How we tricked the Americans to win the War of 1812

Canada's history is full of battle, intrigue, crafty ruses and surprising facts.

Here are 10 things you may not know about the War of 1812:

Tecumseh's war didn't start in 1812

The Shawnee chief had spent much of his adult life fighting America's westward expansion. By 1812, he'd been leading a guerilla war against the United States for 20 years. His army included warriors from 13 different Indigenous nations.

Brock knew his enemy's greatest fear

Warriors from Tecumseh's army intercepted a letter from American Major-General William Hull during an attack on American troops. In it, Hull talked about his fear of the Indigenous people. Tecumseh shared this letter with British Major-General Isaac Brock. Brock played on Hull's paranoia, sending him a letter that read "the numerous body of Indians who have attached themselves to my troops, will be beyond my control the moment the contest commences."

Tecumseh pledged his help to Brock in exchange for an Indigenous homeland

Tecumseh wanted British support in establishing a permanent homeland for the Shawnee and the other nations in his army on lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. Unfortunately, both Brock and Tecumseh would die in the war and the British would fail to honour their agreement with the Shawnee leader.

Indigenous warriors outsmarted Hull to get him to surrender

Knowing how scared Hull was of Indigenous warriors, Tecumseh had his troops run back and forth for hours in the wood surrounding Fort Detroit, making his 600-man group look like thousands. By the time Brock and his 800 British troops marched up, Hull was ready to surrender.

The armoury at Fort York contained the explosive equivalent of 14 Tomahawk cruise missiles

If the Americans had managed to seize the fort's weapons, it could have been a game-changing advantage. When Capt. Tito Lelievre blew up the armoury — rather than letting the Americans seize it — the explosion was felt 50 km away.

Laura Secord's famous walk was a result of American soldiers taking over her home

When the Americans occupied the Niagara Peninsula, they raided farms for supplies and forced their way into homes, turning them into impromptu barracks. Laura Secord's home was one of those forced to billet American soldiers. Those American soldiers included Capt. Cyrenius Chapin, who made the mistake of talking too loudly about his plans in front of Secord.

With Britain's naval forces occupied by the war with Napoleon in Europe, privateers became a key part of the British-Canadian naval effort

Privateers were essentially pirates who had been given license by the government. They didn't attack better-armed warships, but would instead disrupt enemy supply lines by capturing merchant vessels. Privateers got to keep most of what they took, making privateering a very lucrative business.

The most successful privateer of the war was Joseph Barss

Barss, captain of the Liverpool Packet, captured 50 vessels in just under a year of privateering — including nine schooners in one day.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles-Michel d'Irumberry De Sallaberry won the Battle of the Chateauguay with bugles

In a move that echoed Tecumseh's bold move at the beginning of the war, Lieutenant Colonel Charles-Michel d'Irumberry De Sallaberry, an officer for the British army, has his buglers run around the woods and play to signal incoming Canadian cavalry, cavalry that didn't exist. Panicked and feeling outnumbered, the American commander retreated.

More than 20% of British-Canadian troops in 1812 were Indigenous

The War of 1812 actually stretched from 1812 to 1815. By the end of the war 48,000 people had fought for the Canadian side. Over 10,000 of them were Indigenous.