Washington DC fell into enemy hands on this day in 1814. Most of the buildings in the US capital including the White House were set on fire. Who was responsible?
Capturing the capital of the United States of America
On August 19, 1814, British troops landed at Benedict on the shores of the Patuxent river. The war between the US and Britain which had started in 1812 was still going on. The British goal was to capture the US capital—a few days march away. The Americans had taken up positions in Bladensburg which was on the way to Washington DC. Though the US forces outnumbered the British, the latter were better trained and defeated the Americans
US President Madison flees DC, White House burns
On hearing news of the defeat at Bladensburg, US President James Madison and his officials fled Washington DC. The British troops marched into the capital around 8 pm on August 24. Meeting little resistance, they set fire to much of the city—including the White House and the Capitol Building—in retaliation for the Americans’ burning of the Canadian capital at York in April 1813
‘Storm that saved Washington’
The British occupation lasted just 26 hours. On August 25, a rare tornado hit the US capital and put out most of the fires. According to some accounts, it hastened the British departure. But it seems the British were in any case planning to leave. They went on to capture the city of Alexandria and then laid siege to Baltimore
Trump’s ‘role model’ saves the day
The burning of Washington was a humiliating defeat for the US. But the Americans regrouped and in 1815, ultimately routed the British at the Battle of New Orleans under the command of Andrew Jackson. The victory made Jackson—President Trump’s ‘role model’—a national hero; he later became the US president