Brand von Washington

The Burning of Washington is the name given to the razing of Washington, D.C., by British forces during the War of 1812. Strict discipline and the British commander's orders to burn only public buildings are credited with preserving most residences, but the facilities of the U.S. government were largely destroyed.

Background

At the time, Washington was a minor port with only about 8,000 inhabitants — about 1,300 of whom were slaves. What it lacked in strategic value, however, it made up in symbolic value. The British and Canadians sought revenge on the United States for the destruction they had caused on the capital of Upper Canada (now Ontario) at York (now Toronto) after the Battle of York in 1813. The naval commander, George Cockburn, wrote that he hoped the destruction of the new republic's capital might demoralize the enemy as well.

On Wednesday, August 24, 1814, the British General Robert Ross defeated the American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg, laying open the path to the capital. Ross had landed in Maryland after the Peninsular War had ended, as part of a three way invasion scheme by the British aimed at Baltimore, New Orleans, and New York.

During the American retreat, President James Madison sought out Secretary of War John Armstrong to see what the plan was for the defense of the capital. Armstrong reported that there was none; he had expected the British to turn next to Baltimore. The President, his cabinet and many other government officials fled to the mountains of Virginia. Most residents of Washington had already abandoned the city; preservation of the government's documents and records had been largely left to clerks and slaves.

Occupation and burning

On August 25, the advance guard of British troops marched to Capitol Hill; they were too few in number to occupy the city, so Ross intended to destroy as much of it as possible. He sent a party under a flag of truce to agree to terms, but they were attacked by partisans from a house at the corner of Maryland Avenue, Constitution Avenue, and Second Street NE. This was to be the only resistance the soldiers met. The house was burned, but the soldiers were infuriated, and the Union Jack was raised above Washington.

The buildings housing the Senate and House of Representatives—construction on the trademark central rotunda of the Capitol had not yet begun—were set ablaze not long after. The interiors of both buildings, including the Library of Congress, were destroyed, although the thick walls and a torrential rainfall preserved their exteriors. (Thomas Jefferson would later sell his library to the government to restock the Library of Congress and British Prime Minister Tony Blair would apologize for the burning of the Library of Congress 189 years later on July 17 2003). Admiral Cockburn also entered the building of the anti-British newsletter, National Intelligencer, intending to burn it down; however, a group of neighborhood women persuaded him not to because they were afraid the fire would spread to their neighboring houses.

Gilbert Stuart's White House portrait of Washington

The troops then turned north down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the President's House. First Lady Dolley Madison remained there after many of the government officials—and her own bodyguard— had already left, gathering valuables, documents and other items of importance, notably the Lansdowne Portrait, a full-length painting of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. She was finally persuaded to leave moments before British soldiers entered the building. Once inside, the soldiers found the dining hall set for a dinner for 40 people. After eating all the food they set about destroying the building.

Admiral Cockburn now ordered all the contents of the building to be emptied into the streets and standing on a printing press, he announced he would destroy all the "C"s in the press so that "the rascals can have no further means of abusing my name." Fuel was added to the fires that night to ensure they would continue burning into the next day; the flames were reportedly visible as far away as Baltimore and the Patuxent River.

The British also burned the United States Treasury building and other public buildings. The historic Washington Navy Yard, founded by Thomas Jefferson and the first federal installation in the United States, was burned by the Americans to prevent capture of stores and ammunition, as well as the 44-gun frigate Columbia which was then being built. The United States Patent Office building was saved by the efforts of William Thornton—architect of the Capitol and then superintendent of patents—who convinced the British of the importance of its preservation.

During the occupation, a severe storm which included a tornado passed through, damaging both the invaders and the city, but quickly dissipated and helped put out the fires. The occupation of Washington lasted about 26 hours, and within a week the British troops were dispatched to their next target, Baltimore. President Madison and the rest of the government returned to the city, but were in such disarray that they were unable to prosecute the war effectively.

Aftermath

The Burning of Washington forms the background to this portrait of Rear Admiral George Cockburn

The thick sandstone walls of the President's House survived, although scarred with smoke and scorch marks. Although a popular myth has it that the modern name White House came from the rebuilt mansion being painted white to cover smoke damage, the name is recorded earlier than the war, and it was first painted white in 1798, before it was used by any President. Reconstruction of the Capitol would not begin until 1815, and would not be complete until 1830.

Of Britain's four objectives in its retaliatory invasion of the United States, Lake Champlain, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., this was to be the only successful attack. Although the British had successfully diverted the attention of Washington away from the war and prevented further American incursions into Canada, American field commanders repelled every other British attack for the remainder of the war. Furthermore, the attack did not have the demoralizing effect Cockburn intended. Rather, it led thousands to volunteer to defend Baltimore.

Books

• Pack, A. James. The Man Who Burned The White House, Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1987. ISBN 0870214209
• Pitch, Anthony S. The Burning of Washington, Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2000. ISBN 1557504253

References in Popular Culture

• Video of "The War of 1812" by Edmonton, AB, Canada group Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie
• Lyrics of "The War of 1812" by Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie

References

• White House Historical Association: The Burning of Washington
• Martin, John. "The British Are Coming: Historian Anthony Pitch Describes Washington Ablaze," LC Information Bulletin, September 1998