Editing War of 1812 (section)

== Forces ==
=== American ===
During the years 1810–1812, American naval ships were divided into two major squadrons, with the "northern division", based at New York, commanded by Commodore John Rodgers, and the "southern division", based at Norfolk, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur.{{sfn|Crawford|Dudley|1985|p=40}}

Although not much of a threat to Canada in 1812, the United States Navy was a well-trained and professional force comprising over 5,000 sailors and marines.{{sfn|Grodzinski|2013|p=69}} It had 14 ocean-going warships with three of its five "super-frigates" non-operational at the onset of the war.{{sfn|Grodzinski|2013|p=69}} Its principal problem was lack of funding, as many in Congress did not see the need for a strong navy.{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=20}} The biggest ships in the American navy were frigates and there were no [[ship of the line|ships-of-the-line]] capable of engaging in a [[fleet action]] with the Royal Navy.{{sfn|Benn|2002|pp=20–21}} On the high seas, the Americans pursued a strategy of [[commerce raiding]], capturing or sinking British [[merchant ships|merchantmen]] with their frigates and privateers.{{sfn|Benn|2002|pp=20 & 54–55}} The Navy was largely concentrated on the Atlantic coast before the war as it had only two [[gunboat]]s on [[Lake Champlain]], one [[brig]] on Lake Ontario and another brig in Lake Erie when the war began.{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}}

The [[United States Army]] was initially much larger than the [[British Army]] in North America. Many men carried their own [[long rifle]]s while the British were issued [[musket]]s, except for one unit of 500 riflemen. Leadership was inconsistent in the American officer corps as some officers proved themselves to be outstanding, but many others were inept, owing their positions to political favours. Congress was hostile to a [[standing army]] and the government called out 450,000 men from the [[state defense force|state militias]] during the war.{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} The [[Militia (United States)|state militias]] were poorly trained, armed, and led. The failed invasion of Lake Champlain led by General Dearborn illustrates this.{{sfn|Barney|2019}} The British Army soundly defeated the Maryland and Virginia militias at the [[Battle of Bladensburg]] in 1814 and President Madison commented "I could never have believed so great a difference existed between regular troops and a militia force, if I had not witnessed the scenes of this day".{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=20}}

=== British ===
{{see also|Canadian units of the War of 1812}}
[[File:100th Regiment of Foot c1812-1814.jpg|thumb|Depiction of a British private soldier (left) and officer (right) of the period]]
The United States was only a secondary concern to Britain, so long as the [[Napoleonic Wars]] continued with France.{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} In 1813, France had 80 ships-of-the-line and was building another 35. Containing the French fleet was the main British naval concern,{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} leaving only the ships on the [[North America and West Indies Station|North American]] and [[Jamaica Station (Royal Navy)|Jamaica]] Stations immediately available. In Upper Canada, the British had the [[Provincial Marine]]. While largely unarmed,{{sfn|Crawford|Dudley|1985|p=268}} they were essential for keeping the army supplied since the roads were abysmal in Upper Canada.{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} At the onset of war, the Provincial Marine had four small armed vessels on [[Lake Ontario]], three on [[Lake Erie]] and one on Lake Champlain. The Provincial Marine greatly outnumbered anything the Americans could bring to bear on the Great Lakes.{{sfn|Caffrey|1977|p=174}}

When the war broke out, the British Army in North America numbered 9,777 men{{sfn|Hitsman|1965|p=295}} in regular units and [[Fencibles#War of 1812|fencibles]].{{efn|units raised for local service but otherwise on the same terms as regulars}} While the British Army was engaged in the [[Peninsular War]], few reinforcements were available. Although the British were outnumbered,{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} the long-serving regulars and fencibles were better trained and more professional than the hastily expanded United States Army.{{sfn|Elting|1995|p=11}} The militias of Upper Canada and Lower Canada were initially far less effective,{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} but substantial numbers of full-time militia were raised during the war and played pivotal roles in several engagements, including the [[Battle of the Chateauguay]] which caused the Americans to abandon the Saint Lawrence River theatre.{{sfnm|Benn|2002|1p=21|Ingersoll|1845|2pp=297–299}}

=== Indigenous peoples ===
The highly decentralized bands and tribes considered themselves allies of, and not subordinates to, the British or the Americans. Various tribes fighting with United States forces provided them with their "most effective light troops"{{sfn|Carstens|Sanford|2011|p=53}} while the British needed Indigenous allies to compensate for their numerical inferiority. The Indigenous allies of the British, [[Tecumseh's confederacy]] in the west and [[Iroquois]] in the east, avoided pitched battles and relied on [[irregular warfare]], including raids and ambushes that took advantage of their knowledge of terrain. In addition, they were highly mobile, able to march {{convert|30|–|50|miles|-1}} a day.{{sfn|Starkey|2002|p=18}}

Their leaders sought to fight only under favourable conditions and would avoid any battle that promised heavy losses, doing what they thought best for their tribes.{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=25}} The Indigenous fighters saw no issue with withdrawing if needed to save casualties. They always sought to surround an enemy, where possible, to avoid being surrounded and make effective use of the terrain.{{sfn|Starkey|2002|p=18}} Their main weapons were a mixture of muskets, rifles, bows, [[tomahawk]]s, knives and swords as well as clubs and other melee weapons, which sometimes had the advantage of being quieter than guns.{{sfn|Starkey|2002|p=20}}