#ussconstitution

War of 1812

The War of 1812 (1812-1815), referred to by some contemporaries as the Second American Revolution, was fought between the United States and the United Kingdom. Often remembered only as a sideshow to the Napoleonic Wars, the war had some long-term impacts like the reduction of Native American political power and the strengthening of US and Canadian national identities.

Causes

Briefly summarized, the main causes of the War of 1812 include:

Unresolved tensions between the US and UK left over from the American Revolution.

Seizure of US merchant vessels and impressment of US sailors by the Royal Navy.

Rise of an intertribal Native American confederacy led by the Shawnee chieftain Tecumseh, backed by British agents.

The influence of the 'War Hawks', a clique of Democratic-Republican congressmen intent on driving Britain from North America, with desires of annexing British Canada.

Of these causes, the most important was the matter of impressment. Since 1793, Britain had been at war with France and often stopped and seized American vessels suspected of trading at French ports. While the French were also guilty of attacking American shipping, the British were seen as more egregious for the added layer of impressment; claiming that many American sailors were actually deserters from the Royal Navy, the British would routinely impress these sailors 'back' into service. The United States viewed this as an attack on its sovereignty, especially after American sailors were killed in the Chesapeake-Leopard affair of 1807. An outspoken group of congressmen called 'War Hawks' – notably including Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun – began to call for a 'Second War of Independence' and demand Britain be chased off the North American continent. While few openly called for the annexation of British Canada, this was certainly an outcome desired by many of the 'War Hawks'.

The Americans also accused the British of supporting a confederacy of Native American nations rising in the northwest. This confederacy was largely the work of two Shawnee brothers, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa, who believed intertribal cooperation to be the only means of resisting US encroachment on their lands. The British agents in the region supported Tecumseh; they considered an independent Native American state an excellent buffer between the US and Canada. Hoping to crush this growing threat, Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory set out to destroy the confederacy's headquarters at the village of Prophetstown. While encamped outside the town, Harrison was attacked by Tecumseh's warriors at the Battle of Tippecanoe (7 November 1811). Harrison won the battle and destroyed Prophetstown, with Tecumseh's Confederacy allying itself closer to the British.

By 1812, it was clear that the US and UK were on the brink of a war that few people actually wanted. In June, Britain decided to back down by revoking the Orders in Council that allowed for the impressment of US sailors. But it was too late – unaware of that development, US President James Madison asked Congress for a declaration of war against Britain on 18 June 1812, which was granted. This was a risky move, as the US Army was small and untrained, and its navy was hardly equal to the mighty Royal Navy. But many Americans were unconcerned, predicting a quick and easy conquest of Canada; in the words of former president Thomas Jefferson, the invasion of Canada would be nothing more difficult than 'a mere matter of marching' (Wood, 677).

Thousands wait in line to view the USS Constitution on Mare Island's north waterfront in 1933.

When “Old Ironsides” Came to Mare Island

There are moments when history doesn’t sit quietly in a museum, sometimes it sails into port.  In 1933, during the darkest years of the Great Depression, one of the most famous ships in American history entered the Mare Island Strait.  The legendary frigate USS Constitution, better known as “Old Ironsides.”

And the city of Vallejo erupted.

More than 15,000 visitors in a single day came to see her.  Restaurants ran out of food, and crowds stretched for blocks along the waterfront.

For a struggling nation, she wasn’t just a historic ship, she was proof the country had survived hard times before and would again even though country was in the depths of the Great Depression.

The Warship That Helped Create the U.S. Navy

Launched in 1797, Constitution was one of the original six frigates that formed the foundation of the United States Navy.  She fought in conflicts across the Atlantic and Mediterranean, from the Quasi-War with France to the Barbary Wars.  But it was during the War of 1812 that she became a legend.

In battle with the British frigate HMS Guerriere, British cannonballs were seen bouncing off Constitution’s thick oak hull.  A stunned sailor reportedly shouted: “Her sides are made of iron!”

And the nickname Old Ironsides was born.

Vallejo in Its Sunday Best

When Constitution visited Mare Island Naval Shipyard during her 1931–1934 National Good Will Cruise, the response was extraordinary.  Families arrived dressed in their best clothes.  People waited patiently for hours just to step aboard.

Look closely at photographs from that day:

Hats.

Coats.

This wasn’t tourism.  It was a pilgrimage.  Americans were coming to see a living symbol of their Navy.  We found a photograph of the crowds waiting to board her in my wife’s grandfather’s records.  He would have driven down to Vallejo at the height of the depression, a minimum 12-hour journey. 

The drive from Fort Bragg to Vallejo was an all‑day trek: a slow descent through the redwoods on the rough Fort Bragg–Willits Road, then south along the two‑lane Redwood Highway as it wound through Ukiah, Hopland, Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, and Petaluma, each town forcing drivers to idle down its main street before continuing on. Beyond Ignacio, the pavement thinned into county roads leading toward Napa Junction, and the final miles into Vallejo were bumpy and slow, ending at the busy waterfront where Mare Island’s cranes signaled the journey’s end.

The Gun Deck That Won a War

The guns visitors saw on the gun deck were not replicas.  They were the very type that had shattered British warships during the War of 1812. From this deck HMS Guerriere was blasted into a burning wreck.

In 1933, those same timbers and cannons sat quietly tied to the Mare Island waterfront.  History wasn’t something in a textbook.  It was right there on the pier.

A Passing of the Torch

One photograph from the visit captures something remarkable.  As Constitution departed Mare Island, another warship sat tied up behind her: The heavy cruiser USS San Francisco (CA-38).  Unlike Constitution, she was made of steel and powered by modern engines, And she had been built right here at Mare Island.

Nine years later, during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942, San Francisco would endure 45 direct hits and lose 106 sailors in what Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King called: “The most furious sea battle fought in history.” In that photograph, the old Navy of sail and the modern Navy of steel share the same harbor.  A passing of the torch of freedom.

When a Queen Stepped Aboard an Enemy

In 1976, during America’s Bicentennial celebration, an extraordinary moment occurred.  England’s Queen Elizabeth II stepped aboard USS Constitution.

Think about that for a moment.

This was the very ship that had destroyed a British warship in battle nearly two centuries earlier.  Yet here stood the British monarch walking the deck as a welcomed guest.  The moment captured something powerful about history: Former enemies can become allies.

And the ships that fought each other can become shared symbols of heritage.

Why Constitution’s Visit Mattered

Warships usually live far away.  Out on the horizon.  But at Mare Island, history came close enough to touch.

This wasn’t just any port visit, so for a short time in 1933…

The most famous warship in American history lay quietly in the waters of the Mare Island Strait.

Dennis Kelly

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England is welcomed about the USS Constitution by CDR. Tyrone G. Martin, Commanding Officer during America’s centennial celebration in 1976. It was from the decks of the Constitution that the British warship HMS Guerriere was reduced to a smoking hulk prior to sinking. It was during this battle that the Constitution earned her nickname “Old Ironsides” as Guerriere shot was observed bouncing off the sides of the Constitution.

The Constitution and Guerriere in battle during the War of 1812.

The Constitution arrives at Mare Island in 1933 for a month-long visit.

View of Constitution’s starboard battery run out in firing position.

USS Constitution in Boston, MA celebrated its 226th anniversary yesterday, marking the day October 21st, 1797 as the moment of her launching. Some thirty years ago I produced this one of a kind wood diorama of her crew members -circa the War of 1812. But prior to that she had her first engagement in Tripoli c.1805.