Question: what happened after the british burned the white house

title: Burning of Washington
text: The British government , already at war with Napoleonic France , adopted a defensive strategy against the United States when the Americans declared war in 1812 . Reinforcements were held back from Canada and reliance was instead made on local militias and native allies to bolster the British Army in Canada . However , after the defeat and exile of Napoleon Bonaparte in April 1814 , Britain was able to use its now available troops and ships to prosecute its war with the United States . In addition to reinforcements sent to Canada , the Earl of Bathurst , Secretary of State for War and the Colonies , dispatched an army brigade and additional naval vessels to Bermuda , from where a blockade of the US coast and even the occupation of some coastal islands had been overseen throughout the war . It was decided to use these forces in raids along the Atlantic seaboard to draw American forces away from Canada . The commanders were under strict orders , however , not to carry out operations far inland , or to attempt to hold territory . Early in 1814 , Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane had been appointed Commander - in - Chief of the Royal Navy 's North America and West Indies Station , controlling naval forces based at the new Bermuda dockyard and the Halifax Naval Yard which were used to blockade US Atlantic ports throughout the war . He planned to carry the war into the United States by attacks in Virginia and against New Orleans . Admiralty