A Most Magnificent Ruin: The Burning of the Capitol during the War of 1812 | Architect of the Capitol | United States Capitol A Most Magnificent Ruin: The Burning of the Capitol during the War of 1812 August 22, 2012 | AOC Curator Office Around 8 p.m., on the evening of August 24, 1814, British troops under the command of Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cockburn and Major General Robert Ross marched into Washington, D.C., after a victory over American forces at Bladensburg, Maryland, earlier in the day. The nation was in the midst of war. Word of the approaching forces sent most of the population fleeing, leaving the capital vulnerable. Meeting little to no resistance, British troops set fire to much of the city, in retaliation for the Americans' burning of the Canadian capital at York on April 27, 1813. Those who remained on the evening of August 24, 1814, were witness to a horrifying spectacle. The British torched major rooms in the Capitol, which then housed the Library of Congress, as well as the House, Senate and Supreme Court.

The White House, the navy yard and several American warships were also burned; however, most private property was spared. At the time, the U.S. Capitol was still being constructed and consisted of only the north and south wings connected by a wooden walkway spanning the area intended for the center building. Damage to parts of the wings was severe, but the building was not completely destroyed. Fortunately, architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe had used fire-proof building materials, such as sheet iron, marble, sandstone, zinc and copper. His extensive use of masonry vaulting also proved to be practical as well as aesthetic. As a result, the exterior structure survived and many of the interior spaces remained intact. British Burn the Capitol, 1814, Allyn Cox, 1974, Corridor, House wing, First Floor. The British focused their destructive work on the principal rooms, foregoing the lobbies, halls and staircases, thus securing their escape route. In the south wing, soldiers ignited a giant bonfire of furniture slathered with gunpowder paste in the Hall of the House of Representatives (now National Statuary Hall ).

The heat from the fire grew so intense that it melted the glass skylights and destroyed much of the carved stone in the room, including Guiseppe Franzoni's life-size marble statue of Liberty seated on a pedestal, located above the Speaker's rostrum. Downstairs, the Clerk's office was transformed into an inferno of burning documents and furniture; this fire produced a heat so great it forced the British to retreat from the south wing, leaving half of the rooms on the first floor unscathed. In the Supreme Court Chamber , on the first floor of the north wing, troops piled furniture from nearby rooms to create another great bonfire, severely damaging the Doric stone columns. Upstairs, a large room that then housed the Library of Congress' collection of over 3,000 books served as a ready stockpile of fuel. The space burned so fiercely that it endangered a portion of the exterior stone wall. From the library, winds spread the flames to the Senate Chamber, where the damage to the art and architecture was also severe.

Upon seeing the flames of the Capitol from his temporary residence at the Octagon House, French minister Louis Sérurier remarked, "I have never beheld a spectacle more terrible and at the same time more magnificent." Today, to see the sandstone areas of the building that survived the fire, make your way to the Small House Rotunda on the second floor of the Capitol and look at Latrobe’s variation on the Corinthian columns adorned with water leaves , installed in 1807. Then, head across the Rotunda and down the stairs to the east vestibule on the first floor of the north wing, where the architect's "corn cob" columns still stand. It was through the original door of this domed vestibule that the British fled the burning building into the night. After members of Congress returned to the city and saw the damage, a number called for the movement of the federal government to Philadelphia or another more established, more metropolitan city. While the option to rebuild proved more popular, one wonders, if the destruction of the Capitol and other buildings had been complete, would those who advocated relocation have prevailed?

Categories: The Burning of Washington in 1814 - British Invasion By Robert McNamara Updated August 24, 2015. The War of 1812 holds a peculiar place in history. It’s often overlooked, and it’s probably most noteworthy for verses written by an amateur poet and attorney who witnessed one of its battles. Three weeks before the British Navy attacked Baltimore and inspired the "Star-Spangled Banner," troops from the same fleet landed in Maryland, battled outgunned American forces, marched into the young city of Washington and torched federal buildings. • The War of 1812 As Britain battled Napoleon, the British Navy sought to cut off trade between France and neutral countries, including the United States. The British began a practice of intercepting American merchant ships, often taking sailors off the ships and “impressing” them into the British Navy. The British restrictions on trade had a very negative impact on the American economy, and the practice of impressing sailors inflamed American public opinion. Americans in the west, sometimes called “war hawks,” also wanted a war with Britain which they believed would let the US annex Canada.

The US Congress, at the request of President James Madison , declared war on June 18, 1812. continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World Rear Admiral George Cockburn. courtesy Library of Congress • The British Fleet Sailed for Baltimore The first two years of the war consisted of scattered and inconclusive battles, generally along the border between the US and Canada. But when Britain and its allies believed it had thwarted the threat posed by Napoleon in Europe, more attention was paid to the American war. On August 14, 1814, a fleet of British warships departed from the naval base at Bermuda. Its ultimate objective was the city of Baltimore, which was then the third largest city in the US. Baltimore was also the home port of many privateers, armed American ships which raided British shipping. The British referred to Baltimore as a "nest of pirates." One British commander, Rear Admiral George Cockburn also had another target in mind, the city of Washington. Battle of Bladensburg, August 24, 1814.

courtesy Library of Congress • Maryland Invaded By Land By mid-August 1814, Americans living along the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay were surprised to see the sails of British warships on the horizon. There had been raiding parties striking American targets for some time, but this appeared to be a considerable force. The British landed at Benedict, Maryland, and began marching toward Washington. On August 24, 1814, at Bladensburg, on the outskirts of Washington, British regulars, many of whom had fought in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, fought poorly equipped American troops. The fighting at Bladensburg was intense at times. Naval gunners, fighting on land and led by the heroic Commodore Joshua Barney , delayed the British advance for a time. But the Americans could not hold. The federal troops retreated, along with observers from the government including President James Madison . Dolley Madison, Who Rescued Valuables from the White House. courtesy Library of Congress • A Panic in Washington While some Americans tried desperately to battle the British, the city of Washington was in chaos. Federal workers tried to rent, buy, and even steal wagons to cart off important documents.

In the executive mansion (not yet known as the White House), the president's wife, Dolley Madison , directed servants to pack up valuable items. Among the items taken into hiding was a famous Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington . Dolley Madison instructed that it had to be taken off the walls and either hidden or destroyed before the British could seize it as a trophy. It was cut out of its frame and hidden in a farmhouse for several weeks. It hangs today in the East Room of the White House. The Burned Ruins of the Capitol, August 1814. courtesy Library of Congress • The Capitol Was Burned Reaching Washington on the evening of August 24, the British found a city largely deserted, with the only resistance being ineffective sniper fire from one house. The first order of business for the British was to attack the navy yard, but retreating Americans had already set fires to destroy it. British troops arrived at the U.S. Capitol, which was still unfinished. According to later accounts, the British were impressed by the fine architecture of the building, and some of the officers had qualms about burning it.

According to legend, Admiral Cockburn sat in the chair belonging to the Speaker of the House and asked, "Shall this harbor of Yankee democracy be burned?" The British Marines with him yelled "Aye!" Orders were given to torch the building. British Troops Burning Federal Buildings. courtesy Library of Congress • British Troops Attacked Government Buildings The British troops worked diligently to set fires inside the Capitol, destroying years of work by artisans brought from Europe. With the burning Capitol lighting the sky, troops also marched to burn an armory. At about 10:30 p.m., approximately 150 Royal Marines formed up in columns and began marching westward on Pennsylvania Avenue, following the route used in modern times for inauguration day parades. The British troops moved quickly, with a particular destination in mind. By that time President James Madison had fled to safety in Virginia, where he would meet up with his wife and servants from the president's house. Burned Ruins of the White House, August 1814. courtesy Library of Congress • The White House Was Burned Arriving at the president's mansion, Admiral Cockburn reveled in his triumph.

He entered the building with his men, and the British began picking up souvenirs. Cockburn took one of Madison's hats, and a cushion from Dolley Madison's chair. The troops also drank some of Madison's wine and helped themselves to food. With the frivolity ended, the British Marines systematically set fire to the mansion by standing on the lawn and hurling torches through the windows. The house began to burn. The British troops next turned their attention to the adjacent Treasury Department building, which was also set on fire. The fires burned so brightly that observers many miles away recalled seeing a glow in the night sky. Poster Mockingly Portrays the Raid on Alexandria, Virginia. courtesy Library of Congress • The British Carried Off Supplies Before leaving the Washington area, British troops also raided Alexandria, Virginia. Supplies were carried off, and a Philadelphia printer later produced this poster mocking the perceived cowardice of the merchants of Alexandria. With the government buildings in ruins, the British raiding party returned to its ships, which rejoined the main battle fleet. Though the attack on Washington was a grave humiliation to the young American nation, the British still intended to attack what they considered the real target, Baltimore.

Three weeks later, the British bombardment of Fort McHenry inspired an eyewitness, attorney Francis Scott Key , to write a poem he called "The Star-Spangled Banner." British troops set fire to the White House - Aug 24, 1814 - HISTORY.com British troops set fire to the White House Share this: British troops set fire to the White House Author British troops set fire to the White House URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1814, during the War of 1812 between the United States and England, British troops enter Washington, D.C. and burn the White House in retaliation for the American attack on the city of York in Ontario, Canada, in June 1812. When the British arrived at the White House, they found that President James Madison and his first lady Dolley had already fled to safety in Maryland. Soldiers reportedly sat down to eat a meal made of leftover food from the White House scullery using White House dishes and silver before ransacking the presidential mansion and setting it ablaze.

According to the White House Historical Society and Dolley’s personal letters, President James Madison had left the White House on August 22 to meet with his generals on the battlefield, just as British troops threatened to enter the capitol. Before leaving, he asked his wife Dolley if she had the “courage or firmness” to wait for his intended return the next day. He asked her to gather important state papers and be prepared to abandon the White House at any moment. The next day, Dolley and a few servants scanned the horizon with spyglasses waiting for either Madison or the British army to show up. As British troops gathered in the distance, Dolley decided to abandon the couple’s personal belongings and instead saved a full-length portrait of former president George Washington from desecration. Dolley wrote to her sister on the night of August 23 of the difficulty involved in saving the painting. Since the portrait was screwed to the wall, she ordered the frame to be broken and the canvas pulled out and rolled up. Two unidentified “gentlemen from New York” hustled it away for safe-keeping. (Unbeknownst to Dolley the portrait was actually a copy of Gilbert Stuart’s original).

The task complete, Dolley wrote “and now, dear sister, I must leave this house, or the retreating army will make me a prisoner in it by filling up the road I am directed to take.” Dolley left the White House and found her husband at their predetermined meeting place in the middle of a thunderstorm. Although President Madison and his wife were able to return to Washington only three days later when British troops had moved on, they never again lived in the White House. Madison served the rest of his term residing at the city’s Octagon House. It was not until 1817 that newly elected president James Monroe moved back into the reconstructed building. Related Videos War of 1812: Special relationship where Britain burned down White House and stole the President's clothes | Daily Mail Online comments Just imagine foreign troops invading London, defeating the British Army in Hyde Park then marching on Buckingham Palace. The Queen and Prince Philip order their most precious belongings piled into a lorry and are whisked off to safety before the enemy break in and burn the place down. Unthinkable? Well, that’s just what the British did to the White House in Washington nearly 200 years ago. Attack!

The War of 1812 led to one of the most remarkable scenes of Anglo-American foreign relations in history What’s more, in the expectation that their army would beat the British, the American President and his wife had ordered a slap-up meal prepared for 40 guests. They’d been counting on celebrating a victory. Instead they found themselves fleeing for their lives. When the British invaders in their blood-stained uniforms burst into the White House, they found the table elegantly laid for dinner, meat roasting on spits and the President’s best wine on the sideboard. Delightedly, they tucked in. One young officer said of the President’s Madeira wine: ‘Never was nectar more grateful to the palates of the gods . . .’ Afterwards he nipped up to the President’s bedroom and swapped his sweaty tunic for a smartly-ironed presidential shirt. One of his comrades bundled up the silver White House cutlery in the tablecloth. The British commander then calmly told his men to pile the chairs on to the tables and torch the building. Before the night was done they also burned both houses of Congress, the War Office, the State Department and the Treasury. It is the only time in U.S.

history that outsiders have raided the capital. Tread carefully: President Obama may welcome David Cameron to the White House today... ...but wind the clock back to 1814 and a very different 'special relationship' emerges To say the least, the burning of the White House marked a low point in Anglo-American relations — and seems all the more relevant in the light of pressure on the ‘special relationship’ following the recent vote by British MPs against military action in Syria. As a result of this, senior British military officials have been barred from planning meetings and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised France, still supportive of military action, as America’s ‘oldest ally’. It’s almost like old times. The attack on Washington was one of the most audacious military enterprises ever and the single most destructive act in the almost forgotten ‘War of 1812’, which actually lasted nearly three years. America had declared war on Britain over control of the seas — partly to do with trade restrictions resulting from our war with France — but also because it had ambitions to control Canada. Victory?

The night before the White House was burned, President James Madison had laid in a celebratory meal, thinking they had beaten the British But Britain was occupied with the conflict with Napoleon: only when the French Emperor was exiled to Elba in the spring of 1814 did the British Government feel free to turn on the Americans with real vigour. Some 4,500 grizzled British veterans, who’d fought under Wellington and defeated the French in Spain, arrived in Chesapeake Bay near Washington DC in the full heat of summer. Most of them had been looking forward to going home, not crossing the Atlantic to fight America. One dashing young officer, Captain Harry Smith, had to wave goodbye to his 16-year-old Spanish wife when he was dispatched as a staff officer with the task force. Its popular commander, Major General Robert Ross, had helped Wellington win the Peninsular war. He had a reputation for courage verging on recklessness. His orders were to give the Americans ‘a good drubbing’. If Ross had any doubts about what that meant, his Royal Navy comrade in arms, Rear Admiral George Cockburn, a fiery and ruthless old sea-dog, had none.

He urged Ross to land the army, march the 50 miles to Washington and burn the place to the ground. Cockburn had already been busy for a year raiding and burning American towns in the Chesapeake area. To the Americans he was an ‘infamous scoundrel and notorious incendiary’. They offered a reward for his capture dead or alive and ‘$500 for each of his ears’. When the news reached Washington that a large British army had joined up with Cockburn, there was pandemonium. Families piled their furniture on carts and headed out of town. President James Madison was one of America’s founding fathers, a studious, severe-looking man who usually wore black. One visitor said he looked like a schoolmaster dressed for a funeral. Best of British: Major General Robert Ross, left, and Rear Admiral George Cockburn, right, orchestrated the burning of the White House Whatever else he was, Madison was no great war leader. He chose two hopeless misfits to manage the country’s defence. His War Secretary, John Armstrong, arrogantly refused to take any serious measures to meet the British invasion.

His military commander, Brigadier General William Winder, a pinched-looking officer with an undistinguished record, frantically tried to persuade the 15 states in the Union to provide him with troops. Unfortunately, most of America’s small regular army was attempting to invade British Canada. So he would mainly have part-timers, many of them poorly trained. Summons: Brigadier General William Winder had the unenviable task of trying to raise troops from the 15 states But there was no lack of enthusiasm in the ranks. John Pendleton Kennedy was a militiaman from Baltimore thrilled with his ‘dashy uniform’ and relishing the prospect of killing the hated British. He’d lost his boots but was wearing the dancing pumps he’d brought along in the hope that the Madisons would throw a victory ball at the White House. The two armies met at Bladensburg, five miles north-east of Washington. The British, sweltering in their woolly red tunics, had left many of their comrades expiring in the August heat on the march from the ships. But they were confident that they’d defeat these ‘Yankees’ just as they’d scattered Napoleon’s troops on the hot plains of Europe.

The Americans were full of spirit but clumsily spaced out in three lines of troops that were too far apart to support each other. Madison, deeply concerned, was the only U.S. President, other than Abraham Lincoln half a century later, to be present on a battlefield. He asked Armstrong and Winder for their advice but they’d none to offer him. He sent a message to his wife, Dolley, telling her to prepare to leave the White House. Bravely, she replied that she had no intention of doing so until she knew he was safe. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share The battle actually started well for the Americans: Robert Ross, the British commander, rashly sent his advance guard straight into heavy American artillery fire at very close range. The front ranks were mown down. One young subaltern had a reckless streak in him, calling out to his men to follow him, shouting: ‘Now, who will be the first in the enemy’s lines?’ A friend tried hard to restrain him from rushing ahead, but ‘at the very moment when I was repeating my entreaties’, the friend wrote in his diary, ‘a musket ball struck him on the neck and he fell dead at my feet.

The bullet passed through his windpipe and spinal marrow, and he was a corpse in an instant’. Nation's pride? War Secretary John Armstrong, who stubbornly refused to meet the British invasion One captain, John Knox, wrote home that he’d never received such blistering fire. He passed the mangled bodies of three officers and eight or nine men of his regiment sprawling on the ground dead or wounded: ‘Thinks I to myself, by the time the action is over the devil is in it if I am not either a walking major or a dead captain.’ But the iron discipline of the Peninsula veterans told in the end: the first American line collapsed and then the second. ‘We made a fine scamper of it,’ said John Pendleton Kennedy of the helter-skelter retreat, sadly aware that his shoes would do no dancing that night. British rockets, little more than poorly-aimed fireworks but terrifying if they exploded nearby, did much to scare the Americans. And the irrepressible naval commander George Cockburn, who had persuaded Ross to let him accompany the army on to the battlefield, rode flamboyantly up and down directing the rocketeers.

He pooh-poohed his aide’s suggestion that he take cover, although one musket shot passed between the admiral’s leg and the flap of his saddle. By teatime the U.S. army had either run away or been withdrawn, and only a valiant stand by the third line did something to redeem American honour. It was one of the more shameful defeats in U.S. history and the road to the capital was now wide open. With George Cockburn urging him on, Ross ordered the burning of both houses of Congress in the ornate U.S. Capitol building. Next stop was the White House. Cockburn, Ross and their staff explored the magnificent mansion, just 14 years old and lovingly furnished by Dolley Madison. Before she fled, she had insisted on taking the time to remove her favourite red curtains and a picture of George Washington, America’s first President, from the dining room wall, which she made sure was carted off to safety. Star spangled: Francis Scott Key saw the silver lining in the clouds of smoke above Washington - enough to pen what would become the American national anthem The British didn’t take long to wolf down the meal and set fire to the place.

Fifty soldiers were stationed outside, and when the order was given, they smashed the windows and hurled in torches. In minutes, the blaze swept through the main reception rooms, devouring all the treasures Dolley Madison hadn’t had time to rescue. Captain Harry Smith wrote that he’d never forget the ‘majesty of the flames’. But he believed that burning the shrines of American democracy went beyond the bounds of civilised behaviour. A Westminster MP, Sam Whitbread, later told the Commons Britain had done ‘what even the Goths refused to do at Rome’. But Cockburn and Ross were unrepentant, and now set their sights on Baltimore, one of America’s richest cities, 30 miles to the north-east. On September 12, Ross and Cockburn landed the army at North Point, 15 miles from Baltimore. Ross boldly announced that he would eat dinner in the city that night and insisted on leading his army from the front. Suddenly a shot rang out and he slumped in his saddle. A well-aimed American musket ball had hit him in the chest and fatally wounded him. It was a heavy blow to the army’s morale. But they pressed on, beating back the U.S.

force in their path. The British had advanced to within reach of the strongly-manned entrenchments at the edge of Baltimore. From the sea, Royal Navy frigates and gunboats armed with mortars subjected Fort McHenry to a massive bombardment that lasted 25 hours. A young American lawyer and poet, Francis Scott Key, watched the rockets, shells and roundshot screaming overhead through the night and doubted the fort could survive. He peered through the dawn mist as the firing died away. Surely the British flag must now be flying on its ramparts? But no, he was thrilled to make out the giant American stars and stripes still proudly aloft. The British had abandoned their attack. Scott Key could hardly contain himself. He found a piece of paper in his pocket and jotted down verses that would make him famous for ever. ‘Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light . . . Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?’ The Americans saw the Battle for Baltimore as a historic victory and Scott Key’s poem later became their national anthem. The war with America went on for only four more months with no real gains for either side.

Both soon saw the endless tit-for-tat bloodshed and destruction as futile, and the peace that followed laid the basis for the relationship between Britain and America that has lasted ever since. Wary: Britain and America may be close allies today, but rivalries still run deep The two English-speaking powers that had been bitter enemies became the closest of friends, and never fought each other again. James and Dolley Madison never returned to the White House. It took three years of rebuilding before the next president, James Monroe, could move in and another 12 to add the fine porticos on the north and south of the building that we see today. Only a few small burn marks have been deliberately left on the whitewash to remind the world of the bitter memories of 200 years ago. Whatever disagreements Britain and America may have over the Syrian conflict, our leaders would do well to recall those dark days, and resolve that our two nations never plunge into such an abyss again. When Britain Burned The White House: The 1814 Invasion Of Washington, by Peter Snow is published by John Murray next week at £25.

To order a copy at £18.99 (p&p free), call 0844 472 4157. NMAH | The War of 1812 The War of 1812 Resources The War of 1812 Although its events inspired one of the nation’s most famous patriotic songs, the War of 1812 is a relatively little-known war in American history. Despite its complicated causes and inconclusive outcome, the conflict helped establish the credibility of the young United States among other nations. It fostered a strong sense of national pride among the American people, and those patriotic feelings are reflected and preserved in the song we know today as the U.S. national anthem. Britain’s defeat at the 1781 Battle of Yorktown marked the conclusion of the American Revolution and the beginning of new challenges for a new nation. Not even three decades after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which formalized Britain’s recognition of the United States of America, the two countries were again in conflict.

Resentment for Britain’s interference with American international trade, combined with American expansionist visions, led Congress to declare war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. In the early stages of the war, the American navy scored victories in the Atlantic and on Lake Erie while Britain concentrated its military efforts on its ongoing war with France. But with the defeat of Emperor Napoléon’s armies in April 1814, Britain turned its full attention to the war against an ill-prepared United States. Collect Stars To Complete The Flag Found 00 of 15 What British actions led to the war of 1812? British intrusion into American international affairs and trade The British burned down the White House and Capitol building Both of the above U.S. Frigate Chesapeake and the British Frigate Shannon. Aquatint by Robert Dodd, 1813. USS Constitution Battles HMS Guerriere Action between the USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere, August 19, 1812. Painting by Michel Felice Corne.

The British Burn Washington, 1814 The British Burn Washington, 1814 Printer Friendly Version >>> August of 1814 was one of the hottest in the memory of the approximately 8,000 residents of America's new capital. The sweltering, humid heat turned the stagnate marshes surrounding the city into thriving hatcheries for disease-carrying mosquitoes. To make matters worse, the city found itself the target of an invading British army slowly making its way from the Chesapeake Bay. America had been at war with the British Empire since 1812, but the action so far had consisted of a series of indeterminate skirmishes along the Great Lakes region. With the defeat of Napoleon, the Empire turned its full attention to its former colony sending its battle-hardened troops to squash the up-start Americans. Washington had little strategic value - the thriving port of Baltimore was much more important. However, as capital of the nation, the British hoped that its burning would have a psychological impact on the will of the Americans to continue the conflict. As the British army of approximately 4,000 approached, the majority of Washington residents fled the city.

On August 24th American defenders, with President James Madison in attendance, were quickly routed by the invaders in a battle at Bladensburg a few miles from the city. A messenger was dispatched to the White House to warn First Lady Dolley Madison of the impeding arrival of the British. She and her staff fled by carriage across the Potomac - taking with her the full-length portrait of George Washington that had been torn from a White House wall. That evening, the vanguard of the British army reached Capitol Hill and began its systematic destruction of all public buildings in the city. ADVERTISMENT "All thoughts of accommodation were instantly set aside" George Gleig was part of the British force that attacked and burned Washington. Too small in size to effectively occupy the city - their intent was to cause as much damage as they could. We join Gelig's story as the British send a truce party to negotiate with the Americans: "Such being the intention of General Ross, he did not march the troops immediately into the city, but halted them upon a plain in its immediate vicinity, whilst a flag of truce was sent in with terms.

But whatever his proposal might have been, it was not so much as heard, for scarcely had the party bearing the flag entered the street, than they were fired upon from the windows of one of the houses, and the horse of the General himself, who accompanied them, killed. You will easily believe that conduct so unjustifiable, so direct a breach of the law of nations, roused the indignation of every individual, from the General himself down to the private soldier. All thoughts of accommodation were instantly laid aside; the troops advanced forthwith into the town, and The British burn the White House having first put to the sword all who were found in the house from which the shots were fired, and reduced it to ashes, they proceeded, without 'a moment's delay, to burn and destroy everything in the most distant degree connected with government. In this general devastation were included the Senate House, the President's palace, an extensive dockyard and arsenal, barracks for two or three thousand men, several large storehouses filled with naval and military stores, some hundreds of cannon of different descriptions, and nearly twenty thousand stand of small arms.

There were also two or three public rope works which shared the same fate, a fine frigate pierced for sixty guns and just ready to be launched, several gun brigs and armed schooners, with a variety of gunboats and small craft. The powder magazines were, of course, set on fire, and exploded with a tremendous crash, throwing down many houses in their vicinity, partly by pieces of the wall striking them, and partly by the concussion of the air whilst quantities of shot, shell, and hand grenades, which could not otherwise be rendered useless, were thrown into the river." "The sky was brilliantly illuminated" While Gleig's regiment was sacking the city, the remainder of the British force marched into the American capital as night approached: "... the blazing of houses, ships, and stores, the report of exploding magazines, and the crash of falling roofs informed them, as they proceeded, of what was going forward. You can conceive nothing finer than the sight which met them as they drew near to the town. The sky was brilliantly illuminated by the different conflagrations, and a dark red light was thrown upon the road, sufficient to permit each man to view distinctly his comrade's face. ...When the detachment sent out to destroy Mr.

Madison's house entered his dining parlor, they found a dinner table spread and covers laid for forty guests. Several kinds of wine, in handsome cut glass decanters, were cooling on the sideboard; plate holders stood by the fireplace, filled with dishes and plates; knives, forks, and spoons were arranged for immediate use; in short, everything was ready for the entertainment of a ceremonious party. Such were the arrangements in the dining room, whilst in the kitchen were others answerable to them in every respect. Spits, loaded with joints of various sorts, turned before the fire; pots, The burned out shell of the Capitol saucepans, and other culinary utensils stood upon the grate; and all the other requisites for an elegant and substantial repast were exactly in a state which indicated that they had been lately and precipitately abandoned. You will readily imagine that these preparations were beheld by a party of hungry soldiers with no indifferent eye. An elegant dinner, even though considerably overdressed, was a luxury to which few of them, at least for some time back, had been accustomed, and which, after the dangers and fatigues of the day, appeared peculiarly inviting.

They sat down to it, therefore, not indeed in the most orderly manner, but with countenances which would not have disgraced a party of aldermen at a civic feast, and, having satisfied their appetites with fewer complaints than would have probably escaped their rival gourmands, and partaken pretty freely of the wines, they finished by setting fire to the house which had so liberally entertained them. ...Of the Senate house, the President's palace, the barracks, the dockyard, etc., nothing could be seen except heaps of smoking ruins." References: Gleig, George Robert, A History of the Campaigns of the British at Washington and New Orleans (1826), reprinted in Commager, Henry Steele and Allan Nevins The Heritage of America (1939); Lloyd, Alan, The Scorching of Washington (1974); Seale, William The President's House, Vol. I (1986). How To Cite This Article: "The British Burn Washington, DC, 1814," EyeWitness to History, eyewitnesstohistory.com (2003).

The British boasted that, if captured, they would parade Dolley Madison through the streets of London as a prisoner of war. General Robert Ross, British commander of the force that sacked Washington, was killed a few days later in the battle for Baltimore. The battle at Baltimore's Fort McHenry in September inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner Battle of Washington Tweet WAshington Burns On August 18, 1814, British forces marched on Washington. After a brief battle on the road known as the Battle of Bladensburg, the British forces defeated the Americans who withdraw in disarray, thus opening the road to Washington. The British burned the White House and the Capitol, but a strong rainstorm saved the rest of Washington. The British, under orders not to hold any territory, withdrew. . On August 18 a large force of British soldier under the command of Major General Robert Ross landed at the mouth of Pawtuxet River. The British were in a position to move on Washington. Americans had very few troops available to oppose the oncoming threat. There were only 250 regulars available in the newly formed military district. The British marched north without any serious harassment from the Americas.

On August 24, at the town of Blandsberg the Americans made a stand. The British were able to overwhelm the first line of defense at the bridge. In short order the British overwhelmed the second line of defense, and finally the order was given to retreat from the third line. The British lost at least 64 soldiers and the Americans lost 24 soldiers. There was now nothing standing between the British and Washington. Back in Washington, Dolly Madison secured her place in history by removing key documents from the White House as well as the famous painting of George Washington thus ensuring their safety. The British arrived in Washington and burned the major government buildings including the Presiden's House (now known as the White House), the Capital Building, the Treasury, the State Department, and the War Department. The British stayed in Washington for only one night, their goal had never been to occupy the city, merely to raid it. War of 1812 - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Google Causes of the War of 1812 At the outset of the 19th century, Great Britain was locked in a long and bitter conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte’s France.

In an attempt to cut off supplies from reaching the enemy, both sides attempted to block the United States from trading with the other. In 1807, Britain passed the Orders in Council, which required neutral countries to obtain a license from its authorities before trading with France or French colonies. The Royal Navy also outraged Americans by its practice of impressment, or removing seamen from U.S. merchant vessels and forcing them to serve on behalf of the British. In 1809, the U.S. Congress repealed Thomas Jefferson’s unpopular Embargo Act, which by restricting trade had hurt Americans more than either Britain or France. Its replacement, the Non-Intercourse Act, specifically prohibited trade with Britain and France. It also proved ineffective, and in turn was replaced with a May 1810 bill stating that if either power dropped trade restrictions against the United States, Congress would in turn resume non-intercourse with the opposing power. After Napoleon hinted he would stop restrictions, President James Madison blocked all trade with Britain that November. Meanwhile, new members of Congress elected that year–led by Henry Clay and John C.

Calhoun–had begun to agitate for war, based on their indignation over British violations of maritime rights as well as Britain’s encouragement of Native American hostility against American expansion in the West. Did You Know? The War of 1812 produced a new generation of great American generals, including Andrew Jackson, Jacob Brown and Winfield Scott, and helped propel no fewer than four men to the presidency: Jackson, John Quincy Adams, James Monroe and William Henry Harrison. The War of 1812 Breaks Out In the fall of 1811, Indiana’s territorial governor William Henry Harrison led U.S. troops to victory in the Battle of Tippecanoe. The defeat convinced many Indians in the Northwest Territory (including the celebrated Shawnee chief Tecumseh ) that they needed British support to prevent American settlers from pushing them further out of their lands. Meanwhile, by late 1811 the so-called “War Hawks” in Congress were putting more and more pressure on Madison, and on June 18, 1812, the president signed a declaration of war against Britain. Though Congress ultimately voted for war, both House and Senate were bitterly divided on the issue.

Most Western and Southern congressmen supported war, while Federalists (especially New Englanders who relied heavily on trade with Britain) accused war advocates of using the excuse of maritime rights to promote their expansionist agenda. In order to strike at Great Britain, U.S. forces almost immediately attacked Canada, then a British colony. American officials were overly optimistic about the invasion’s success, especially given how underprepared U.S. troops were at the time. On the other side, they faced a well-managed defense coordinated by Sir Isaac Brock, the British soldier and administrator in charge in Upper Canada (modern Ontario). On August 16, 1812, the United States suffered a humiliating defeat after Brock and Tecumseh’s forces chased those led by Michigan William Hull across the Canadian border, scaring Hull into surrendering Detroit without any shots fired. War of 1812: Mixed Results for American Forces Things looked better for the United States in the West, as Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s brilliant success in the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813 placed the Northwest Territory firmly under American control. Harrison was subsequently able to retake Detroit with a victory in the Battle of Thames (in which Tecumseh was killed).

Meanwhile, the U.S. navy had been able to score several victories over the Royal Navy in the early months of the war. With the defeat of Napoleon’s armies in April 1814, however, Britain was able to turn its full attention to the war effort in North America. As large numbers of troops arrived, British forces raided the Chesapeake Bay and moved in on the U.S. capital, capturing Washington , D.C., on August 24, 1814, and burning government buildings including the Capitol and the White House. On September 13, 1814, Baltimore’s Fort McHenry withstood 25 hours of bombardment by the British Navy. The following morning, the fort’s soldiers hoisted an enormous American flag, a sight that inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem he titled “The Star-Spangled Banner.” (Set to the tune of an old English drinking song, it would later be adopted as the U.S. national anthem.) British forces subsequently left the Chesapeake Bay and began gathering their efforts for a campaign against New Orleans .

End of the War of 1812 and its Impact By that time, peace talks had already begun at Ghent (modern Belgium), and Britain moved for an armistice after the failure of the assault on Baltimore. In the negotiations that followed, the United States gave up its demands to end impressment, while Britain promised to leave Canada’s borders unchanged and abandon efforts to create an Indian state in the Northwest. On December 24, 1814, commissioners signed the Treaty of Ghent , which would be ratified the following February. On January 8, 1815, unaware that peace had been concluded, British forces mounted a major attack on New Orleans, only to meet with defeat at the hands of future U.S. president Andrew Jackson’s army. News of the battle boosted sagging U.S. morale and left Americans with the taste of victory, despite the fact that the country had achieved none of its pre-war objectives. Though the War of 1812 is remembered as a relatively minor conflict in the United States and Britain, it looms large for Canadians and for Native Americans, who see it as a decisive turning point in their losing struggle to govern themselves.

In fact, the war had a far-reaching impact in the United States, as the Treaty of Ghent ended decades of bitter partisan infighting in government and ushered in the so-called “Era of Good Feelings.” The war also marked the demise of the Federalist Party , which had been accused of being unpatriotic for its antiwar stance, and reinforced a tradition of Anglophobia that had begun during the Revolutionary War. Perhaps most importantly, the war’s outcome boosted national self-confidence and encouraged the growing spirit of American expansionism that would shape the better part of the 19th century. Tags

Question: Which famous building was burned down by British forces in 1812?
Answer: The Whitehouse