End of the War of 1812: New Orleans, Fort Peter, USS President and the Treaty of Ghent
- When
- 1815
- Where
- Chalmette Battlefield; Off the coast; Washington
- Episodes
- 3
The final phase of the War of 1812 involved engagements occurring after the Treaty of Ghent's signing but before its ratification. Key events include the Battle of New Orleans, the capture of Fort Peter, the naval capture of USS President, and the formal US ratification in February 1815.
Episodes
- Battle of New Orleans
British forces under Pakenham attacked Jackson's defenses in Chalmette, resulting in a decisive American victory.
- Capture of USS President
HMS Endymion captured USS President off Long Island, a significant naval action at the war's end.
- Ratification of Treaty of Ghent
The US Senate ratified the Treaty of Ghent, formally ending the war, with exchanges in Washington.
Background and detail
Background. The Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814, restoring pre-war borders. However, news took a month to reach the United States. Consequently, military actions continued in January 1815, including battles in Louisiana, Georgia, and naval engagements off New York, before the US Senate ratified the treaty in February.
Ratification. The US Senate unanimously approved the treaty on February 16, 1815. President James Madison exchanged ratification papers with a British diplomat in Washington on February 17. The war officially ended upon this formal ratification, though news of the agreement had not reached all regions earlier.
People involved
- Andrew Jackson · Brevet Major General, US Army
- Sir Edward Pakenham · Major General, British Army
- Stephen Decatur · Commodore, US Navy
- James Madison · President of the United States
- Sir George Cockburn · British naval officer (styled Admiral at the January 1815 Cumberland Island landing; Rear Admiral when receiving treaty news at the end of February 1815)
Sources
- Battle of New Orleans Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-22
- Battle of Fort Peter Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-21
- Capture of USS President Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
- Treaty of Ghent Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-26
- War of 1812 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-29
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.