How was the British invasion into the US successful in the War of 1812?
My friend and I are from Britain and we were discussing which country was the least likely to ever see a successful invasion attempt. We reached the conclusion that the United States was simply the most difficult. There are two oceans on either side, with a navy unparalleled, and an airforce equally incomparable, massive swaths of difficult terrain to the north and south, and hundreds of millions of guns in the hands of citizens, militias, and very large gangs.
Because we reached this conclusion, we started wondering how the British were successful in the War of 1812.
Now, I'm not completely ahistoric here, as I know the United States had an extremely small force of men to defend themselves while we were an unimaginably large empire; but, nevertheless, I cannot imagine that it simply comes down to superior military numbers and equipment. How did they handle the mostly uninhabited terrain, and the native tribes bombarding them? And how was this feasible at all given that they were at war with France?
To start, it was not that “successful” since little was changed or gained by this war. However, there were some successes and advantages of the British.
The war was not popular or well supported by many Americans (especially in the North). They did not have the cause and passion that they did in the war for independence.
Canadian militias were defending their homeland from Americans at the border.
The British Navy was strong and was able to blockage the American east coast and block trade.
The British had the help of thousands of Native Americans who had knowledge of the terrain and ambushed Americans in the west.
Due to lack of support but members of the Congress and American government, American struggled to distribute funds properly to fund the war.
US Army was small and much fighting fell on militias who were poorly trained and lacked experience and will when fighting outside their home state.
