Learn Our History Today: On June 18, 1812, following a vote in the Senate and the House of Representatives to declare war on Great Britain, President James Madison signed the declaration into law, beginning the War of 1812. War was declared on Britain for a variety of reasons - the two main reasons were the induction of American seaman into the British Royal Navy against their will, also known as impressment, and the British inciting hostile Indian tribes along the Great Lakes frontier to attack American settlements. The war would last for more than two years, and would see the United States teetering on the brink of extinction. By the end of the war, nearly 4,000 Americans and British troops would be dead, Washington D.C. would be lying in ruins, with the White House and the Capital Building in ashes, and many a battle would be fought throughout the United States and Canada. Also, on June 18, 1864, Union war hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was severely wounded at the Siege of Petersburg. Chamberlain had served with distinction throughout the entire war, most famously at the Battle of Gettysburg where he held the Union flank at Little Round Top. When his men ran out of ammunition, Chamberlain led a furious counter-charge straight down the hill, driving back the Confederates and essentially saving the union flank, and maybe even the entire army, from collapse. For this, Chamberlain was later awarded the Medal of Honor. On June 18, Chamberlain led another charge into the Confederate lines at Petersburg, Virginia and while doing so was seriously wounded. He tried to stay with his men, but after a few minutes he lay unconscious due to loss of blood. When he was carried back to a Union hospital he was expected to die, many newspapers even wrongly reported him killed. However, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain did survive and he served throughout the rest of the war, even accepting the surrender of the arms and colors of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate infantry following the surrender at Appomatox.
Posted on: Wed, 18 Jun 2014 23:27:10 +0000
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