War of 1812
From April 1814, during the War of 1812 against the United States, Cochrane, then a vice admiral, served as commander-in-chief of both the North American Station, based at the new dockyard in Bermuda, and the Jamaica Station, based at Port Royal. He landed the force under Major-General Robert Ross that burned Washington and pushed successful naval forays at the same time. Initially he wanted to attack Rhode Island in New England after the success at Washington, but he was dissuaded by Ross and Rear Admiral George Cockburn, who wanted to go after the bigger prize of Baltimore, Maryland.
Cochrane was appointed the Commander-in-Chief, North American Station (1814–1815). His correspondence log commences with mention of the correspondence dated 27 December 1813 from the Admiralty which formally appointed him as successor to Sir John Warren.
Asia served as the flagship for Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane from 27 January 1814. Then, Tonnant served as the flagship for Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane from 9 June 1814 onwards.
Cochrane approved the plan proposed by Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet to attack Washington, after the latter predicted that "within a short period of time, with enough force, we could easily have at our mercy the capital". The 4,500 troops, commanded by Major General Robert Ross, successfully captured the capital city on 24 August 1814; Ross then directed the Burning of Washington but refused suggestions by both Cochrane and Cockburn to raze the city. Ross ordered his troops to cause no damage to private property.
It was aboard Cochrane's flagship, HMS Tonnant, near the mouth of the Potomac on 7 September 1814 that Francis Scott Key and Colonel John Skinner pleaded for and got the release of Doctor William Beanes, a civilian who had been taken prisoner in Upper Marlboro after withdrawing from the assault on Washington.
The next day Key, Skinner and Beanes were transferred to the frigate HMS Surprise, with their truce vessel in tow, as the fleet slowly moved up the Chesapeake toward Baltimore. They would not be released until the assault on Baltimore was completed. On 11 September, Skinner insisted they be put back on their own truce vessel which they were allowed to do, under guard.
The morning of the 12th, 4500 British troops landed on the North Point peninsula and started marching toward Baltimore. Major General Robert Ross was killed by sniper fire in a skirmish that afternoon during the Battle of North Point.
Cochrane transferred his flag to HMS Surprise to facilitate moving up the Patapsco River to direct the 25-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry outside Baltimore (13 and 14 September), which proved ineffectual. He resisted calls by his junior officers to attack the fort more aggressively with frigates at close range. He ordered a diversionary raid by boats, around 1am on the 14th, to assist the army encamped near Baltimore in their proposed attack on Hampstead Hill (which they cancelled and withdrew), but this diversion had no success. In the bombardment of Fort McHenry, Cochrane's fleet used bomb vessels and a rocket ship for a long-range bombardment to minimize casualties and damage to the fleet from the fort's return fire, which inspired Francis Scott Key's poem that became "The Star-Spangled Banner", the US national anthem.
Cochrane controlled the soldiers and marines on ships during the Battle of New Orleans. His forces built a hard short road to New Orleans for use by British armed forces. The British army was defeated at the Battle of New Orleans on 8 January 1815 and Cochrane received some criticism for his role in that loss, which prevented the British from gaining a foothold in the US.
The Duke of Wellington was particularly vociferous in his criticism. He claimed that the failure of the New Orleans campaign was largely the fault of Cochrane. In a eulogy to General Edward Pakenham (Wellington's brother-in-law, killed at New Orleans), he said:
I cannot but regret that he was ever employed on such a service or with such a colleague. The expedition to New Orleans originated with that colleague ... The Americans were prepared with an army in a fortified position which still would have been carried, if the duties of others, that is of the Admiral (Sir Alexander Cochrane), had been as well performed as that of he whom we now lament.
Prior to returning to Great Britain in 1815, he protested against accusations by Monroe that Black refugees had been sold into slavery in the West Indies. Firstly, he wrote to Monroe on 8 March, then he raised the matter in a letter he composed on 13 March 1815 with the Secretary to the Admiralty on the matter.
Vice Admiral Cochrane continued to lobby the Secretary of the Admiralty for the men of the Corps of Colonial Marines to be retained on Bermuda. In the past, he had been criticised for the manner in which captured slaves had been placed on his plantation in Trinidad. It was important for his public reputation to avoid this being brought up again. Cochrane transferred his pennant to the Puissant on 15 May 1815.
In spite of bearing some responsibility for the loss at New Orleans, Cochrane was later promoted to Admiral on 12 August 1819. From 1821 to 1824, he was Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. He died in Paris on 26 January 1832.
