Kentuckians played a vital role in the War of 1812 and paid dearly for it: over half of the 2,260 Americans killed in the war—about 1,200 men—were Kentuckians. 

The United States declared war against Great Britain over Britain’s attempts to control U.S. trade across the Atlantic Ocean with France. The British had also been kidnapping U.S. sailors and pressing them into service with the Royal Navy. 

Another reason Americans went to war, however, was to stop British support of Native American tribes who were fighting American expansion into their lands.