Show I When When War Came to the United States I By ELMO ELl SCOTT WATSON I IT T WAS on a Sunday morning three years ago that war came again to the United States The story of that day of infamy infamy in in- famy when Japan made her sneak attack on Pearl Harbor Is too fresh in the minds of all Americans to need retelling here But how many of us know of those other tragic days when were made the fateful decisions which meant that more American Amen Ameri can can lives were to be sa sacrificed on n the altar of Mars This article is a page from the past which tells how war came cameto cameto cameto to America in tn other othe years before 1941 The first war which we as a ana ana- na nation nation na- na tion waged was an undeclared war that is to say there was never any formal declaration of war As a matter of fact we weren't even a nation when it started The American Revolution began as a rebellion the rebellion the n-the the revolt of the English English Eng Eng- lish colonies in America against their mother country England It continued as a rebellion and as a civil war Patriots against the Loyalists and the regularly constituted constituted constituted authorities for nearly a year before we became a nation For the United United- States of America did not come into existence until July 4 1776 when the Declaration of Independence Independence Independence Inde Inde- was adopted In the meantime there had been fighting lighting and bloodshed bloodshed-at at Lexington Lexing Lexing- ton on April 19 1775 at Concord where was fired the shot heard round the world on the same day at Bunker Hill on June 17 and at Quebec in December For six years this undeclared war dragged on until at last the surrender surrender sur sur- render nt C Cornwallis at Yorktown on October 19 1781 meant that the independence independence independence in in- dependence declared five years earlier was an accomplished fact However this didn't mean the end of the war which was destined to last for nearly two years more It wasn't until November 30 1782 that the preliminary articles of peace between Great Britain and ad ar d the United States were signed in Paris parrs two more months were to elapse before articles proclaiming the cessation of hostilities between the two nations were signed on January Janu Janu- ary any 20 1783 and it wasn't until September 3 1783 that the definitive treaty of p peace ace was signed in Paris Thus this this' undeclared war had had lasted for eight years four months and fifteen days making it the l longest longest long long- est in our our his history ory During the next 20 years we were involved in two more undeclared wars both of which brought fighting fighting fighting fight fight- ing and bloodshed The first was with our former ally France and was the result of the humiliation and insults which our envoys in Paris had suffered at the hands of the Directory and the attempt of Talleyrand Talleyrand Talley Talley- rand to blackmail us into buying Frances France's friendship Although there was no no formal declaration of war Pres John Adams ordered commerce com com- commerce merce with France stopped in 1798 and our treaties with her abrogated Then our Infant navy put to sea to prey upon French shipping and for forthe forthe forthe the next 18 months there was considerable considerable considerable con con- naval warfare marked by the victories of the frigate Constellation Constellation Constellation Con over French of men When Napoleon Bonaparte came to power he immediately took steps to stop the conflict and in September Septem Septem- ber 1800 a convention was signed in Paris which ended this war wat Meanwhile Amer American can shipping like that of other nations had been suffering from the raids of the Barbary Barbary Bar Bar- bary pirates in the Mediterranean and despite tribute paid to the bey of Algiers the pasha of Tripoli and the bey of Tunis American vessels vessels vessels ves ves- sels were being seized and American Ameri Ameri- can an seamen held prisoners until ransomed When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801 he resolved to put an end to this early-day early racket The first two naval expeditions against the pirates failed but in 1803 when Commodore Edward Preble sailed against the corsairs it was a different story His IUs expedition against Tangiers the daring attack of Stephen Decatur on Tripoli the next year and the combined paval na naval pa pa- val and military expedition the latter led by Gen William Eaton Eaton- which captured Derna in 1805 broke the power of the Barbary states and resulted in treaties which guaranteed guaranteed guar guar- the future safety of American Ameri Amen can shipping in the Mediterranean The remainder of Jeffersons Jefferson's administration administration ad ad- ministration was peaceful but by the time James Madison entered the White House the second war with England was brewin brewing For the first time in our history there was a forma formal formal for for- ma mal declaration of war war war-on on June 18 1812 For the first time too our ress of tf Itt flu if of at i It tint lit 14 doe tit 01 F 1 4 J Jw nm es us sad l I JOINT RESOLUTION II tha lit lh l i of f 11 J i aI III tW nt and nd lh t th people nf Ie l of des VoW Ki st ant and i kin In 1 lu tu 1 Ik the tom nil She 1 of I km bes committal en rv rek J 11 ads at 1 f oar r g f iM ins Ik th I O sad the aw of f f I Ib lb I Ruin f bt b It k R I If f sic A. A U ii eM B H. H f f IU SR c t tJ f A fe In C. C a Mn M t In the Ut of r lh t l St St. UK sad Ik Ih Imperial of f fIro f Iro e k be thus hUl upon span des th United 6 St St. stI tw I herby I n l Ih b is t ant 4 in employ pi th I k entire nasal std ad military Ui f ton forces of tk t the United Unite States Stat nd J tk the it of vf t Ik lb 0 l to I on uti w r p r rei th tb imperial Oer of J pen I sod nd lo to bring bring- Ik the th tl to la a M til an of f tk th f f tk tile Ike fount 17 tn In by el kj by th t Ik Congre C. C sf f Ik the United Ste Ste. Sates 4 d tin tk B U R. R Pr H aria q a P Vic Via f IU A. A V a sw 1 Prid er l f SR lit A. A S. S ol o tf r I p I ES 7 77 7 i S shores were invaded by a hostile force and on August 24 1814 Americans suffered the humiliation of seeing the capital of their nation in the hands of the enemy and the home homp of their president in flames Despite this disaster which came as the climax of other defeats on onland land offset land offset however by mal matt Y a brilliant victory at sea t- t America continued the struggle which ended on December 24 of that year when the treaty of peace was as signed in Ghent Belgium by representatives of the two belligerents This war I. I had lasted two years six months and six days The next war with a foreign power was even shorter than the War of 1812 When the United States annexed annexed an an- Texas in 1845 Mexico from whom Texas had won her independence ence nine years earlier regarded this as a hostile act There was a series of incidents down on the Rio Grande Grand and nd Pres James K K APRIL 2 1917 1911 Pres Woodrow Wilson reads his war mess message ge to congress Polk asked congress for a declaration declaration declaration dec dec- of war It came on May 13 1846 1840 and 10 days later Mexico declared war on An on the United States Hostilities began soon afterwards our armies under General Taylor and General Scott invaded Mexico and within a little more than a year September 14 1847 they had captured captured captured cap cap- the Mexican capital The war ended with the signing of a ij treaty of peace on February 2 1848 one year eight months and twenty days after it began The next war in which we engaged engaged en en- was another undeclared war for like its Ks predecessor it was a rebellion and a civil war Just when the War Between the States began is a matter of defini defini- tion The usual view is that it was April 12 1861 when Confederate batteries batteries batteries bat bat- teries in Charleston S. S C. C fired on Fort Sumter and the Union troops in that fortification fired back M At Many Many any rate it was this act which prompted President Lincoln three d days ys later to call for volunteers to suppress the insurrection and which rc resulted in four tour years of the hardest and bloodiest fighting the world had ever known up to that time Just as this war had no official cial beginning so it had no official official official cial ending But the surrender of Lee on April 9 1865 sounded the death knell of th Confederacy and organized resistance by the men in ingray ingray ingray gray ended From Sumter to Appa Appa- mattox it was four years minus three days Shortest of all our wars with a foreign power was the Days War with Spain in 1898 It had its origin in in American sympathy for forthe forthe forthe the Cuban patriots who for several years had been trying to throw off oft Spanish rule but it is doubtful if there would have been a war had hadit it not been for the event which took place in Havana Harbor on February February ary 15 1898 That event was the explosion explosion explosion ex ex- ex- ex and sinking of the U U. U S. S S. S Maine The excitement over this resulted in diplomatic relations between be tween Spain and the and the United States being broken en on April 21 and the declaration of a blo blockade kade of Cuba the next day Her national honor thus assailed Spain declared war on April 24 and our declaration followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed the next day The overwhelming victories won by our navy navy navy-at at Manila and San at-San- and tiago-and and by our army army in in the theland theland theland land fighting in Cuba soon Cuba soon demonstrated demonstrated demonstrated demon demon- what the inevitable outcome outcome outcome out out- come of the war would be So on August 12 a peace protocol prot-ocol was signed and hostilities ceased after days of fighting The war however however how how- ever did not end officially until December 10 when the peace treaty was was signed in Paris Although the period of actual combat combat combat com com- bat by our fighting men was relatively relatively relatively rela rela- short one year and 15 days World War I was our second longest longest longest long long- est war with a foreign power Here is the sequence of events to validate that statement On February 1 1917 Germany began unrestricted submarine warfare warfare warfare war war- fare and as a result we broke diplomatic diplomatic diplo diplo- matic relations with her two days later On April 6 congress declared war on Germany and on June 26 the first American troops landed in France However it was not until October 27 that American soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers fired their first shots at the enemy Hostilities ended on November November November Novem Novem- ber 11 1918 1918 one one year and fifteen days after they had begun on October Octo Octo- October ber 27 of the previous us year The cessation of hostilities on Armistice Day did not mean the official official of of- end of the war The treaty at Versailles was signed on June 28 1919 but when it came up for ratification ratification cation by the senate on November 19 it was rejected That meant that officially we were still at war with Germany It was not until July 2 1921 that President Harding signed a joint resolution of congress passed by the house on June 30 and by the senate on July 1 declaring declaring de de- claring peace with Germany On August 25 a peace treaty was signed in Berlin by representatives of the United States and Germany This was ratified by the German national council on September 17 and by the United States senate on October 18 Then and not until then was the war between these two countries officially officially officially of of- ended four years six months and twelve days after the American declaration of war back in 1917 As for World War II it began officially for the United States on December 7 1941 when Japan declared declared declared de de- war against the United States and Great Britain and before the declaration reached Washington by air or cable made an attack on Hawaii the Philippines and other American possessions in the Paci Our declaration of war followed the next day Four days later Germany and Italy declared war on the United States and on the same day congress congress congress con con- gress in joint session issued our declaration of war against those two nations |