"Which Theaters of War Experienced the Largest Number... " Topic

…of Military Actionsduring the War of 1812?.

"It has generally been presumed that the border between the United States and British North America (the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River regions) experienced the most sustained fighting during the War of 1812. Certainly the actions in the north held greater significance towards either side achieving their war aims. A comprehensive inventory of engagements during the war, consisting of 4,265 actions, has been compiled. This working database includes battles (land and sea), skirmishes, raids, massacres and privateer captures. Maritime engagements from all oceans total 3,187 or 74.7 percent of all actions during the war and 95.9 percent of all naval/privateer actions took place in the Atlantic. Of all the theaters of war, the Atlantic Maritime Theater including privateer captures has the largest number of actions at 3,059, representing 71.7 percent of all engagements during the war. The Chesapeake Theater totals 363 actions compared to the Great Lakes Theater at 243, the Northwest Theater at 132 and the St. Lawrence Theater at 92. If the Great Lakes Theater and St. Lawrence Theater are combined into a United States-Canada Borden Theater, the Chesapeake Theater still experienced more actions. During the war there were 849 actions which occurred in the United States (and its then territories) and 224 that occurred in Canada (then British North America). The province of Ontario and the states of Virginia, Maryland and New York experienced more actions than any other political region of North America during the war. While results of this database may change as new information is uncovered, the findings thus far call for a reevaluation of previously held assumptions. Excluding blue water naval operations, the most military actions occurred in the Chesapeake Theater closely followed by the United States-Canada Border Theater.

In his article "The Many Wars of 1812," historian Donald Graves states, "regional beliefs for the War of 1812 [are] regarded differently in different areas of North America. Each area or region has its own established view on the origins of the war, how it was fought, who was victorious and what it accomplished. That these views may or may not be sound is not really the question -- they exist and must be acknowledged."…."
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