8953. WAR OF 1812, Grounds of.—
The
essential grounds of the war were, first, the
Orders of Council; and, secondly, the impressment
of our citizens (for I put out of sight
from the love of peace the multiplied insults
on our government and aggressions on our commerce,
with which our pouch, like the Indian's,
had long been filled to the mouth). What immediately
produced the declaration was, 1st, the
proclamation of the Prince Regent that he
would never repeal the Orders of Council as to
us, until Bonaparte should have revoked his
decrees as to all other nations as well as ours;
and 2d, the declaration of his minister to ours
that no arrangement whatever could be devised,
admissible in lieu of impressment. It was certainly
a misfortune that they did not know
themselves at the date of this silly and insolent
proclamation, that within one month they would
repeal the Orders, and that we, at the date of
our declaration, could not know of the repeal
which was then going on one thousand leagues
distant. Their determinations, as declared by
themselves, could alone guide us, and they shut
the door on all further negotiation, throwing
down to us the gauntlet of war or submission
as the only alternatives. We cannot blame the
government for choosing that of war, because
certainly the great majority of the nation
thought it ought to be chosen.—
To William Short. Washington ed. vi, 398.
(M.
Nov. 1814)
