Show I When War Came to the United States I By ELMO 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 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 o of those other tragic days when were made the fateful decisions which meant that more American Ameri Amen can lives were to be sacrificed on the altar of Mars This article is a page from the past which tells tens how war came cameto cameto cameto to America in other years before 1941 The first war which we as a nation nation nation na na- 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 beganI as a rebellion the rebellion 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 States of America did not come into ex existence stence until July 4 1776 when the Declaration of Independence Independence Inde Inde- was adopted In the meantime there had been fighting and bloodshed bloodshed bloodshed-at at Lexington Lexing- Lexing ton on on April 19 1775 at Concord where was fired the shot heard round the world on the same san 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 surrender sur sur- render of Cornwallis at Yorktown on October 19 1781 meant that the in 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 o last for nearly two years more It wasn't until November 30 1782 that the he preliminary articles of peace between Great Britain and the United States were signed in Paris two more months were to elapse before articles proclaiming the he cessation of hostilities between the two nations were signed on January January Janu Janu- ary any 20 1783 and it wasn't until September 3 1783 that the definitive treaty reaty of peace was signed in Paris Thus this undeclared war had la lasted asted ted for eight years four mo months ih and fifteen days making it the longest longest longest long long- est in our history During the next 20 years we were involved in two more undeclared wars vars both of which brought fighting fighting fight- fight ing ng and bloodshed The first was with our former ally any France and was the result of the humiliation and insults which our envoys in Paris had lad suffered at the hands of the Directory and the attempt of Talleyrand Talleyrand Talleyrand Talley Talley- rand to blackmail us into buying Frances France's friendship Although there was no formal declaration of war Pres res John Adams ordered commerce commerce com cam 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 the he next 18 months there was considerable considerable considerable con con- naval warfare marked by Dy the victories of the frigate Constellation Constellation Constellation Con over French men of When Napoleon Bonaparte came to power he immediately took steps to stop the conflict and in September Septem- Septem ber oer 1800 a convention was signed in Paris which ended this war Meanwhile American shipping like that of other nations had been i suffering from the raids of the Barbary 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 ves yes sels were being seized and American American Ameri Amen can seamen held prisoners until ransomed When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801 he resolved to put an end to this early-day early racket ri The first two naval expeditions against the pirates failed but in 1803 when Commodore Edward Preble sailed against the corsairs it was a a. a different story His expedition against Tangiers the daring attack of Stephen Decatur on Tripoli the next year and the combined naval naval naval na na- na- na 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 guaranteed guar guar- the future safety of American Ameri Amen can shipping in the Mediterranean The remainder of Jeffersons Jefferson's administration administration administration ad ad- ministration was peaceful but by the time James Madison entered the White House the second war var with England was brewing For the first time in our history there was a form formal for for- formal m mal l declaration of war war war-on on June 18 1812 For the fi first st time too o our r of the ci af 0 at tt m Bc un and d held td it t t lh tJ ti Cir Ct City ef J Wul en on r Frd de tM 4 1 t january on o nd nine run nan hundred and nd Jort JOINT RESOLUTION i fIr 4 f nir r at xi-ti xi 1 iI II Jm ri J til fir f J i jun n. n till lip n an n l o It of 01 th th UD and ind nuking p ii tu lu o the tho D an the Ih r of 01 Japan Jaran h. h hu haj commit unjiro- unjiro I r I act uta of or r ar r il th the lbs Government inH Inti the prop of 01 lh ib S Stat tr- tr of 01 t bf be it RI o Ay hy jf lA A and Hoa tf of 1 tit t. I L e 41 1 Am in i That the tate sUte of 01 ofir war ir bran th the Statts and the of 01 Ji Japan in which h ha hI thui Urn n thrust upon th lb the United atia Ii It berby i formally an nI I th the ii is n l 1 In lK lh lb and rj f form frua mI of 01 lb Ih Unit Stilt Sui the te of the Government to carry Iny on wr war i in i ithe ti the tle Im rill Government GO of 01 Japan and ind lo to bring the conflict to a u rul termination ill all of the of the lie country an T hereby Iw 14 pl b II the Con of the United States J j AA p L Viet rk ef of lla lh s. s StoA Aw oM Ol ml of olla S l. l V. V OI O I J 75 JO shores were invaded by a hostile force and cl on August 24 1814 Americans suffered the humiliation of seeing the capital of their nation in the hands of the enemy and the home of their president in flames Despite this disaster which came as the climax of other defeats on onlan onland lan land offset l-offset offset however by many a brilliant victory at sea America continued the struggle which ended on December 24 of that year when the treaty of peace was signed in Ghent Belgium by representatives of the two belligerents This war had lasted two years six months and six days The next war var with a foreign power was even shorter than the War of 1812 When the United States annexed 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 and Pres James K r I I ni a L y APRIL 2 1917 Pres Woodrow Wilson Vilson reads his war message to congress I Polk asked congress for a declaration declaration dec dec- of war var It came on May I 13 1846 and 10 days later Mexico declared war 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 cap cap- tuned the Mexican capital The war ended with the signing of a 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 engaged en en- enI I was another undeclared war for like its predecessor it was a rebellion and a civil war Just when the War Between the States began is a matter of defini defini- tion i nit izie usual view IS jt is it ii 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 At any rate it was this act which prompted President Lincoln three days later to call for volunteers to suppress the i insurrection and which resulted in four years of the hardest and bloodiest fighting the world had ever known up to that time Just as this war had no official official official cial beginning so it had no official official cial ending But the surrender of Lee on April 9 1865 sounded the death knell of the 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 I Shortest of all our wars with a I foreign power was the Days War with Spain in 1898 1893 It had its origin in American sympathy forthe for forthe forthe the Cuban patriots who for several years had been trying to throw off 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 February ary 15 1808 That event was the explosion explosion ex ex- and sinking of the U. U S. S S. S Maine The excitement over this resulted in diplomatic relations between between between be be- tween Spain and the United States being broken on April 21 and the I declaration of a blockade 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 at Santiago San San- tiago and tiago-and and by our army army in in theland the theland theland land fighting in Cuba soon Cuba soon demonstrated demonstrated demonstrated demon demon- what the inevitable outcome outcome out out- outcome come of the war would be So on August 12 a peace protocol was signed and hostilities ceased after days of fighting The war however however however how how- ever did not end officially until December 10 when the Deace neace treaty W was signed in Paris Although the period of actual combat combat com corn bat by our fighting men was relatively relatively relatively rela rela- short one year and 15 days World War Var 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- diplomatic matic relations with her two days later On April 6 congress declared war on Germany and on June 26 the American troops landed in I France However it was not until October 27 1917 that American soldiers soldiers sol sal diers fired their first shots at the enemy Hostilities ended on November Novem Novem- ber ben 11 1918 one 1918 one year aha id fifteen days after they had begun on October Octo Octo- ber ben 27 of the previous year The cessation of hostilities on Armistice Day did not mean the official 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 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 congressI I passed by the house on June 30 and by the senate on July 1 declaring declaring de de- de- de claring daring peace with Germany On August 25 a peace treaty was signed in Berlin by representatives of the c. c 3 n u ou Jus 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 of of- officially 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 de de- de- de dared war against the United States and Great Britain and before the d declaration reached Washington by air or cable made an attack on Hawaii the Philippines and other American possessions in the Pacific 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 I |