The General Society of the War of 1812, commonly known as the Society of the War of 1812, is a

patriotic Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...

organization An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...

headquartered in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. It was organized in 1814 at

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

History

Background

The Society of the War of 1812 in the

State of Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

was organized at Baltimore on September 14, 1814 (two days after the Battle of North Point), by

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

s who had defeated Major-General Robert Ross's forces there. The Society of the War of 1812 in the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West ...

was organized at

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

on January 9, 1854 (one day after the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans), by a group of veterans who met in general convention at

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of ...

, having responded to a call issued by Joel B. Sutherland (himself a veteran and former member of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

). Ostensibly called to draft resolutions pertaining to federal bounty land

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...

, they acknowledged the need to organize at the national level for mutual support and to perpetuate the history of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. They met again a year later in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where they were received by President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

at the

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and lobbied

members of Congress A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

to secure the federal legislation, which was passed into law as the Bounty Land Act of 1855 on March 3.

Amalgamation

On April 14, 1894, the Maryland and the Pennsylvania societies met at Philadelphia to organize a general society. Being a federated society, they opted for the September 14, 1814, establishment date (the date the Maryland Society was first organized). The General Society has since increased to 33 State societies.

Membership

The society admits men who are

lineal descendant A lineal or direct descendant, in legal usage, is a blood relative in a person's direct line of descent – the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc. In a legal procedure sense, lineal descent refers to the acquisition of estate ...

s of American veterans who served on active federal duty during the War of 1812.

Notable members

* Brigadier General Charles W. Abbot * Major General John R. Brooke * Major General John Cadwalader * Brevet Major Augustus P. Davis * Admiral of the Navy

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, wi ...

* Rear Admiral John D. Ford * Major General Adolphus Greely * President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

* Brigadier General Tiemann N. Horn * Major General Marshall I. Ludington * The Honorable

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American politician who served as the 17th commissioner of the Social Security Administration from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was th ...

* Major General Theodore S. Peck * Brigadier General Edmund Rice * Brigadier General James M. J. Sanno * Major General

Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was a military commander and politician of the Confederate States of America. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil ...

* Brigadier General William S. Worth

References

* Society of the War of 1812. The Constitution and Register of Membership of the General Society of the War of 1812. Philadelphia: ublished by the Secretary-General, by order of the Society 1895. * Society of the War of 1812. The Constitution and Register of Membership of the General Society of the War of 1812 to Oct. 1, 1899: Organized September 14, 1814. Re-Organized January 9, 1854. Instituted in Joint Convention at Philadelphia, Pa., April 14, 1894. Philadelphia, Pa: Dewey & Eakins, makers, 1899. * General Society of the War of 1812, and Frederick Ira Ordway. Register of the General Society of the War of 1812. 1972. * Blizzard, Dennis F. The Roster of the General Society of the War of 1812. Mendenhall, Pa: The Society, 1989. * General Society of the War of 1812. General Society of the War of 1812: Triennial Yearbook 1987–90. lace of publication not identified General Society Of The War Of 1812, n.d. * General Society of the War of 1812. General Society of the War of 1812: Organized September 14, 1814. lace of publication not identified The Society, 1908. * Society of the War of 1812. The Charter, Constitution and Rules of the General Society of the War of 1812: With the Register of Membership. Philadelphia: s.n, 1800. * Society of the War of 1812. Society of the War of 1812 in the District of Columbia: Organized April 18, 1896 : Admitted to the General Society June 19, 1896. Washington, D.C.: ublisher not identified 1934. * Society of the War of 1812 in Virginia. The Constitution and Register of Membership of the General Society of the War of 1812 to October 1, 1899. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Society of the War of 1812, 1899. * Society of the War of 1812. Society of the War of 1812 in the District of Columbia. Washington, D.C.: ublisher not identified 1900. * Blizzard, Dennis F. Descendants of War of 1812 Veterans: General Society of the War of 1812 : Founders' Register, Commemoration, 1894–1994. Mendenhall, PA: The Society, 1994. * General Society of the War of 1812. 1812 War Cry. Mendenhall, PA: General Society of the War of 1812, 1900. * General Society of the War of 1812. Proceedings of the ... Biennial Meeting Held at. Philadelphia: General Society of the War of 1812, 1800. * Biennial Conference of the General Society of the War of 1812. The 29th Biennial Convention of the General Society of the War of 1812 in Conjunction with the 142nd Annual Defenders Day Dinner of the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Maryland. altimore, Md. eneral Society 1956. * General Society of the War of 1812. Proceedings of the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Biennial Meetings: Held at Baltimore, Maryland September 12, 1928, Weymouth, Massachusetts September 13, 1930, Washington, District of Columbia October 1, 1932, Asbury Park, New Jersey September 22, 1934 and West Point, New York September 26, 1936. Philadelphia: General Society of the War of 1812, 1938. * Society of the General War of 1812. Proceedings of the Tenth Biennial Meeting Held at Baltimore, Sept. 12, 1914. 1914. * Society of the War of 1812 in the State of California, Dennis W. Simpson, and Lee E. Bishop. The 2002 California Yearbook. lendale Society of the War of 1812 in the State of California, 2002.

External links

; Official * * ; General information
General Society of the War of 1812
at

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Society of the War of 1812 politicians
at

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:General Society Of The War of 1812 1814 establishments in Maryland 501(c)(3) organizations Aftermath of the War of 1812 in the United States Charities based in New Jersey Federations Lineage societies Lobbying organizations in the United States Men's organizations in the United States Nonpartisan organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1814 Patriotic societies Service organizations based in the United States United States military support organizations