After the War of Independence, Britain has been worried about the independence of thirteen States in North America and always wants to restore British colonial rule there. First of all, it excluded the United States from diplomacy and did not send an ambassador to the United States for eight years; However, it sent heavy troops to occupy seven strongholds bordering the United States in the northwest, which should have been withdrawn long ago according to the provisions of the Paris Peace Treaty. It was not until 1796 that the two countries signed the Jay Treaty that the British army completely retreated, but they still concentrated their troops in Canada and wanted to reoccupy the United States at any time. The heavy pressure of the British army in the north became the "sword of Damocles" hanging over Americans for a long time in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Britain also took advantage of the economic dependence of North America 13 states on the British mainland caused by colonial rule, which made the United States become an "economic colony" after surviving the crisis in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. 75% of the total exports of the United States are exported to Britain, and Britain imports high value-added manufactured goods from the United States, from which Britain has made a lot of profits. The British Chancellor of the Exchequer proudly declared that 1789 British exports to the United States had reached the scale before the War of Independence, while American politics.

In July 1789, the bourgeois revolution broke out in France, which gave great assistance to the United States in the War of Independence, and the Bourbon dynasty was overthrown. A large number of French volunteers, led by Count Lafayette, participated in the American War of Independence (the prototype of French volunteers in the American film Patriot) and became an important driving force of this revolution. Count Lafayette also gave the key to the Bastille in Washington. History is like this. Grave diggers of the old forces often come from the upper middle class of the old forces, and most of them are young people. However, compared with the redundant staff in Russia later, Lafayette was lucky. After all, he found a way to realize his ideal. It is said that Americans took Louis XVI's son to the United States to take refuge in return for their kindness. Whether it's true or not, it's true that Washington took his son to raise him while Lafayette was being held in Austria. In the arduous war of independence, Washington and Galeries Lafayette forged a profound friendship called comrades, feeling like father and son. Galeries Lafayette is as important to Americans as Bethune is to China. Influenced by the French Revolution, the interests of the United States in Europe were infringed by Britain and France, especially the British plundered American ships in the name of implementing the mainland blockade order, which dealt a heavy blow to the economic interests of Americans. The United States hopes to get rid of Britain's economic colonial policy and fight back against Britain's violation of American interests, which has become an important reason for the outbreak of the second war of independence. Another reason is that the American bourgeoisie and southern slave owners have long coveted Canada and the vast west. They want to drive the British away from North America, annex these two places while Britain was in the Napoleonic Wars, and take Florida to the south. At this time, the United States has been very keen on colonizing the territory. As early as 1802, US President Thomas? Jefferson made a good deal: because Napoleon was in financial difficulties, Jefferson bought the French-occupied Louisiana for only 60 million francs. He is arguably the most successful real estate developer in history.

181June18, the US Congress approved President Madison's speech, officially declared war on Britain, and the Second War of Independence broke out. This war, also known as the Anglo-American War or the War of Economic Independence, is of special significance to the relationship between the United States and Britain and the development of the United States.

When the war broke out, the military strength of the United States and Britain was still very different. 1809 When Madison, the fourth president of the United States, came to power, there were only 3,000 regular troops. Despite the opposition of Congress, he stepped up preparations. By April 2002, there were 65,438+0,865,438+0,740 people in the United States, of whom 5,000 were recruits recruited that year. Americans have a good habit of attaching importance to logistics support, which is worth learning whether in combat or at work. In order to increase the cost-effectiveness ratio of military support institutions, the United States established the Ministry of Munitions in March, 18 12. Similar to the General Logistics Department of China, the War Department set up a commissary procurement bureau under the leadership of the Secretary of the Army. Logistics supply was transferred from the hands of civilians to the direct control of the army. Congress also established the Ordnance Department, which is responsible for the research and production of military equipment, expanded technical arms such as engineers and artillery, newly established tunnel engineers and mine engineers, expanded the West Point Military Academy, and collected a large number of munitions. After more than 20 years of construction, coastal defense construction has begun to take shape. After more than 20 years of construction, 24 forts, more than 300 cannons, 6 new fast warships, a dozen smaller warships, 150 speedboats and 30 ships have been built along the Atlantic coast. After the declaration of war, the US Congress authorized the army to increase to 25,000 men in the 13 regiment, and 50,000 militiamen were in active service. It also planned to build four battleships and six fast warships, but the war ended before these warships were built.

At this time, compared with the war of independence, the economic strength of the United States was greatly enhanced, with a population of 7.7 million and a land area four times that of the early days of independence, and the industrial revolution had begun. The population of Britain is180,000, the total army strength is close to100,000, the navy sailors150,000, and there are 800 warships, of which 230 are more than the largest warships in the United States. Someone once joked that the total number of British warships is more than the total number of American cannons. However, due to the influence of the war in continental Europe, Britain really can't invest much troops. At that time, the population of Canada was only 500,000, and the number of British troops stationed in Canada was only 7,000, which was still shifting to the European battlefield. In addition, 654.38+0,000 militia can be mobilized. At the beginning of the war, there were only 654.38+0 battleships and 7 fast ships. During the whole war, the highest strength of British troops was only 654.38+0500, and there were 250 British troops with more training and equipment than American troops, with experienced commanders and strong combat effectiveness. The U.S. military has an advantage in the number of personnel, and can live in harmony with some people at the right time. However, the British navy has the advantage of controlling the sea and blocking the American coast. With the support of the navy, the British army can mobilize its troops at will and attack the weak links of the US military, thus gaining the strategic initiative. Although there are many American militia, they are poorly equipped and of low quality, mainly because of poor organization, not poor marksmanship. Kentucky is also a place where gunmen are like clouds. The top commanders of the US military are corrupt and incompetent, and have no combat experience. Major General dearborn is over 60 years old and has never commanded a team above the regiment level. Eustace, the Secretary of the Army, is a civilian with no military knowledge.

The Second War of Independence lasted from June 18 12 to June 18 15. * * * fought for two and a half years, and the war * * * has four battlefields, namely, the US-Canada border, the Atlantic coast, the Gulf coast and the sea. Focusing on the US-Canada border, the war is divided into

The offensive stage of the United States (18 12.6. - 18 13)

At this time, the British army was empty, and there were only 4,500 Canadian troops. The situation is very favorable to the United States. As early as the beginning of 18 12, the US Department of War drew up a strategic plan. The goal of the US military is to capture Canada and mobilize 40,000 to 50,000 troops to attack in three ways. The East Road will attack Montreal, the capital of Canada, the Middle Road will advance northward from both sides of Lake Ontario, and the West Road will attack Canada from Detroit. However, after the war, all States were unwilling to participate in the war, so that the draft did not reach the scheduled 40 thousand, and the plan was forced to change. President Madison decided to attack Montreal, and New England states were afraid of bringing the war to their side and resolutely opposed it. The western region was forced to attack mainly from the Great Lakes region. Finally, the United States gave up the plan of three-way attack and attacked the western region first. From the beginning, the American strategy buried hidden dangers, failed to attack Montreal first, split Canada in two, and finally broke off diplomatic relations. But to attack the end of the branch-the tributaries of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. The British army was unprepared at first, and the American army reached a strategic surprise. British general Brock, with the support of militia and Indians, repelled the American attack in July and August and occupied several important fortresses on the American border. On August 15, 35 American defenders in dearborn were ambushed by Indians and completely annihilated. August 16 Michigan territory governor William? When Hull defended Detroit, he led 2,500 men to surrender to 700 British troops without firing a shot, and the British army turned to the middle. 10, 12 years 10 night, in niagara river, he repelled the attack of 3,000 US troops with 1000 men. In this battle, the regular American army fled before handing over its troops, while the militia stayed put. On the East Road, American troops marched into Montreal on June 1 1, but the militia refused to enter Canada. The American army only attacked 20 kilometers and then retreated to the division. The American army failed in three attacks, and the Indians in the northwest began to participate in the War of Resistance Against America. The failure of this campaign is related to the excessive national power of the United States. Major decisions can be made through collective efforts, but power must be concentrated on concrete implementation. Talking about democracy at this time will lead to the situation that the United States encountered at that time, that is, the issue of democracy and centralization raised by the China Producer Party, but this should not be an excuse for dictatorship.

In the naval battle, the American army won a great victory, and privateering contributed a lot. Guerrilla warfare at sea made the British army at a loss, and Paul? Jones' legacy to revolutionary war veterans still plays a great role. In the early months of the war, the US Navy sank three British ships and captured more than 500 British ships, which greatly shook Britain. The victory of the naval battle offset the fiasco of the land war, and many Americans think that the war has been won.

In this war, American troops were defeated on land and won at sea. The reasons for the defeat on land are the incompetence of the army commander, the lack of military capability of President Madison, and the poor command of Secretary of the Army eustace. For example, on the day of the declaration of war, Hull was sent to Detroit without telling him that the war had begun, which caught him off guard and led to the surrender of the people. However, when dearborn was the commander of the Northwest Theater, he thought Detroit was not within his jurisdiction. Regardless of Hull, eustace hasn't corrected it for weeks. It's bad enough to think of Hull. It's persecution. At that time, he surrendered voluntarily and avoided unnecessary sacrifice. But at that time, if led by the * * * production party, it must be a bloody battle to the end, and voluntary surrender is unacceptable. It is really puzzling which of these two behaviors is more conducive to the historical process. The U.S. military still lacks training troops and its discipline is lax. Militarization is a serious thought. It only wants to defend its homeland and its land, and is unwilling to support regular military operations. 18 12 rebuilt logistics supply system is not debugged, and its efficiency is low, and the troops are often not replenished in time, which greatly affects their combat effectiveness. When Harrison led the army to fight in the northwest, he mainly relied on ordinary people to make bullets and clothes to support the operation, and the US military lost a good chance to win.

The British turned to the offensive and took the initiative (1813-1814).

18 13 years, the British army sent a large number of navies from Europe to North America, which seized the strategic initiative, but it was difficult for the army to deploy a large number of troops and expand the results.

The us military learned the lessons of previous actions and reorganized its command structure, led by John F. Armstrong replaced eustis as secretary of the army. Congress established the General Staff Department to assist the Secretary of the Army in directing the war, which greatly improved the command and operational efficiency of the troops. At this stage, the goal of the US military is to recover Detroit, strengthen the water power in the Great Lakes, cross Lake Ontario and attack Canada, and expand the scope of operations to the east coast and the Gulf Coast. The main battlefield is the Great Lakes region. In Detroit, at the beginning of 18 13, the American troops under Harrison attacked Detroit in three divisions. Brock commanded the British army and defeated two of the three American troops before joining forces. 900 American troops were massacred, and then the war moved to the Great Lakes region.

The Great Lakes are the gateway to Canada, of which Ontario is the most important. 18 13 In April, with the support of the Ontario Navy, the US military captured York (now Toronto), the capital of upper Canada, and burned the city. In order to win the control of the Great Lakes, the two sides launched a shipbuilding competition. On September 10, US Commander Paley led a small fleet of nine ships to engage in a fierce battle with the British fleet in Puting Bay on Lake Erie, forcing the British fleet with six warships to raise the white flag. This is the only incident in the history of the British navy in which the whole fleet surrendered. When the American army took control of Lake Erie, it opened the door to Lake Ontario, cut off the British logistics supply line, and forced the British army to withdraw from Detroit. 3,500 people from the Harrison Department of the US Army took the opportunity to pursue. 1October 5th, 1600 people caught up with the joint forces of Britain and India in Moravia, a town on the Thames, and defeated them. More than 500 British soldiers were killed and more than 600 captured, as well as the famous Indian leader tecumseh. This is the only victory that the US military won in the land war that year. It disintegrated the British-Indian alliance and strengthened its control over the northwest region. June 5438+10/October, 13000 American soldiers launched a pincer attack on Montreal in two ways, but were repelled by the British before reaching Montreal. At the end of the year, the British launched a counterattack to drive the American troops out of Fort George. In the Battle of Bifutan, the Indians wiped out a small unit of the American army, and soon the British army captured Niagara, strengthening the control of the US-Canada border.

18 13 In the spring, the British navy shelled, harassed and burned some factories and villages along the whole east coast from Maine to Ghiglia, and the American soldiers and civilians resisted. For example, on June 22nd, when the US army defended Norfolk, it repelled 2,000 British land and sea attacks, causing 8 1 British casualties, and none of the US troops suffered any casualties. On the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. military mainly fought the Creek Indians selected by the British army. In the Battle of Meeksburg, Crick defeated the American troops, more than 400 American troops were killed and 500 were captured.

In the naval battle, the British navy blocked the American coast, and some American ships never appeared again in this war. Britain strengthened the protection of merchant ships, and American privateers were curbed. Only a few ships broke through the lines of the British navy. Among them, the battleship Essex once bypassed Cape Horn and entered the Pacific Ocean, and captured British ships worth 25 million yuan in six months. Bumblebee also captured the British battleship Peacock. Americans have a habit of repeatedly using the names of ships that have achieved great success in history. This "bumblebee" has become a long-term name used by the US Navy, as well as "enterprise".

In this period of war, the land war changed because of the reorganization of the command organization, and the naval battle lost because of the great reversal of the enemy's strength. I'm afraid this habit of being diligent in reform can only be found in Chinese and Soviet armies, while China's army has become more and more enterprising recently. I wonder if this is related to the lack of young people at the top of the army. Old-timers are our eternal role models, but old-timers should also learn to keep pace with the times, or they will end up like budyonny, but it's not worth it, although I like watching the First Cavalry very much.

The American army broke through the British attack (1814-1815.438+0).

In view of the final stage of the war, the US military further reorganized its army and boldly began to replace the old and incompetent generals with young officers. Promote Jacob, who has military merit? Brown is a major general, commanding the front-line troops in Niagara and promoting 39-year-old George? Isobe is the commander of the front line in lake champlain. Promoted Scott and Andrew. Six officers, including Jackson, are brigadier generals. The age of senior commanders has been reduced from 60 to 36, further improving the command efficiency and the vitality of the leadership. A group of officers headed by Scott, deputy commander of the Northern Theater, strengthened military training. Scott followed Stuben's example and used the teaching mode for strict training. He also personally gave lectures to officers and taught them the tactical use of rifles and bayonets. Then the officers went back to teach soldiers, trained 10 hours a day, strictly observed military discipline, and shot deserters, which greatly improved the combat effectiveness of the US military.

During this period, Britain got rid of the war in Europe and deployed a large number of military forces to the battlefield in North America. Britain has taken a strategic initiative. On the one hand, it chose the gap of the American defense line from the eastern coastal areas and launched a series of attacks. On the other hand, it plans to attack chesapeake bay from Niagara, lake champlain and Lake New Orleans. The United States was once in trouble.

In the land war, the two sides launched a more intense tug-of-war In the Great Lakes region, the two sides competed to build larger warships to seize the initiative. In the direction of Niagara, on July 3rd, American troops captured the important town of Fort Erie, and on July 5th, the two sides fought fiercely in Chipwa. Scott trained 4,000 American troops to face-to-face combat with the British army for the first time, repelling the British army and greatly shocking the British army. In this battle, there were 335 American casualties and 664 British casualties. On July 25th, American troops withdrew after a fierce battle with British troops in London. There were 853 casualties among 2,000 Americans and 878 casualties among British troops. These two battles show that the combat effectiveness of the US military has been greatly improved. 1865438+In August, 2004, prevost prepared to lead British troops to invade the United States along the traditional lake champlain-Hudson River. On September 1 1 day, mcdonough commanded 14 American warships to fight a British fleet twice the size, and won a great victory, capturing four British ships and forcing the British to return to Canada. The "mcdonough Victory" (also known as the Battle of Fort prats) relieved the threat of British invasion of new york and Vermont from Canada, which had a great impact on the meeting between the two sides in Belgium and forced Britain to give up its tough stance.

On the east coast, in August 19, Ross led 4,000 British troops to land in chesapeake bay, of which 2,000 went straight to Washington. The American army concentrated its regular army and sent 7000 men to stop it, but it was defeated in front of 300 British troops. President Madison and members of the government fled to the mountains of Virginia. On August 24th and 25th, British troops occupied Washington and set fire to the White House and government buildings except the Patent Office, in retaliation for the destruction of Yorktown and Newark by American troops many years ago. Due to the fall of Washington, Armstrong resigned and Monroe took over. From September 12 to 14, the British army attacked Baltimore from land and sea, and the US regular army and militia fought back and killed the British commander General Ross. At Fort McHenry, the United States braved the bullets and fought bravely. Francis? Scott. When Kee saw the Stars and Stripes fluttering in the wind in the English concentration camp, he was very excited, so he wrote the song "Home of the Brave", which later became "The Stars and Stripes". In the battle in Washington, there were 294 British casualties and more than 200 American casualties. The White House was destroyed decades before the Yuanmingyuan was burned down. No matter what others say, Madison has ambition but no talent. I always think that he is much better than the weak Qing emperor. Instead of giving in to difficulties, he quickly organized a retreat, launched a counterattack, and finally regained the capital. If the upper rulers of the Qing Dynasty were half as tough as he was then, there would be no humiliation in modern China for nearly a hundred years. But if you think about it carefully, if the Qing Dynasty could make China keep up with the development of the world at that time, China would be a relatively developed capitalist country at most, because it was not the best time to develop capitalism at that time, and Japan was an example. It is precisely because of the thorough corruption of the Qing government and subsequent governments that socialism blossomed in China. Today, China has become the representative of a new generation of human society, and its future is limitless.

On the front line of the Gulf of Mexico, Jackson led 2,500 men and Indian troops to launch six offensives against the Cricks from June18165438+10 to April1865438+April in 2004, and finally defeated the Cricks at Horseshoe Bend in Alabama, killing them. Jackson led the army to capture Pensacola on 1654381October 7, and defeated the Cricks, shattered the British containment attempt, so that Britain completely lost the coordinated operations of the Cricks. The United States controls most of Alabama. 18 14, 14 In February, more than 50 British warships and 7,500 soldiers attempted to capture New Orleans, a strategic town in the southern United States, and then seized the Gulf Coast as a bargaining chip for peace talks. At the same time, Britain tried to separate Louisiana from the United States. At that time, there were only 6,000 American troops defending New Orleans, 75% of whom were militia, and the navy had only two small warships. Jackson, commander of the U.S. city defense, ordered the construction of strong fortifications and carefully organized defense. Jackson studied the possible attack routes of the enemy and decided to defend six of them closely. In order to defend New Orleans, he assembled a "world army", including some marines, sailors, several regular legions, militia and volunteers from Tennessee and Kentucky, militia from Louisiana, two free black brigades in New Orleans and 800 pirates.

In the face of Jackson's blockade, the British also racked their brains to study the best attack route. After careful planning, a British army crossed Lake bogner unnoticed, and they also found an unguarded road to the inland, which can reach the gate. When the British army successfully entered only 9 miles from the city. After the news reached Jackson, Jackson announced with the boldness of General Peng: "We can't let the British spend the night on our land." So, he led the army to attack Keane's position at night, and the British bayonet and the American axe hacked each other and started a melee.

This battle is called the First World War in New Orleans. The two sides almost tied, and Jackson lost less and gained the upper hand. But in terms of tactical needs, after World War I in New Orleans, Jackson retreated two miles and set up a defensive position 30 yards behind the wide and waterless Rodriguez Canal. The position is adjacent to the Mississippi River on the right and a swamp covered with cypress trees on the left, so it is difficult for the enemy to attack from the side. In front of the position is an open area that can be controlled by Jackson's troops.

On Christmas Day, the army commander appointed by the British cabinet, Pakenham, rushed to the battlefield and launched two attacks on the US military on February 28th and New Year's Day. The two sides were tied again. These two battles are called the second and third battles of New Orleans. The fourth battle took place in 654381October 8. Parkingham sent a black regiment back from the West Indies to force its way through the swamp. The main attack route is to deploy a reserve team in the middle of the battlefield along the edge of cypress trees in the swamp in case of emergency. He also ordered a column to assault along the Mississippi levee, which was a multi-pronged approach. Not only that, he also led a group of infantry across the river to attack American artillery.

The British army originally planned to attack at night, but it was postponed for some reason, and the launch of the campaign had to be postponed until the early morning of the next day. It happened that there was fog this morning, and the dense fog covered their actions, which seemed to make the British have good luck. When the fog cleared, they were still 650 yards away from the American position. Then, a battle began.

By 8: 30 in the morning, the battle was over and about 2,000 British troops were lying in the open space. When Jackson learned that the number of American casualties was only 7 1, he raised his arms and shouted, "The hand of the creator sheltered my soldiers in the dark." 1815 65438+1On October 8th, Sir Pakenham commanded 5300 British troops to attack New Orleans. The American army, already heavily guarded, repelled the British army with resolute and fierce artillery fire. As many as 2000 British soldiers were killed or injured, and Pakenham was killed in this battle. This is the last battle of this war, and the American army has won the greatest victory. However, this campaign had little impact on the outcome of the war, because the Ghent Peace Treaty was signed as early as last month, and the news came late because of the backward communication equipment. However, the "Great Victory in New Orleans" still goes down in history as an important symbol for the United States to win the second American-British War. This battle officially made the United States a recognized power by western powers, which is of great significance to Americans, just like the Korean War, which we often mention.

The Second War of Independence was the first large-scale foreign war launched by the United States after the founding of the People's Republic of China. At this time, the United States is on the rise, and the military and civilians are positive. Teenagers in the war of independence have grown into pillars of the country, and Thomas? Jefferson is still alive and can give them advice, so although the United States suffered many setbacks in the early days of the war, it was no fluke to win in the end!