1812 Sports: Boxing, Horseback Riding, Bandy, and Cricket

War of 1812 the United States took on Great Britain because the British attempted to control U.S. and the Royal Navy impressment of American troops and their desire to expand its territory. Over the course of War 1812 the U.S. suffered defeats from the British, Canadians and Native America including the capturing and burning of the capital nation, Washing D.C.in 1814. But the American troops were able to resist British invasion in New York, Baltimore and New Orleans giving the nation confidence and giving a new spirit of patriotism. The agreement of the Treaty of Ghent in 1815 ended the war but left many questions unanswered as to what sports and leisure time was like during the war.

The kind of games they participated in during the 1812 era was Bandy, Boxing, Cricket and Horseback riding. Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice using a bandy ball, bandy stick and skates. Bandy is similar to hockey but bandy is played with eleven people including the goalie while in hockey is played with 6 people including the goalie. Boxing in the 1812 recalls to Tom Cribb on English championship, his only known match at the time was against “Symonds, the Jew” in London. When the war started to take its toll, cricket added to the manpower and investment.

The sporting events that they attended was also around the time the first recorded games of Bundy that took place in the Fens of East Anglia. During the great frost of 1813, but it’s in question that Bundy was probably played there since the previous century. After being severely impacted from the ending of War of 1812 a reasonable number of matches that took place in 1815 as apparent recovery.

Octavius was British thoroughbred race horse. In a racing career that lasted from April 1812 to May 1814 he ran thirteen won four races. His most important success was when winning the Derby. Octavius remained in training for two more season, best subsequent performance coming when he won Epsom Gold Cup as a four-year-old in 1813. At the end of 1814 Octavius was retired where he had moderate success as sire winners.