The Burning of Washington

The Burning of Washington occurred on August 24, 1814, as a result of the British Victory at the Battle of Bladensburg. This victory opened a clear path to Washington for the British Army. After hearing of the victory, President James Madison and other members of the United States government fled the city, taking refuge in Brookeville, Maryland. The primary target of the British was the Capitol building. After looting the building, the British had a difficult time setting it on fire. This was due to its solid stone construction. The British troops eventually gathered the furniture that had been removed from the building, and ignited it with rocket powder. The building burned, but not completely. The next structure on the British's list was the Executive Mansion, known today as the White House. President Madison had sent his wife Dolley a letter telling her what was about to happen. The First Lady acted quickly, removing all the valuables from the Mansion. The Madison's personal slave, Paul Jennings, wrote an account of the night. In it he told of how the First Lady saved a picture of George Washington. He said she had no time to get the entire portrait down, so she simply cut the picture out of its frame. Among the other things saved were numerous pieces of silver, as well as a Gilbert Stuart painting. When the British finally reached the White House, all the valuables had been removed. The soldiers set fire to the structure and added fuel to the flames to ensure it would burn the entire night. After setting the White House ablaze, the British troops set the United States Treasury building on fire. They then marched to the Department of War building and set it ablaze. The final government entity to be set on fire was the Naval Yard. The British hoped that all of these structures would burn to the ground. Less then twenty-four hours after the attack, a sudden thunderstorm hit Washington. There are reports that the thunderstorm could have been a hurricane. The storm was so strong that a tornado formed. The tornado cut a path right down Constitution Avenue. The tornado lifted up two British cannons. The storm caused the deaths of two British soldiers, and a few American civilians. The heavy rains extinguished the fires that had been set by the British. The storm was labeled "The Storm that Saved Washington." Historians believe that if not for that storm, Washington would have been destroyed, and the British would have occupied it for an unknown amount of time. By the time President Madison returned, he was feeling heat not only from the fires, but from the people of the United States. The people blamed him for the fires. Graffiti written on the sides of the burnt buildings stated "George Washington founded this city after a seven years war with England, James Madison lost it after a two years war." Madison and others were scapegoats for the Burning of Washington for the rest of their time in office. The British felt that the attack was justified, due to United States invasions into Canada. So much damage had been done, that Congress wanted to move the nation's capital to another city. The bill to relocate was quickly voted down in Congress, and work began on the Capitol building and the White House. The latter was completed in 1817, with the former being completed two years later in 1819. The burning of Washington is very significant in our nations history, as it showed the strength of the young nation to rise back up following an attack that many did not think would be possible to overcome.

The White House shortly after the British set it ablaze.

The ruins of the White House.

The ruins of the United States Capitol Building.

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