Burning of Washington
British naval attack on the United States during the War of 1812 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 Sir John Warren's Chesapeake campaign. It was the only time since the American Revolutionary War that a foreign power had captured and occupied a United States capital. Following the defeat of American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814, a British army led by Major-General Robert Ross marched on Washington, D.C. That evening, British soldiers and sailors set fire to multiple public buildings; including the Presidential Mansion, United States Capitol, and Washington Navy Yard.[5]
Burning of Washington | |||||||
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Part of the War of 1812 | |||||||
The Capture of the City of Washington shows the burning of Washington, D.C., on August 24, 1814. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom | United States | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
George Cockburn Robert Ross |
James Madison John Armstrong | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
4,250[1] | 7,640 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
30 killed[2][failed verification] 6 wounded[3][failed verification] |
1 killed[4] 1 frigate destroyed 1 frigate scuttled 1 sloop scuttled | ||||||
The attack was in part a retaliation for prior American actions in British-held Upper Canada, in which U.S. forces had burned and looted York the previous year and had then burnt large portions of Port Dover.[6] Less than four days after the attack began, a heavy thunderstorm, possibly a hurricane and a tornado, extinguished the fires and caused further destruction. The British occupation of Washington, D.C. lasted for roughly 26 hours.[7]
President James Madison, along with his administration and several military officials, evacuated and were able to find refuge for the night in Brookeville, a small town in Montgomery County, Maryland; President Madison spent the night in the house of Caleb Bentley, a Quaker who lived and worked in Brookeville. Bentley's house, known today as the Madison House, still exists.