War of 1812

The War of 1812 began when Napoleon issued a blockade on Great Britain.  In response, Britain passed the Orders in Council in 1806 which did not permit US ships to land in a European port without stopping at a British port first.  An angry America lashed out by declaring war in 1812.  The war dragged on through 1814.  In the city of Ghent American negotiators, John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay, met with British diplomats.  On December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed ending the War of 1812.  However the news had not yet reached Andrew Jackson and his army in New Orleans, and on January 8, 1815 the American army defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans.  With Napoleon emperor over France, Europe always seemed to be at war, and in 1812 France invaded Russia.  When Napoleon invaded Moscow he found it abandoned and in flames.  With no clear victory, he began to retreat.  Only 20,000 men survived.