War of 1812 Quotes, Sourced to the People and Documents

The most famous War of 1812 quotes are two naval lines from 1813: Captain James Lawrence’s “Don’t give up the ship!” and Oliver Hazard Perry’s “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Both are documented by the U.S. Navy’s Naval History and Heritage Command, and both became rallying cries while the war was still being fought.

The quotes below are sorted by stage of the war, with the speaker, the date and what was happening. They work for history essays, DBQs and class presentations.

Going to war: 1810–1812

The United States declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. The main grievances were British impressment of American sailors, restrictions on American trade, and British support for Native American resistance in the Northwest.

“We behold, in fine, on the side of Great Britain a state of war against the United States, and on the side of the United States a state of peace toward Great Britain.” — President James Madison, war message to Congress, June 1, 1812. Madison’s argument is that Britain was already at war with the U.S. in practice, so Congress would only be recognizing it.

“I verily believe that the militia of Kentucky are alone competent to place Montreal and Upper Canada at your feet.” — Henry Clay, speech in the Senate, 1810. Clay was a leading War Hawk. The line is often quoted to show how confident expansionists were about Canada.

“The acquisition of Canada this year, as far as the neighborhood of Quebec, will be a mere matter of marching.” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Duane, August 4, 1812. The National Park Service uses this line to introduce the failed American invasions of 1812, which ended with the surrender of Detroit that August.

Useful essay angle: set Clay and Jefferson next to the actual results of 1812. The gap between prediction and outcome is the point.

The war at sea

The U.S. Navy was tiny compared with the Royal Navy, which made its early single-ship victories a major boost to morale.

“Old Ironsides”

On August 19, 1812, USS Constitution defeated HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia. According to tradition, a sailor watching British shot bounce off her oak hull shouted that her sides were made of iron, which gave the ship her nickname. Treat the exact wording as tradition rather than a recorded quote.

“Don’t give up the ship!”

“Tell the men to fire faster! Don’t give up the ship!” — Captain James Lawrence, USS Chesapeake, June 1, 1813. The Naval History and Heritage Command notes that tradition places these words after Lawrence was mortally wounded in the fight with HMS Shannon. The Chesapeake was captured, but the words outlived the defeat.

“We have met the enemy and they are ours”

“We have met the enemy and they are ours: two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop.” — Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, dispatch to General William Henry Harrison after the Battle of Lake Erie, September 10, 1813. Perry scrawled it on the back of an envelope. The victory gave the U.S. control of Lake Erie.

Perry’s flagship flew a blue battle flag stitched with “DONT GIVE UP THE SHIP,” in honor of Lawrence, who had been his friend. The flag is now at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Washington burns and Baltimore holds: 1814

British troops burned the Capitol and the White House on August 24, 1814. Three weeks later, the Royal Navy bombarded Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor through the night of September 13–14.

Francis Scott Key watched the bombardment from a ship in the harbor. When he saw the American flag still flying at dawn, he wrote the poem later titled “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light” — Francis Scott Key, 1814, first line.

“O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave” — Francis Scott Key, 1814, closing line of each verse.

The poem was set to an existing tune and became the national anthem by act of Congress in 1931.

Dolley Madison’s account of saving George Washington’s portrait from the White House is often quoted too. Historians note that the version usually printed was rewritten later, so cite it with care or describe the event instead of quoting it.

Ending the war: 1814–1815

By late 1814, both sides were tired of an expensive war that neither was winning outright.

“I think you have no right, from the state of the war, to demand any concession of territory from America.” — the Duke of Wellington, letter to Prime Minister Lord Liverpool, November 9, 1814. Britain’s top general had been offered the American command. His advice helped push British negotiators to drop their territorial demands.

“There shall be a firm and universal Peace between His Britannic Majesty and the United States.” — Treaty of Ghent, Article I, signed December 24, 1814. The treaty returned things largely to how they stood before the war.

News traveled slowly. The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, after the treaty was signed but before it was ratified. Andrew Jackson’s victory there made him a national figure and shaped how Americans remembered the war.

Using these quotes in an essay

Match the quote to the claim. For causes, use Madison. For overconfidence, use Clay or Jefferson. For national identity, use Lawrence, Perry or Key. For the stalemate, use Wellington and the treaty.

Always name the speaker and the date in your sentence, since readers won’t know most of these people. For formats, see how to quote a speech. For other early-American primary sources, see quotes about the Articles of Confederation and quotes from Federalist 10.

FAQ

What is the most famous quote from the War of 1812?

“Don’t give up the ship!” from Captain James Lawrence (1813) and “We have met the enemy and they are ours” from Oliver Hazard Perry (1813) are the two best known. Both remain U.S. Navy mottoes.

Who said “Don’t give up the ship”?

Captain James Lawrence of USS Chesapeake, after being mortally wounded in battle with HMS Shannon on June 1, 1813.

Who said “We have met the enemy and they are ours”?

Oliver Hazard Perry, in his report to William Henry Harrison after the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813.

Is “We have met the enemy and he is us” from the War of 1812?

No. That is Walt Kelly’s parody of Perry’s line, popularized by his comic strip Pogo on a 1970 Earth Day poster.

Which quote from the War of 1812 became the national anthem?

Francis Scott Key’s 1814 poem about Fort McHenry, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Congress made it the national anthem in 1931.