The War Not Unattended With Benefits

From The Parthenon, Volume 1...:

But the war of 1812 was not unattended with benefits.

England was made to understand the nature of our government--the unadorned structure of its massive Democracy; she was taught to fear its power--to respect its rights. She sent her armies and navies amongst us with arrogant pretensions to superiority, and supercillious contempt of all that was American.

She received them again, defeated and disgraced. She saw no standing army, and thought us weak. She came among us and found us strong. She knew not that our standing army was the sturdy patriotism of millions of freemen. She despised our militia.

The British soldier quailed before the 'murderous precision' of the western rifleman.