HISTORY

Army vs. Navy Game 1812

During the war of 1812 the US navy achieved astounding victories against the greatest naval power of the age, however our ground forces repeatedly suffered serious defeats, despite tactical numeric superiority. Here are some of the suggested causes:

• Peacetime 18th century navies typically perform the same tasks that they do during war time. Sailing, patrolling and even engaging in armed conflicts with pirates. Peacetime armies however perform completely different tasks such as road building and construction.
• The US had not been active in a war against a European power for 30 years, where England had been involved in armed conflict almost continuously since 1793.
• US large scale military operations were unheard of. The largest collection of US soldiery prior to 1812 was Boston's Fort Independence with it's garrison of 133.
• Training schools were very limited. West Point staff in 1803 consisted of seven officers and ten cadets. (Although this would finally be expanded in 1812 to 22 officers and 250 cadets.)