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One day in US history -

It's a day that's gone down in history. On August 24, 1814, the Capitol, the White House, and the Library of Congress were set ablaze by British troops as they sacked Washington, D.C.

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War of 1812 -

The infamous episode took place during the War of 1812, a conflict fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in North America.

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President James Madison -

When the British stormed the White House (then called the Presidential Mansion), they found that President James Madison and his first lady Dolley had already fled the mayhem.

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The British attack -

As Washington's historic landmarks went up in flames, the British attacked other federal buildings, to leave much of the city a smoldering ruin. But what were the circumstances that led to this audacious assault on America's political and cultural heart?

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Retaliation -

The British occupation of Washington, D.C. was, in part, a retaliation for prior American actions in British-held Upper Canada.

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War is declared -

The threat of conflict between the two nations had simmered since February 1812. Congress was already making plans for a war with the Brits, including an invasion of Canada, when on June 17 the Senate approved a House-passed resolution declaring war with its foe. London responded swiftly. Major General Isaac Brock's Proclamation effectively announced the War of 1812.

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Invasion of Upper Canada -

An American army commanded by William Hull invaded Upper Canada on July 12, 1812. Upper Canada was part of British Canada, established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain.

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Assault on York -

On April 17, 1813, Henry Dearborn, commander of the American Army of the North, gathered his infantry at Lake Ontario in preparation for a full-scale assault on York, a strategic British-held town and the capital of Upper Canada.

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Combined force -

Dearborn's infantry joined a naval squadron commanded by Isaac Chauncey. Supported by the flotilla, American forces set sail for their objective.

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York falls -

On April 27, 1813, the Americans landed on the western lakeshore and captured the provincial capital after defeating an outnumbered force of regulars, militia, and Ojibwe natives.

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American victory -

The Americans overran the fort, town, and dockyard. Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe, the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, escaped capture having earlier retreated with his regulars to Kingston. Both sides suffered casualties. The victors later looted York, and several buildings were torched.

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More British defeats -

The British suffered further humiliation after American forces led by Major General Winifred Scott attacked and captured Fort George in May 1813. Once again, troops of the United States Army and vessels of the United States Navy cooperated in very successful amphibious assaults.

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More American success -

Further American successes on the battlefield against the British, notably those of General Jacob Brown, whose forces captured Fort Erie on July 3, 1814, served to demoralize the enemy. But it was the capitulation at York that truly infuriated London, and British generals had already started to plan their revenge.

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Battle of Bladensburg -

The misfortune that befell Washington began on the morning of August 21, 1814, at Bladensburg, Maryland. It's here that British forces commanded by Major General Robert Ross routed a combined US force of regular army and state militia troops.

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Revenge! -

Bladensburg lies just eight miles (12 km) west of Washington. From here, a jubilant Ross set his sights on the biggest prize of all—the Capitol. But he needed help.

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Plan of attack -

Ross called on the services of Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn. His ships controlled Chesapeake Bay and other parts of the Atlantic seaboard, and it was Cockburn who in fact formulated the assault on the Capitol.

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The first lady left in charge -

President James Madison had left the White House on August 22 to liaise with his generals on the Bladensburg battlefield. His wife, Dolley, opted to stay in Washington, having been told by the president to gather up all important papers and documents should the British advance.

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Preparing to flee -

The following day, British troops could be seen on the horizon. Realizing the danger she and her staff were in, Dolley collected up the most important documents, plus a few personal items and silverware, and prepared to take leave of the White House.

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Washington saved -

Then in a remarkable afterthought, Dolley noticed the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington in the state dining room. She could not abandon it to the enemy, so, with help from two servants, ordered the frame broken and the precious painting rolled up into safe keeping.

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Flight of Dolley Madison -

Dolley Madison and her retinue escaped with their lives. They took flight shortly before the British overran the Capitol to undertake their merciless plunder.

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Burning of Washington -

British troops entered the metropolis of the United States in triumph. After setting fire to the Capitol, they ransacked the White House before it too was set ablaze.

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On the rampage -

Breaking into the Library of Congress, gleeful soldiers began burning piles of books and periodicals. The flames spread and soon engulfed the entire building. The carnage only ended after a massive storm swept through the burning city, an act of nature that, while dampening the flames, caused yet more damage to buildings and property.

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Washington Navy Yard destroyed -

Before fleeing Washington with other members of the Madison administration, Secretary of the Navy William Jones ordered the Washington Navy Yard and a nearby fort to be razed, thus denying the British an additional scalp. The yard, pictured here during the Civil War era, never regained its prominence as a shipbuilding facility.

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The Americans are mocked -

Back in Britain, the public gloated over Washington's fate. This satirical cartoon, called 'The Fall of Washington or Maddy in Full Flight,' shows President James Madison and probably John Armstrong, his Secretary of War, both clutching bundles of papers, fleeing the Capitol with burning buildings behind them.

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A city in ruins -

President James Madison and the First Lady Dolley Madison returned to Washington three days later, when British troops had moved on. What they found was heartbreaking. The US Capitol was in ruins, as was the Presidential Mansion. Madison served the rest of his term residing at the city's Octagon House.

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A resounding British defeat -

After Washington, the British moved on to their major target, the heavily fortified city of Baltimore. This time, however, American forces repulsed the enemy's sea and land invasions. The war of 1812 finally ended on February 17, 1815.

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Legacy -

A number of historic sites stand as lingering witnesses to the events of August 24, 1814. These include Madison House, a property in Brookeville, Maryland, that served as a temporary executive mansion and provided shelter for the president and his official party during the British burning of Washington, D.C.

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Mementoes -

James Madison's crystal flute, saved from the White House fire of 1814, is on display at the Library of Congress.

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Vestiges of the past -

In the Capitol itself, visitors can admire the 'Corncob' columns—the only remaining feature left after the fire of 1814. The corncobs are significant in that they are located just outside the original Supreme Court chambers.

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Singed souvenir -

At the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a piece of burned wood dating back to 1814 and taken from the White House during renovations in 1950 is on permanent display.

Sources: (History) (White House Historical Association) (The National Constitution Center) (The Canadian Encyclopedia) (Smithsonian Magazine)

See also: Life in the White House

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