Still reeling from the loss of its North American colonies and fighting in a European war, England began to stop and search American ships on the high seas. During such searches, American sailors would be impressed against their will into the British Navy. Resolved once and for all to demonstrate its independence, America declared war against England in June of 1812 and fought battles from Canada to Louisiana. One of the war's darkest hours was the British invasion of Washington, and the burning of the Capital [sic] and the White House. However, following Commodore Perry's success on Lake Erie and General Harrison's victory at the Battle of the Thames River, American dominance was restored in the northwest region. Exhausted by the continuance of the Napoleonic Wars, England negotiated the Treaty of Ghent in 1814. It is ironic that arguably the most famous battle of the war, the Battle of New Orleans, occurred two weeks after the war formally ended.
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Battle of Thames River
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