James Madison (1751 - 1836)
The Lansdowne portrait, a copy of which was saved by Dolley Madison
White House attacked by the British, by Tom Freeman
August 24th 1814: Burning of Washington
On this day in 1814, British troops invaded the American capital of Washington DC and set fire to many major public buildings, including the Capitol and White House. The invasion occurred as part of the War of 1812 between the two nations, which saw the young United States’ first declaration of war. The war grew out of escalating tensions arising from the Napoleonic wars which ravaged Europe, as the British impressed American sailors into the British navy and prevented American ships from trading, leading to fears in the United States that Britain sought to re-establish control over the newly independent nation. The burning of Washington occurred after the British victory at the Battle of Bladensburg, partly in retaliation to the American attack on the city of York (modern Toronto) in Canada, then a British colony. Carrying with them important papers like the Declaration of Independence, government officials fled as the British advanced on the capital. However, before First Lady Dolley Madison left to meet her husband (President James Madison), she ensured that an iconic portrait of George Washington was saved from destruction. British troops found the President’s mansion empty, and supposedly sat to eat a meal on White House silver before ransacking the building. The President and his wife returned to Washington three days later, but it was not until 1817 that the newly elected President James Monroe returned to the reconstructed White House; burn marks from 1814 can still be seen on parts of the modern White House. Despite the humiliation of the attack, American forces reorganised and inflicted defeats on the British army, including at Fort McHenry in September; the American victory here inspired Francis Scott Key to write what would become the US national anthem - ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. On December 24th 1814, the two countries signed a peace treaty to end the war, and Britain and the United States have since forged a strong alliance.
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