The war of 1812 was OPPOSED by the people of New England, the primary reason was they had extensive trade with England prior and after the start of the war (In fact New England remained the source of the Wheat used to make the Bread for Wellington's Army in Spain till Napoleon's defeat in the Battle of Nations in 1814, Wellington and Napoleon would face each other the next year, but that is during Napoleon's 100 day on 1815, after the US and Britain had signed peace treaty in the Winter of 1814-1815).
Anyway, back to Webster, New England OPPOSED the War of 1812 (The US claim it went to war to protect US Sailors from British Impressment, but all most all US Sailors were from New England and ALL New England Members of Congress voted AGAINST the war, while Every member of Congress from west of the Appalachian Mountains voted for the war, the reason was the British Support of Tecumseh and his Indians NOT what was happening to American Sailors on the High Seas). At the same time, New England had the best trained Militia in the World, hands down better then anything else even in the US. This was the product of the Long Series of French and Indian Wars of 1696-1763, followed by the US Revolution, where New England was on the Front line in both Wars. The Militia of the Rest of the US was NOT up to New England Standards, which was noted by even US Generals during the Revolution. They had to remind themselves of this fact, when the British decided to operate in the American South instead of the American North (i.e. the Southern Militia was NOT up to New England Standards), and when they forgot this fact the US suffered its worse defeats in the South.
New England Militia was almost up to Regular Army Standards, which is remarkable for Militia (After the war of 1812, the Militia North of the Mason Dixon line went through a rapid decline do to the fact there was no longer a threat, the South kept its militia up till the Civil War do to the fact the Militia in the South was part of the Mechanism to keep the slaves in line).
Thus by the beginning of 1814, the world situation had substantially changed since 1812, Tecumseh was Dead and Napoleon was in Exile, but you still had a large British Army and Navy, ready, willing and able to move on the US. Canada was still directly threatened by an US Invasion, and do to the fact Tecumseh was dead, almost no opposition to an American Invasion from Canada, except by regular troops was all that was expected (and most Regulars in Canada has been Captured after the Battle of the Thames).
This was complicated by the fact, that while the British could invade any part of the US it wanted to, there was no way Britain could hold that part (Not enough troops, The US had expanded to the Mississippi since the Revolution thus any attempt to hold onto any part of the US was viewed as foolish with the exception of New Orleans). Britain's biggest problem was Canada, the French Canadians had a long history of supporting the US (The US even raised three regiments of Regulars out of Quebec during the Revolution, basically the French Canadians preferred to be ruled from Washington then London).
Ontario was viewed better, but it had a huge number (if not the majority) of ex-new Englanders who had FOUGHT against the British during the Revolution (Through the leadership of Ontario had less ex-New Englanders and more from other parts of the Former American Colonies who had supported the Crown in 1775). This was a problem, for while New England by 1812 opposed the War with Britain, those New Englanders that had moved to what we call the American Mid West were the most Anti-Tecumseh and most Anti-British (Through these forces had died out with the death of Tecumseh).
The British had questions if the British could STOP an American Invasion of Canada so the British decided to launch a series of raids along the Coast to tie up American Forces (so these forces could NOT be used to Invade Canada). The British no longer needed New England Grain (Wellington had pulled his forces out of Spain with Napoleon's Defeat), but understood the Opposition and tried to support that opposition (New England was NOT subject to any raid, through the British Naval Blockage did extend to it).
US had suffered severe defeats at the hands of the British.
We needed troops and enlistments were down especially in New England which never supported the war in the first place (And even further down in the mid-west given the goal of the War had already been accomplished i.e. Death of Tecumseh). With the Defeat of Napoleon, the British could withdraw its forces from Spain and hit the US. The British did this as a series of Coastal raids in 1814, AFTER Webster made this speech.
The Burning of Washington in August 1814:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_WashingtonThe Battle of Fort Mc-Henry (Baltimore MD) in September 12, 1814:
http://www.mywarof1812.com/battles/1814.htmThe Battle of the Thames in October 1813, Tecumseh died in this battle and with him the main reason for the War:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_ThamesMore on Tecumseh:
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=373http://www.indigenouspeople.net/tecumseh.htmTecumseh and the War of 1812:
http://web.archive.org/web/20000816011432/http://members.tripod.com/Brian_Blodgett/Tecumthe.htmlThe Battle of Nations, October 1813, the battle that released the British Troops, by April 4, 1814 Napoleon had to abdicate his throne and on Elba by May 4, 1814:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_LeipzigHistory time line of Napoleonic Wars:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Napoleonic_eraThus Webster's quote is in a particular period of time, the world situation had change substantially with Napoleon's exile to Elba but the full affect of that change would only become known by the late summer and fall of the same year. By then the need for troops and a draft had become clear. Fortunately the peace treaty was signed before one could be passed, so we do NOT know how Webster would have voted had the War continued into 1815. Would he have supported an attack to retake New Orleans (even if that required a Draft)? New Orleans cuts off the whole Mississippi Valley System (Which includes the Missouri and Ohio Rivers) could the US afford New Orleans to remain in British Hands? The Peace treaty said all lands taken by both sides would be returned to the original holder, but Britain had NOT recognized New Orleans as American Territory, holding it to be French. Thus Britain would have had an excuse to hold it dispute the treaty (Providing the British decided to follow the Treaty, the British did NOT follow the Peace Treaty that ended the Revolution in regards to Detroit and other ex-French Forts on the Great Lakes, so such violation of a Treaty was not unheard of). Would Webster support an attack to retake New Orleans (Fortunately for Webster, Jackson defeated the British so this all become moot).
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