War Of 1812 In Britain: A Comparative Analysis

The British opinion is similar to Canada’s in that is has very little change over time, although the opinion itself has a great difference. The personal British accounts studied in this paper took a straightforward and detached approach to the events of 1812. The troops involved seem very unsympathetic and quick to end the life of an American and move on. In a discussion of one soldier’s account of the war, John Gellner writes, “Great Britain Certainly fought it unwillingly… just wanting to stop or limit the fighting.” This can be understood as a common opinion of the war as during this time Britain was in conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte. A personal account of the war by the soldier P. Finan in the British army describes mostly orders and …show more content…
This creates a smooth transition into the modern perception of the War of 1812 in Britain. Black directly comments on this in his article, “outside the history of north America it [the War of 1812] is generally ignored.” This is a broad statement, but it can be applied to the grand perception of the war in Britain. Some works, such as Black’s, spend their time comparing 1812 to the great battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo, later comparing the conflicts sieges to the likes of Yorkshire. For those that do spend their time examining the War of 1812, it is seen as an example of the development of military …show more content…
Salmon’s article also praises the Navy’s efforts and further describes, “The Royal Navy’s domination of the American coastline.” Though the British do look toward the War of 1812 in this sense, sources outside of naval efforts are difficult to find. All in all, over time the British have looked to the War of 1812 with an understandable lack of enthusiasm. Both past and present British citizens see the war as a waste of time against the more immediately concerning acts of Bonaparte and the only merit seen is in the examples of military development. The perception of the Americans comes as a great contrast to the consistent beliefs of both the Canadians and British through the ages. For the Americans, the War of 1812 is initially seen as a great cause worthy of participation only to fall into obscurity as time passes on. Initially the Americans come across as severely anti-Britain, just as the Canadians were anti-American. The public bias toward the British was one of disdain, feeling they had been treated with indifference, “Great Britain treated every reasonable proposition with haughtiness and contempt, and still persisted in violating the just rights of the Americans.” This is a sentiment commonly felt among the American people, as

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