conflict. As long as napoleon remained in power, british strategy would be defensive. The border did not move. This was a longrunning but ultimately stalemated conflict. This left the Madison Administration with an alternative strategy, the destruction of british floating trade and wrecking of britains economy. Strategy relied on private earring. United states navy was too small to do this. It needed assistance of a large number of privately owned and operated licensed predators. The british response to the american declaration of war, canadian frontier was the appointment of vice admiral seen here with his red sash on. A diplomat, highly successful naval operator, he was sent to command the entire theater with powers to negotiate an armistice and early return. That is what the britains wanted. Are the americans serious about this war. Are they not prepared to think about this and go back to business as usual. Warrens job was to do everything but wage war, until he knew americans were absolutely determined on fighting. His command stretched from new finland to mexico and hampered by inadequate means, Poor Communications and very limited support from his home government. His defense of british shipping in the atlantic would determine the outcome of the war, but only after the americans declared they were desperately serious about waging it. Only then could he turn defense into offense imposing a devastating economic blockade that simply treated the United States as another part of napoleons continental system, something to be blockaded and economically ruined. Initially, a shortage of ships and limited rules of engagement hampered warrens business. But even in late 1812, he began the difficult job of capturing and incarcerating american privateer fleet. As they filled with sailors, the privateer fleet would begin to falter. Five months after war did warren learn americans were determined to continue the conflict. He was then tasked with setting up system to protect shipping from new world to old, caribbean and british north america into british ports. By this stage over 150 british merchant ships had already been captured and more privateers were fitting out. There was money to be made in private earring. It was an attractive option. London underestimating the scale of the threat and ignorant of the length and complexity of the United States coastline sent in very few resources. What they did send initially were not of the first quality. They woke up when the United States navy won three shattering victories over the royal navy. These successes in the autumn of 1812 made the British Government pay attention. Here we see a constitution taking guerriere in the wonderful picture which manages to disguise the key fact of the battle. The gerrier only twothirds of the firepower and twothirds the crew. If the american captain lost the battle, he would have made a very poor showing indeed. Thats not the story that and in the republican newspapers. Second battle, macedonia was embarrassing, british captain was blind and a fool. Put up a very creditable fight against, once gena far bigger american ship. The two defeats were neither dishonorable or especially disadvantageous. The british quickly got their crew back. The one thing they were shot of was sailors as we know from prewar impressment, american ships won the battles instead of carrying on to destroy british merchant ships had to go home from winning repairs. For the cost of winning some glory, the americans had ruined their mission. As was said, these were strategically irrelevant victories but did provide government, which had a lot to explain, with some very useful propaganda. The fact the administration had hamstrung the navy for 12 years, it made it all more ironic it was the navy that rode to their rescue. British government belatedly ordered reprisals against United States on the 3rd of october, 1812, news that didnt reach the new world until the end of november. November 21st, British Government imposed strict and rigorous on the delaware river. The british Read Division list of congress. They knew who voted for war and who didnt. If your congress voted for war, british blockaded you and attacked you. If your congressman didnt vote for war, what was left to lurn. The best way to defeat the enemy, divide and conquer, not overwhelm. A history of overwhelming anybody. Furthermore, northeastern providing huge amounts of resource for british war effort in spain in particular and duke of wellington eight american grown grain. Food supplies crossed into north america. Good people of vermont fed the british army encanada for the entire war. To their enormous profit one has to understand. Critically economic blockade finally established eight months after the war had begun. They had been a golden eight months in which it was operating both peace and war at the same time. Ultimately this blockade would be the decisive strategy. It would break american economy, bankrupt the state and leave it unable to borrow money or raise credit internally or internationally. United states would run out of money. Money, money, and more money. When you run out of that, you have to stop fighting. Theres the constitution unlike the picture, this is by a british artist. It gets the scales of the ships, well [ laughter ] thats actually not quite as accurate as it might be. The java was a little bigger than that. It does look like the constitution is shooting at a rowing boat. The decisive battle of the war of 1812 happened september 1812, battle of bar dino. Youre familiar with it. One of the great moments, enough to write a vast symphonic work, a significant novel and bring down a great emperor. On a single fieldwork on this day of battle more russians died than were killed or died of illness in the whole war of 1812 on all sides. This really was a titanic clash of two emperors and two vast armies numbering close on 200,000 men each. The war of 1812 would not be fought by armies of 200,000 men. Wouldnt be fight by 200,000 men all tolled. This also took the pressure off britain and released naval reinforcements from fleet, an important fleet keeping baltic open for trade for the previous five years. Those ships and key personnel were moved across to the north american station. The british very carefully picked out the right ships and right officers to send to blockade United States, best men, many of them proteges of nelson, many we come to. Furthermore with British Trade open, british didnt need to buy grain from russians anymore. Russians had plenty of grain. It was a lot closer to britain. By the summer of 1813, vast british battleships and numerous frigates available to blockade boston, chesapeake. United states navy would find it very difficult to get to sea and the privateers would not find it easy to attack well organized and protected british convoys. Among the men mo ho would arrive in 1813, none more famous or relevant to this conference than a man made captain by nelson, picked out by one of the stars of the future by the great man himself. He was sent over here to take the offensive onto the american coast and accelerate peace. We know what he did. His reinforcements enabled warren to impose naval blockade for the entire american coast in 1813, pinning frigates in boston and new york. This meant threats to convoys was merely from privateers. A convey with a frigate alongside was safe from american predation. New york, the largest american port producing onequarter of the National Revenue from customs due was closed. The revenue was drying out because most federal revenue came from import and export dues. State revenue fell to catastrophic levels. It was impossi