We all know the war of 1812. I would like you, the reader of this thread, to come up with a way for the war of 1812 to be against france or spain. Good luck.
Well, apparently, people don't know the war of 1812. Quick refresher:
Britain AND France were seizing American ships during the 18zero's to supply men for their navies. This is impressment, and we hated it. Britain also was accused (somewhat accurately) of inciting the Native American tribes in the NW (michigan and area) to fight the expanding Americans. There were internal US issues such as New England not wanting to fight and the west (Oh, Kt, and Te)
really wanting to fight. Under great pressure, Madison declared war on Britain (via Canada) in 1812.
The US unofficial goal was to gain Canada (early Manifest destiny). Well, on land in 1812, we made NO progress towards Montreal, lost a few hundred troops along the Niagra frontier, and lost all three forts (Stephenson, Michilimackinac, and Detroit) guarding the triangle that was Michigan. The only vaguely American success was in killing the British's best general, Sir Isaac Brock (who was very good).
In 1813, no new progress towards either Montreal or Niagra (in fact, we lost 2 more battles towards Montreal). We held our own in hastily build Fort Meigs in Indiana Territory (courtesy of General/Territory Governor/Future President Harrison), lost decisively at the River Raisin, then won the naval conflict on Lake Erie (Think Oliver Perry: "we have met the enemy and they are ours"), and then won a battle in Upper Canada, which ultimately meant nothing since we retreated again.
In 1814, we won the battle of Chippewa, held our own at the very bloody battle of Lundy's Lane (both due to Winfield Scott), along the Niagra, but then retreated. So all of OUR invasions were over.
On the Native American Front, in 1811 Harrison destroyed Prophetstown. At the Upper Canada Battle in 1813 His forces also killed Tecumseh. In the SW, in Mississippi and Alabama Territory we got involved with the Spanish in the Creek wars (a sub-part of the War of 1812), and Andrew Jackson ultimately enjoyed great victory.
At sea, our few frigates did very well in single ship engagements, (old iron-sides) but then they were all blockaded.
Then, once Napoleon was exiled the 1st time, Britain sent 4 brigades to America. Three went down Lake Champlain, where they would have won if the navy had kept up (we won the naval battle there). The fourth was shipped to Washington DC, which it burned, and then onto Baltimore, which stood (think Key and Fort McHenry [fun fact, the fort's commander was the uncle of Lewis Armistead, as in high-water-mark at Pickett's charge]). That brigade was joined by others from the Carribean, reached the outskirts of New Orleans, and were met by 4000 troops under Jackson again. After the Christmas Peace Treaty had been signed at Ghent, and before either combatant could know about it, the British attacked (Casualties = 13 for America, 2000 for Britain) and lost badly. It was only a moral victory, but it carried Jackson to the White House.
ANYWAY......America never would have fought France directly from any small deviation from real-time. She may have focused more on Spain and the Floridas, rather than Britain and Canada. However, no scenario I have read in this thing has simultaneously satisfied the original conditions and been believable.
