There were a few American victories at sea early on, but in the end, the U.S. Navy was no match for the Royal Navy, as the Royal Navy was successful in blockading many American ports and thus causing economic hardships. At the beginning of the war, Britain's military efforts were focused on France and the Napoleonic Wars; however, after their victory over France in 1814, they were able to send in more troops and thus began to fight Americans more aggressively. One of the biggest British attacks was on Washington, D.C. in August of 1814 and resulted in the White House getting burnt to the ground. On the other hand, the U.S. did prove victorious in a few battles, including the Battle of Baltimore in 1814 and the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
During the Battle of Baltimore, Francis Scott Key watched the British attack on Fort McHenry as a prisoner aboard a British ship. He couldn't believe that the fort's flag was still flying at the end of the battle and later wrote a poem called "The Star-Spangled Banner," which was set to the tune of an English drinking song. It became an emblem of the War of 1812 and later the official National Anthem of the United States. The war was essentially becoming a stalemate and both countries were growing weary of fighting. Meanwhile, British and American diplomats had been meeting in Ghent, Belgium, where they soon agreed to sign a peace treaty officially ending the war. .
The Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814 and established the status quo ante bellum, which means that the previously existing boundaries between the US and the British were the same as they were before the war. On January 8, 1815, unaware that peace had already been made, British forces mounted a major attack on New Orleans. However, they were met by a crushing defeat at the hands of future U.S. president Andrew Jackson. This was America's largest victory by far and boosted sagging morale throughout the nation, along with leaving the US with a taste of victory.