Washington fire

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Washington Fire (drawing from 1876)

The Washington fire took place in August 1814 during the British-American War . British forces occupied Washington, DC and set fire to many public buildings. Most of the facilities of the US government, including the White House , were destroyed. It is thanks to strict discipline and an order from British commanders to only set fire to public buildings that the buildings of the civilian population were spared. According to historians, the attack was in retaliation for the sacking of York in Upper Canada (now Toronto ) by the Americans after the Battle of York in 1813 and for the burning of the Upper Canada's Parliament buildings.

According to British Army commanders, Washington was chosen as a target "because of its far-reaching political implications". Governor General of Canada Sir George Prevost wrote to the admirals in Bermuda to retaliate for the American sacking of York and asked for their permission and assistance by providing naval units. At the time, it was considered a violation of martial law to burn down non-military facilities. The Americans, however, had not only burned down parliament, but also looted and burned private houses and warehouses. Further evidence that this was retaliation is the fact that British forces withdrew after the limited burn-down of some public facilities. They did not attempt to occupy any territory or attack a military facility.

The damaged White House (watercolor by George Munger, ca.1814/15)

The White House suffered significant damage from the fire. Only the outer walls survived the fire. However, they were severely weakened by the fire. They were also exposed to the elements as a result of the fire. Except for parts of the southern wall, all of the remaining walls had to be torn down and rebuilt. Legend has it that white paint was used to hide the damage caused by the fire, which is how the White House got its name. The legend is wrong, however, as the building was painted white when it was first constructed in 1798. Of the many items looted from the White House during the British occupation, only two could be recovered. A George Washington painting was rescued by then First Lady Dolley Madison , and a jewelry box was returned to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1939 by an old man who said his grandfather brought the box from Washington.

Events

On August 24, 1814, the vanguard of the British troops marched towards Capitol Hill. Since the troop strength was insufficient to occupy the city, General Robert Ross decided to cause the greatest possible destruction. He sent out a squad with a parliamentary flag to reach an agreement. The only resistance came from partisans in a house on the corner of Maryland Avenue / Constitution Avenue / Second Street NE. The house was burned down and the Union Jack was hoisted over Washington.

Shortly afterwards, the buildings that housed the Senate and the House of Representatives were set on fire (construction on the striking rotunda in the center of the Capitol had not yet started). The interior of both buildings, including the Library of Congress , was destroyed. The strength of the walls as well as heavy rains saved the basic structure. ( Thomas Jefferson later sold his library to the government to rebuild the Library of Congress.) The following day, Admiral George Cockburn entered the Washington National Intelligencer building with the intention of burning the building down. Cockburn wanted to burn down the building of the newspaper as it published many negative reports about him and called him a "bully". However, he could be stopped by a group of women from the neighborhood because they feared the fire could spread to their houses in the immediate vicinity. Instead, he ordered his troops to demolish the building brick by brick and destroy all printing types of the letter C so that no more articles could be printed over it.

Gilbert Stuart's portrait of Washington from the White House

The troops then marched down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the White House. First Lady Dolley Madison initially stayed at the White House to rescue valuables, documents and other important items while many of the government officials, including her own bodyguard, had fled. Among other things, she saved Gilbert Stuart's Lansdowne Portrait , a standing portrait of George Washington. Just before the first British soldiers entered the building, Madison could be persuaded to leave it. The soldiers found a dinner prepared for 40 people in the dining room. After messing about the food, they looted some souvenirs (such as one of the president's hats) and set the building on fire.

Fuel was used to ensure the building was on fire until the next day. According to reports, the fire was still visible in distant places like Baltimore and the Patuxent River .

British forces also burned the US Treasury and other buildings. The historic Washington Navy Yard , which was founded by Thomas Jefferson and was one of the first state facilities in the United States, was destroyed by the Americans. They prevented the equipment and ammunition stored there and the 44-cannon frigate Columbia under construction from falling into the hands of the British. William Thornton's efforts spared the United States Patent Office . Thornton, who was the architect of the Capitol and then head of the patent office, convinced the British of the importance of maintaining the building. The naval barracks were also spared. This is seen by some as a gesture of respect as a result of the behavior of the Americans during the Battle of Bladensburg .

Less than a day after the attack began, a hurricane and tornado passed through the city. This put more British than American guns out of action and knocked down cannons. The hurricane also put out fires. The British were therefore forced to return to their ships, many of which were badly damaged during the storm. The occupation of Washington lasted about 26 hours in total. 4,250 British soldiers were involved in the operation. President Madison and the rest of the government returned to the city immediately.

aftermath

The Burning of Washington provides the backdrop for this portrait of Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn is

The strong sandstone walls of the White House survived the fire with traces of smoke and burns. The inland frontier city of Cincinnati , Ohio, was proposed for the reconstruction of the White House because of fears of further British attacks from the sea. Reconstruction of the White House began in early 1815 and was completed in time for President James Monroe's inauguration in 1817. Madison lived in the Octagon House in Washington until the end of his tenure. Reconstruction of the Capitol did not begin until 1815 and was completed in 1864.

The British attack on Washington successfully distracted the American government and was designed to deliver a humiliating blow to the Americans. It was not as demoralizing as Cockburn envisioned, however, as many neutral or anti-war Americans revolted and detached troops were absent from the British invasion of New York State.

literature

  • George Robert Gleig : The campaigns of the British Army at Washington and New Orleans. 1814-1815 . CIHM, Ottawa 1984, ISBN 0-665-45385-X (unchanged reprint of the London 1827 edition)
  • A. James Pack: The Man Who Burned The White House. Admiral Sir George Cockburn (1772-1853) . Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md. 1987, ISBN 0-87021-420-9 .
  • Mary Kay Phelan: The Burning of Washington. August 1814 . Ty Crowell, New York 1975. ISBN 0-690-00486-9 (illustrated by John Gretzer; book for young people)
  • Anthony S. Pitch: The Burning of Washington . Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 2000. ISBN 1-55750-425-3 .
  • Jon Latimer: 1812. War with America . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 2007. ISBN 0-674-02584-9 .
  • Joseph A. Whitehorne: The Battle for Baltimore. 1814 . Nautical & Aviation Publ., Baltimore, Md. 1997, ISBN 1-877853-23-2 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roger Morriss: Cockburn and the British Navy in Transition. Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 1772-1853 (Exeter Marine Studies). University of Exeter Press, Exeter 1997, ISBN 0-85989-526-2 , p. 104.
  2. ^ Charles W. Humphries: The Capture of York . In: Morris Zaslow (ed.): The defended border. Upper Canada and the ar of 1812 . Macmillan, Toronto 1964, pp. 251-270, here p. 264.
  3. Rod Powers: Marine Corps Legends (article) about.com. Retrieved April 5, 2008.
  4. ^ Listing of tornadoes in Washington DC
  5. ^ Battles for the year 1812
  6. See Joseph A. Whitehorne: The Battle for Baltimore. 1814 , p. 50.

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