On June 1, 1812, President James Madison gave a speech to the U.S. Congress,
recounting American grievances against Great Britain, though not specifically
calling for a declaration of war. After Madison's speech, the House of
Representatives quickly voted (79 to 49) to declare war, and the Senate by 19 to
13. The conflict formally began on June 18, 1812 when Madison signed the measure
into law. This was the first time that the United States had declared war on
another nation, and the Congressional vote would prove to be the closest vote to
declare war in American history. None of the 39 Federalists in Congress voted in
favor of the war; critics of war subsequently referred to it as "Mr. Madison's
War."
The declaration of war was passed by the smallest margin recorded on a war vote
in the United States Congress. On May 11, Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was
shot and killed by an assassin, resulting in a change of the British government,
putting Lord Liverpool in power. Liverpool wanted a more practical relationship
with the United States. He issued a repeal of the Orders in Council, but the
U.S. was unaware of this, as it took three weeks for the news to cross the
Atlantic.
1812 - 1814
Ohio (hosted at US GenWeb Archives or USGenWeb War 1812 Project)
- Ashtabula County
- Letter to Congress written by John Lamont, behalf of Hannah Lamont
- Letter to Congress written by John Lamont, behalf of Hannah Lamont
- Letter to Congress written by John Lamont, behalf of Hannah Lamont
- Belmont County
- Capt. McElroy's Company Roster October 1812
- Trumbull County
- Pensions
- Darke County
- Shields, Patrick Widows Pension Celina
- Fayette County
- Hardin County
- Harrison County
- Darke County
- Bounty Land
- Lorain County
- Muskingum County
- Trumbull County
- Service Record
- Knox County
- Licking County
- Morrow County
- Noble County
- Pickaway County
Ohio Subscription Military Databases
- The General Society of the War of 1812, 1976 Bicentennial Supplement to the 1972 Register Robert Glenn Thurtle Editor - Free Index
- The Roster of the General Society of the War of 1812
- War of 1812 Papers, 1789-1815
- War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815
- War of 1812 Service Records
- War of 1812, Prisoner of War Records, 1812-1815
- War of 1812: Miscellaneous Canadian Records
- Register of the General Society of the War of 1812