During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, Ohio was on the front lines in the conflict between the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

, Canadians, and the Native American allies of each side. Fighting raged in the northeastern section of the state and on the adjacent Lake Erie.

Background

War Years

1812

Beginning of the War

Ohio figured prominently in pre-war discussions about war with Britain and Canada. Should war break out, a three-pronged attack would occur from the west, the center and the east into Canada.

William Hull William Hull (June 24, 1753 – November 29, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was appointed as Governor of Michigan Territory (1805–13), gaining large land cessions from several Am ...

, the governor of the Michigan territory, who had traveled to Washington, D.C. in late 1811 for consultations, was appointed brigadier-general (in addition to his duties as territorial governor) and assigned the responsibilities of leading the North West Army to reinforce Detroit, protect Michigan, and coordinate with other expeditions. Hull's army gathered in April and May 1812, before the United States declared war on Great Britain. It was to consist of the Fourth Regiment, a regular U.S. Army unit based in Vincennes, Indiana, and three regiments of Ohio militia. These were the First Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, under Col.

Duncan McArthur Duncan McArthur (1772April 29, 1839) was a military officer and a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 11th governor of Ohio. When first elected to state office as a representative, he was serving in the ...

; the Second Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, under Col. James Findlay; and the Third Regiment, under Col. Lewis Cass. The Ohio volunteer units gathered around the small community of

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

, with Col. McArthur's First Regiment south of Dayton (near the confluence of the Great Miami and Hole's Creek) and the other two regiments slightly north of town along the Mad River. On May 25, 1812, the regiments gathered together and Governor

Return J. Meigs Jr. Return Jonathan Meigs Jr. (; November 17, 1764March 29, 1825) was a Democratic-Republican Party, Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the fourth governor of Ohio, fifth United States Postmaster General, and as a United States ...

handed over command to Brigadier General Hull. Ohio militia participating in the war were killed at two early battles of the war, the

Battle of Brownstown The Battle of Brownstown was an early skirmish in the War of 1812. Although the United States military outnumbered the forces of Tecumseh's Confederacy 8 to 1, they lost the battle and suffered substantial losses while Tecumseh's forces were ...

(August 5, 1812), and the

Battle of Maguaga The Battle of Maguaga (also known as the Battle of Monguagon or the Battle of the Oakwoods) was a small battle between British troops, Canadian militia and Tecumseh's natives against a larger force of American troops, Ohio Volunteers and Michigan L ...

(August 9, 1812).

1813

In February, construction on Fort Meigs, next to the Maumee River in

Perrysburg, Ohio Perrysburg is a city located in Wood County, Ohio, United States, along the south side of the Maumee River. The population was 25,041 at the 2020 census. Part of the Toledo metropolitan area, the city is southwest of Toledo. Perrysburg is the ...

, began. Gen.

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

provided these orders. The fort would undergo two sieges. The first was in May. The British assaulted the fort, however, the Americans held the fort. The second siege was in July. Tecumseh, leading the Native American allies to the British, tried to ambush the Americans. However this did not work, and the British and Natives were forced to leave, letting the Americans win again. In September, the

Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shore of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the Briti ...

took place, with the Americans led by

Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The best-known and most prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace A ...

. The British overpowered the Americans in strength and number of guns, but Perry forced the British to surrender by getting closer, as their guns were more powerful up close.

Background

War Years

1812

Beginning of the War

1813

1814

Lasting Implications of the War on Ohio

Key Figures

United States

Great Britain, Canadian and Native American

See also

References

Further reading