This painting depicts the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.

Sir Amédée Forestier, The Signing of the Treaty of Ghent, Christmas Eve, 1814, 1914, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sulgrave Institution of the U.S. and Great Britain.

War of 1812 Leaders

Learn more about the American and British leaders who defined the War of 1812 era.

Stephen Decatur

One of America’s earliest naval heroes, Stephen Decatur made himself, and the fledgling American Navy, famous through his exploits around the globe...

William Clark

Captain William Clark’s name is almost inextricably tied with that of his partner, Meriwether Lewis, and the three-year scientific expedition they led...

Tenskwatawa

Originally born Lalawethika, meaning “the rattle” in Algonquian, Tenskwatawa was a unique individual living on the fringe of Shawnee society. At the...

William Hull

Despite his decades of service, William Hull’s contemporaries held his record in low esteem, partially due to one particular moment in the War of 1812...