<Li> Valparaiso (Capture of USS Essex) </Li> <Li> Action of 9 May 1814 </Li> <P> The War of 1812 (1812--1815) was a conflict fought between the United States, the United Kingdom, and their respective allies . Historians in Britain often see it as a minor theatre of the Napoleonic Wars; in the United States and Canada, it is seen as a war in its own right . </P> <P> Since the outbreak of war with Napoleonic France, Britain had enforced a naval blockade to choke off neutral trade to France, which the United States contested as illegal under international law . To man the blockade, Britain impressed American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy . Incidents such as the Chesapeake--Leopard Affair inflamed anti-British sentiment . In 1811, the British were in turn outraged by the Little Belt Affair, in which 11 British sailors died . The British supplied Indians who conducted raids on American settlers on the frontier, which hindered American expansion and also provoked resentment . Historians remain divided on whether the desire to annex some or all of British North America contributed to the American decision to go to war . On June 18, 1812, President James Madison, after receiving heavy pressure from the War Hawks in Congress, signed the American declaration of war into law . </P>

Who fought with the british in war of 1812