The Cdn. Maritimes connection 

From the Nova Scotia Museum, the maritime component:

""Starting on June 18, 1812 and lasting for nearly three years, the War of 1812 was a series of land and sea battles between the United States and Great Britain, including their respective First Nations allies. The war was fought in three principal theatres: first along the American-Canadian border (primarily along the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River); second, along the American South and third, and most relevant to Nova Scotia, the maritime component along the Atlantic coast of the United States. 

The maritime component can be described in three phases:
In 1812, the advantages lay with the Americans who won several spectacular single-ship actions.  Both sides launched an aggressive privateering campaign and trade through Nova Scotia boomed.In 1813, the British naval presence increased as additional ships were sent to Halifax and a blockade of the American coast was implemented. This year also saw one of the war's most memorable naval battles, the capture of USSChesapeake by HMS ShannonBy 1814, the Atlantic seaboard was dominated by the Royal Navy and American trade was dwindling.  There was an increase in British raids, including the occupation of the Castine region of Maine and the capture and burning of Washington D.C. 

As the war progressed, there was an increase in privateers and naval impressment. The Halifax Naval Yard and military presence grew in response to the battles at sea, while a prison for captured Americans was maintained at Melville Island. 

It was with the end of the war in 1814 that Nova Scotia would be most permanently affected. This period saw the arrival of the Black Refugees, discharged military personnel making the colony their home, the economic benefits of the Castine Funds, as well as the many graves, monuments, and buildings that today stand as a testament to the War of 1812's people and events. ""