The Taking of the City of Washington by the British Forces Under Major General Ross during War of 1812
1814
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In June 1813, during the Battle of York (modern-day Toronto), U.S. troops burned the legislative building, government structures, and private warehouses. In retaliation, on August 1814, British Troops entered Washington D.C. (then called Washington City) and burned the Capitol, the White House, the Treasury Department, and several other government buildings without losing a single soldier.
On the second day of the attack, a dozen soldiers were killed when gunpowder and ammunition was accidentally ignited at modern-day Fort McNair. Then a tornado struck. While historians and meteorologists can’t agree on whether D.C. experienced a serendipitous hurricane, tornado, tropical storm, or severe thunderstorm, they all agree that the weather turned against the British. The storm did its damage to the city, but the deluge also helped extinguish the flames of the burning capital. The District was abandoned after just 26 hours, and the War of 1812 would stretch on until the Treaty of Ghent.
This primary source comes from the Records of Commissions of the Legislative Branch.
National Archives Identifier:
532909Full Citation: The Taking of the City of Washington... by the British Forces Under Major General Ross on August 24, 1814... the public property destroyed amounted to thirty Million of Dollars.; 1814; The George Washington Bicentennial Commission, 1931 - 1932; Records of Commissions of the Legislative Branch, Record Group 148; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/taking-washington-british-forces, May 16, 2024]