The Burning of Washington, also known as the Capture of Washington, was a successful British amphibious attack conducted by Rear Admiral George Cockburn during Admiral John Warren 's Chesapeake campaign.

Jun 17, 2020 · The burning of Washington, D.C., in 1814 was one of America’s darkest hours. The new republic that had been created by the Founding Fathers less than a half-century earlier was in peril.

Feb 7, 2025 · The burning of Washington (24 August 1814) by a British force was a pivotal moment in the War of 1812 and in US history. Hoping to pull US military resources away from Canada, the British landed at Chesapeake Bay, defeated an American force at Bladensburg, then pushed on to Washington, D.C., where they burned the Capitol Building and White House.

Oct 23, 2011 · Knowing that their enemy was unprepared, the British sailed up the Patuxent River and landed approximately 4500 men near Benedict, Maryland, on 18 August. Their march toward the capital went virtually unimpeded; the worst hazards they faced were the heat and humidity.

The burning of Washington, which completely gutted the President’s House, would not have taken place but for the ongoing war between Britain and France, who tried to weaken each other by targeting trade with neutral American ships.

On August 24, 1814, the city of Washington, D.C. had heard the distant thunder of battle at Bladensburg all afternoon. When legions of exhausted and retreating American soldiers appeared, concern turned to chaos.

With little resistance, the British seized Washington, D.C., and began to systematically burn the public buildings. Heroic actions by citizens, including First Lady Dolley Madison, saved many national treasures, including the Declaration of Independence.

The first began on 27 April 1813, when U.S. forces captured the Upper Canadian capital of York (now Toronto), torched the parliament buildings and governor's residence, stole private property, and abused civilians and wounded prisoners. Source for information on Washington, Burning of: Encyclopedia of the New American Nation dictionary.

The Burning of Washington is the name given to the burning of Washington, D.C., by British forces in 1814, 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 as a result the facilities of the U.S. government, including the White House, were ...

Aug 18, 2014 · In the near-vacant city, British troops vandalized and set fire to the unfinished Capitol Building. British troops then marched up Pennsylvania Avenue, burning and looting the White House and nearby government buildings including those housing the Departments of State, War, Navy, and the Treasury.