THESE WAR OF 1812 SURNAMES DEFENDED AMERICA — IS YOURS ONE OF THEM

Did your ancestors defend America when it was young enough to lose everything? In the gray dawn of January 8, 1815, thousands of battle-hardened British regulars marched across an open cane field downriver from New Orleans. Waiting behind a mud rampart on the other side was one of the strangest armies the U.S. had ever fielded: farmers, backwoods riflemen, Choctaw scouts, free men of color, and pirates. In less than thirty minutes, the Battle of New Orleans was over. More than 2,000 British soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured, while American losses totaled around seventy men. Though the War of 1812 is often squeezed between the Revolution and the Civil War in history books, it was a brutal three-year struggle to keep the United States from being pulled back under the British Empire. This video counts down 10 legendary surnames tied to the young men who held the line on red rivers, untamed frontiers, and lakes that had never seen warships. From naval commanders who built fleets out of green timber to lawyers stuck on enemy truce ships, these names traveled through generations and folded into family Bibles across the country. Watch until the end to discover if your surname is part of this incredible piece of American history, and learn how you can search the National Archives to find your own hidden connections! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - The Battle of New Orleans 1:12 - 10. Perry: The Heroes of Lake Erie and Beyond 3:05 - 9. Key: The Dawn's Early Light at Fort McHenry 4:42 - 8. Pike: The Explorer Who Left a Mark on the West 6:10 - 7. Scott: Old Fuss and Feathers 7:58 - 6. Johnson: The Frontier Legend 9:32 - 5. Harrison: Tippecanoe and the White House 11:08 - 4. Armistead: The Flag That Stood the Storm 12:54 - 3. Barney: The Sailors Who Refused to Run 14:32 - 2. Macdonough: The Miracle Fleet of Lake Champlain 16:15 - 1. Jackson: The Mud Rampart of New Orleans 18:00 - How to Find Your Ancestors in the Archives If you enjoyed this deep dive into America's forgotten defenders, please hit the LIKE button and SUBSCRIBE to the channel for more powerful historical stories! Drop a comment below letting us know where in the world you are watching from, and tell us if any of these ten surnames appear in your own family tree! To uncover your own family connection to these battles, the National Archives holds thousands of digitized, searchable War of 1812 pension and bounty land applications waiting to be discovered. #WarOf1812 #AmericanHistory #Genealogy #FamilyTree #HistorySurnames #BattleOfNewOrleans #StarSpangledBanner #OliverHazardPerry #FrancisScottKey #ZebulonPike #WinfieldScott #WilliamHenryHarrison #AndrewJackson #MilitaryHistory #USHistory #Ancestry #NationalArchives #FamilyHistory #HistoricalSurnames #WarHeroes #1812Defenders #AmericanHeritage #FortMcHenry #LakeErie #PikesPeak #Tecumseh #HistoricNames #PatriotAncestors #EarlyAmerica #HistoryDocumentary