Overcoming the Odds

During the first year and a half of the War of 1812 the United States Army fought with little success against a professional British Army and Canadian Militia who lacked troops and supplies due to the ongoing Napoleonic Wars. In October 1813 Great Britain's allies had defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig. With victory in Europe behind them, the British began diverting battle proven troops and supplies to North America. The perception of this policy changed the complexion of the war to heavily favor the British in numbers of experienced and battle hardened troops. By comparing the Ninth and Tenth Military Districts the question this study will investigate is, "How did the United States Army prepare to face the Napoleonic War veteran British Army during the last year (1814) of the American War of 1812?" The two factors that were most imposing on them during this preparatory phase, besides the enemy, were support and political-military relationships. Critical to this study is the political--military relationship between the Secretary of War and his military district commanders. Additionally, the War of 1812 will be used as an example to help the United States understand and gain insights from history about how to initiate homeland defense today.