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Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814
With all the immediacy of an eyewitness account, Anthony Pitch tells the dramatic story of the British invasion of Washington in the summer of 1814, an episode many call a defining moment in the coming-of-age of the United States. The British torched the Capitol, the White House, and many other public buildings, setting off an inferno that illuminated the countryside for miles and sending President James Madison scurrying out of town while his wife Dolley rescued a life-sized portrait of George Washington from the flames. The author's gripping narrative--hailed by a White House curator, a Senate historian, and the chairman of the National Geographic Society, among others--is filled with vivid details of the attack. Not confining his story to Washington, Pitch also describes the brave, resourceful defense of nearby Fort McHenry and tells how Francis Scott Key, a British hostage on a ship near the Baltimore harbor during the fort's bombardment, wrote a poem that became the national anthem.
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First published June 1, 1998
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About the author
Anthony S. Pitch
16 books9 followersAnthony S. Pitch is the author of “They Have Killed Papa Dead!” on the Lincoln assassination, The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814, and Our Crime Was Being Jewish. A journalist on four continents, he has appeared on C-SPAN TV, the History Channel, National Geographic TV, Book TV, NPR, and PBS. He lives in Potomac, Maryland.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 27, 2023
The burning of Washington, D.C., in 1814 is a strange thing to contemplate, for many reasons. Here in the 21st century, we are used to thinking of Washington as the well-protected capital of a global superpower with the world's strongest armed forces. It might seem impossible to us that a hostile foreign power could sail its ships up Chesapeake Bay, land a detachment of troops, and set fire to the public buildings of the city, without so much as a by-your-leave; but that is exactly what happened in 1814. And then there is the paradox of the British being the ones who perpetrated this destruction; accustomed as we are to the U.K./U.S.A. “special relationship” that has existed since the early 20th century, some Americans today might find it hard to imagine the British as enemies, Revolution aside. But 200 years ago, the British were America’s enemies, and they did set fire to Washington, as Anthony S. Pitch chronicles in The Burning of Washington.
Pitch, a Washington-area writer who has conducted historically-oriented tours of D.C., is an Englishman by birth; and perhaps in part for this reason, his account of The British Invasion of 1814 (the book’s subtitle) is scrupulously fair to both sides from the War of 1812. As Pitch mentions, the British attack upon Washington did not proceed from motiveless malignity; rather, “It was to be retaliation for American excesses in Canada, where U.S. forces were charged with a series of ‘disgraceful outrages’ after destroying private and public buildings, most recently along the Niagara frontier” (p. 20).
The British forces’ Chesapeake campaign against Washington and Baltimore was well-planned and was led by experienced commanders. It did not help that President James Madison’s secretary of war dismissed the possibility of a British attack against D.C., and believed that poorly trained U.S. militia would be the equal of British regulars battle-hardened by years of campaigning in the Napoleonic Wars. It also did not help that the American commander at Fort Washington, south of the capital on the Potomac River, had a poor opinion of the fort’s defensibility and was convinced he would be caught between British military and naval forces. A great many things had to go wrong for Washington to be taken and burned by the British. Almost all of them did.
An American attempt to stand against the British at the small town of Bladensburg, Maryland, went disastrously; under the pressure of a disciplined British attack, “American riflemen broke first”, after which District of Columbia volunteers “turned tail in the mad melee” (pp. 73-74). The collapse and retreat of the America forces at Bladensburg was so absolute that the entire episode came to be referred to as “the Bladensburg Races.” It is no wonder that the Battle of Bladensburg gets so little attention in American history textbooks; visit the park site in modern Prince George’s County where the battle unfolded, and you will find a placard telling the story of the battle, but not much more.
Once the American disaster at Bladensburg had unfolded, the road to Washington was open to the British. As the British drew ever closer, there were people who behaved badly in a city where law and order were gone – like those “who had waited for the hour when the streets would be empty, the houses deserted, and troops out of sight. Now they were free to steal and run, with no one about to safeguard property or restore law and order” (p. 100). But there were also stories of integrity and heroism in the endangered city, as when First Lady Dolley Madison, at the threatened White House, saved cabinet papers, the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, and even a copy of the Declaration of Independence. The First Lady found herself feeling, as she put it, “so unfeminine…as to be free from fear, and willing to remain in the Castle. If I could have had a cannon through every window, but alas! those who should have placed them there, fled” (p. 50). The Madisons fled northward to Brookeville, Maryland, where today a sign at the town’s boundary line proudly proclaims its status as “United States Capital for a Day – August 26, 1814.”
When the British entered Washington, they set a number of fires – unsurprising, considering that this book has as its title The Burning of Washington. But as torch-bearing invaders go, the British were curiously civilized about the whole thing. With the exception of a newspaper office owned by a virulently anti-British publisher, the occupiers restricted themselves to public buildings and facilities: the Capitol, the President’s House, the Washington Navy Yard. The U.S. Patent Office, with its hundreds of irreplaceable models that represented the latest advances in human ingenuity, was spared when the superintendent of patents, Dr. William Thornton, successfully pleaded his case that the destruction of the Patent Office would be a crime against human knowledge, on par with the burning of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. And when British Admiral George Cockburn heard two ladies worry that the burning of the newspaper building would destroy their private homes as well, the admiral politely assured the ladies that “They would be just as safe with him as with President Madison” (p. 132), and ordered the newspaper building torn down rather than burned.
Pitch tells the rest of the story of the Chesapeake Campaign – the attack against Baltimore, and the successful American defense immortalized by Francis Scott Key in “The Star-Spangled Banner” – but the emphasis here is on the Washington dimensions of the campaign. Today, modern Washington shows little evidence of this episode from the city’s history. A painting in the U.S. Capitol dramatizes the incident, but it is understandable that nowadays, no one in power on either side of the pond wants to put too much emphasis on this time when the Americans and the British were bitter enemies. But that time of hostility between two great nations is a fact of history; and in The Burning of Washington, Anthony Pitch tells well the story of that time.
Pitch, a Washington-area writer who has conducted historically-oriented tours of D.C., is an Englishman by birth; and perhaps in part for this reason, his account of The British Invasion of 1814 (the book’s subtitle) is scrupulously fair to both sides from the War of 1812. As Pitch mentions, the British attack upon Washington did not proceed from motiveless malignity; rather, “It was to be retaliation for American excesses in Canada, where U.S. forces were charged with a series of ‘disgraceful outrages’ after destroying private and public buildings, most recently along the Niagara frontier” (p. 20).
The British forces’ Chesapeake campaign against Washington and Baltimore was well-planned and was led by experienced commanders. It did not help that President James Madison’s secretary of war dismissed the possibility of a British attack against D.C., and believed that poorly trained U.S. militia would be the equal of British regulars battle-hardened by years of campaigning in the Napoleonic Wars. It also did not help that the American commander at Fort Washington, south of the capital on the Potomac River, had a poor opinion of the fort’s defensibility and was convinced he would be caught between British military and naval forces. A great many things had to go wrong for Washington to be taken and burned by the British. Almost all of them did.
An American attempt to stand against the British at the small town of Bladensburg, Maryland, went disastrously; under the pressure of a disciplined British attack, “American riflemen broke first”, after which District of Columbia volunteers “turned tail in the mad melee” (pp. 73-74). The collapse and retreat of the America forces at Bladensburg was so absolute that the entire episode came to be referred to as “the Bladensburg Races.” It is no wonder that the Battle of Bladensburg gets so little attention in American history textbooks; visit the park site in modern Prince George’s County where the battle unfolded, and you will find a placard telling the story of the battle, but not much more.
Once the American disaster at Bladensburg had unfolded, the road to Washington was open to the British. As the British drew ever closer, there were people who behaved badly in a city where law and order were gone – like those “who had waited for the hour when the streets would be empty, the houses deserted, and troops out of sight. Now they were free to steal and run, with no one about to safeguard property or restore law and order” (p. 100). But there were also stories of integrity and heroism in the endangered city, as when First Lady Dolley Madison, at the threatened White House, saved cabinet papers, the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, and even a copy of the Declaration of Independence. The First Lady found herself feeling, as she put it, “so unfeminine…as to be free from fear, and willing to remain in the Castle. If I could have had a cannon through every window, but alas! those who should have placed them there, fled” (p. 50). The Madisons fled northward to Brookeville, Maryland, where today a sign at the town’s boundary line proudly proclaims its status as “United States Capital for a Day – August 26, 1814.”
When the British entered Washington, they set a number of fires – unsurprising, considering that this book has as its title The Burning of Washington. But as torch-bearing invaders go, the British were curiously civilized about the whole thing. With the exception of a newspaper office owned by a virulently anti-British publisher, the occupiers restricted themselves to public buildings and facilities: the Capitol, the President’s House, the Washington Navy Yard. The U.S. Patent Office, with its hundreds of irreplaceable models that represented the latest advances in human ingenuity, was spared when the superintendent of patents, Dr. William Thornton, successfully pleaded his case that the destruction of the Patent Office would be a crime against human knowledge, on par with the burning of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. And when British Admiral George Cockburn heard two ladies worry that the burning of the newspaper building would destroy their private homes as well, the admiral politely assured the ladies that “They would be just as safe with him as with President Madison” (p. 132), and ordered the newspaper building torn down rather than burned.
Pitch tells the rest of the story of the Chesapeake Campaign – the attack against Baltimore, and the successful American defense immortalized by Francis Scott Key in “The Star-Spangled Banner” – but the emphasis here is on the Washington dimensions of the campaign. Today, modern Washington shows little evidence of this episode from the city’s history. A painting in the U.S. Capitol dramatizes the incident, but it is understandable that nowadays, no one in power on either side of the pond wants to put too much emphasis on this time when the Americans and the British were bitter enemies. But that time of hostility between two great nations is a fact of history; and in The Burning of Washington, Anthony Pitch tells well the story of that time.
July 28, 2015
The Burning of Washington by Anthony Pitch is a detailed and well written account of the British invasion of 1814 during which the British defeated the opposing American forces before marching into the Capital and putting parts of Washington to the torch, including the White House. This book is a most enjoyable read and in my mind is as good as Walter Lord's book The Dawn's Early Light which was first published in the early 1970's.
The book covers the Battle of Bladensburg, the abandonment of the Capital and its subsequent occupation and destruction by the British. The narrative then continues with the fighting around Baltimore and the end of the war after the British defeat at the Battle of New Orleans. The author also tells the story of Francis Scott Key and birth of the American national anthem, an interesting story in itself.
Anthony Pitch has used a number of first-hand accounts taken from the letters of participants on both sides of the conflict including, soldiers, sailors and civilians. Material has been utilised from diaries, journals and newspaper accounts to fill in this stirring and vivid narrative of this fascinating period of American history. Overall this is a decent piece of historical writing and I am sure that most people will enjoy the author's account of the invasion of 1814. The one negative point that I have to raise in regards to this book is the lack of detailed maps to follow the invading forces and the subsequent battles.
The book covers the Battle of Bladensburg, the abandonment of the Capital and its subsequent occupation and destruction by the British. The narrative then continues with the fighting around Baltimore and the end of the war after the British defeat at the Battle of New Orleans. The author also tells the story of Francis Scott Key and birth of the American national anthem, an interesting story in itself.
Anthony Pitch has used a number of first-hand accounts taken from the letters of participants on both sides of the conflict including, soldiers, sailors and civilians. Material has been utilised from diaries, journals and newspaper accounts to fill in this stirring and vivid narrative of this fascinating period of American history. Overall this is a decent piece of historical writing and I am sure that most people will enjoy the author's account of the invasion of 1814. The one negative point that I have to raise in regards to this book is the lack of detailed maps to follow the invading forces and the subsequent battles.
June 9, 2022
Extremely well-researched and detailed, this book is intended for readers who are extreme history buffs.
I led the discussion of this book for my book group and I found it important to go outside the scope of the material in order to place this 'slice' of the War of 1812 in context.
Nobody in our group was enthusiastic about the book, but we all agreed it was very much 'in the weeds' and thus probably a delight to those who enjoy this sort of thing.
I led the discussion of this book for my book group and I found it important to go outside the scope of the material in order to place this 'slice' of the War of 1812 in context.
Nobody in our group was enthusiastic about the book, but we all agreed it was very much 'in the weeds' and thus probably a delight to those who enjoy this sort of thing.
June 21, 2007
The nation is impatient to go to war against the British, but has few resources to support the idea. A deficient American leadership and untrained, insufficient army fight chaotically outside the capitol before ultimately giving in to England's Major General Ross and Admiral Cockburn. The result: Washington gives up without much a fight, and a fire designed to prevent its navy yard from being captured by the British succeeds in burning large areas of the new city as well. The British, sometimes reluctantly, burn The President's House, the Capitol Building, and all state office buildings revealed to them. The events of this short summary cover about the first half of this amazing book.
Since its publication in 1998, The Burning of Washington has apparently gone on to become the title to read for info on the events of the War of 1812. The U.S. Senate includes it in its reference book list, and Pitch’s book is the only title given by Wikipedia on the subject.
Since its publication in 1998, The Burning of Washington has apparently gone on to become the title to read for info on the events of the War of 1812. The U.S. Senate includes it in its reference book list, and Pitch’s book is the only title given by Wikipedia on the subject.
October 31, 2020
My favorite history book, ever!
November 17, 2018
Very interesting explanation of the event that is quite embarrassing-the burning of Washington, DC during the War of 1812. This covers the battles leading up to the destruction, the leadership of the British, the lack of leadership on the American side and the aftermath of the destruction. The Americans had very little in leadership. The Secretary of War was useless and resigned, the others, poor, pathetic and useless. Contrary to popular belief. the British did NOT burn all the buildings in Washington except the Whore Houses, but just some of the public buildings and not many private ones. These were spared unless those inside had fired on the British troops.
The Americans burned the Canadian capital, so the British retaliated. The British did so very easily, as well. Again, lack of American leadership.
The Americans burned the Canadian capital, so the British retaliated. The British did so very easily, as well. Again, lack of American leadership.
May 27, 2019
I knew practically nothing about the War of 1812 except the Star Spangled Banner story and the burning of the capital, and thought that I’d remedy that omission by reading this book. I made it about a third of the way through when I realized that I didn’t want to know *that* much about the War of 1812. So I moved on to read the last chapter and called it a day. It was a good read, but (far) more detailed than I was after.
June 8, 2023
Great based on original documentd
I grew up in Arlington since 1946 and lived there until moving to Florida. I am a history buff and have visited all of the sites in the book including as 196$ graduate of Georgetown. Anyone who loves history and knows DC and the area would love this read. It is particularly relevant given the January insurrection. I would hope readers would fully appreciate why protecting our capitol should be supported by all Americans.
I grew up in Arlington since 1946 and lived there until moving to Florida. I am a history buff and have visited all of the sites in the book including as 196$ graduate of Georgetown. Anyone who loves history and knows DC and the area would love this read. It is particularly relevant given the January insurrection. I would hope readers would fully appreciate why protecting our capitol should be supported by all Americans.
April 11, 2024
Interesting and well-researched account of events surrounding the British invasion of Washington. Most of the book is spent on the military campaign itself - both from the British perspective and American perspective. The lack of leadership on the American side was shockingly bad. I would have liked more information about President Monroe's movements during this war, but he was largely ignored in the book.
Overall, a very even-handed account of this time in America's history.
Overall, a very even-handed account of this time in America's history.
July 22, 2018
Worth Reading!
Very good! Plenty of facts but written in an enticing storytelling style. An easy read. Recommended to middle, or high schoolers or anyone interested in learning more about our nation's struggle for independence.
Very good! Plenty of facts but written in an enticing storytelling style. An easy read. Recommended to middle, or high schoolers or anyone interested in learning more about our nation's struggle for independence.
September 22, 2022
Very detailed story of the British attack on Washington in the war of 1812. Excellent read as a companion piece to Walter lord’s The Dawn’s Early Light
August 4, 2008
I knew very little about the burning of Washington, and while at Fort McHenry I saw this book. I'm always happy to buy books at little gift shops like this - better the money goes to the NPS than to Amazon.com or B&N.
Being fairly ignorant of the War of 1812, but at least familiar with the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, I was shocked to read what a small country it was. I had no idea that Lighthorse Harry Lee had nearly been killed by a mob in Baltimore, and was surprised to recognize the commander of Fort McHenry as the uncle of Lew Armistead.
The book is billed as being a very readable and lively account of the war, but I found it fairly dry. I suppose I am spoiled by novelists like Jeff Shaara, and I should have known better. I found the accounts of the battles fairly dull and difficult to follow, but the personal accounts of the escape from Washington and the defense of Baltimore were quite interesting. I ended up skimming through large chunks of fighting, but that wasn't why I was reading the book anyway.
Since I have lived in the DC area for about 15 years, it was fun to read about its history and even its geographic development since the beginning of the 19th century. I really don't think of Georgetown or Tenleytown as great distances from the Capitol or far enough away as a 'retreat' from occupying forces.
This wasn't a particularly 'fun' read, but it did have some interesting tidbits and personal accounts of important parts of DC's history. If you are curious about the burning of Washington, or the battle of Fort McHenry, this was certainly informative. I don't know of any more engaging books to recommend on the subject, but I would certainly be willing to read more about the topic.
Being fairly ignorant of the War of 1812, but at least familiar with the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, I was shocked to read what a small country it was. I had no idea that Lighthorse Harry Lee had nearly been killed by a mob in Baltimore, and was surprised to recognize the commander of Fort McHenry as the uncle of Lew Armistead.
The book is billed as being a very readable and lively account of the war, but I found it fairly dry. I suppose I am spoiled by novelists like Jeff Shaara, and I should have known better. I found the accounts of the battles fairly dull and difficult to follow, but the personal accounts of the escape from Washington and the defense of Baltimore were quite interesting. I ended up skimming through large chunks of fighting, but that wasn't why I was reading the book anyway.
Since I have lived in the DC area for about 15 years, it was fun to read about its history and even its geographic development since the beginning of the 19th century. I really don't think of Georgetown or Tenleytown as great distances from the Capitol or far enough away as a 'retreat' from occupying forces.
This wasn't a particularly 'fun' read, but it did have some interesting tidbits and personal accounts of important parts of DC's history. If you are curious about the burning of Washington, or the battle of Fort McHenry, this was certainly informative. I don't know of any more engaging books to recommend on the subject, but I would certainly be willing to read more about the topic.
June 19, 2011
While on a recent visit to Washington D.C. on business I took a few extra days to do some sight-seeing and happened by the American History Museum. As fortune would have it, the author of this book was seated at a small table near the exit with a stack of his books. Naturally unable to resist, I bought a copy of each. Now, having finished reading The Burning of Washington, I can unequivocally say that it was good fortune indeed. At the time I wondered at the mild irony of the author’s English accent, given the title of his book! I've done a review of the book here, and an interview with the author here.
January 22, 2015
A fast-paced and engaging book on the Washington-Baltimore campaign. Pitch’s book is thorough, well-written and well-researched. Pitch’s writing style is vivid and and has the feel of putting the reader into the center of the action--the drama of the campaign, the panic of the citizens, the confusion of the American high command, and the jolly mood of the British commanders and troops.
Pitch highlights how ill-prepared the Americans were for Admiral Cockburn’s invasion. The American troops in the Chesapeake were beset by bad luck, hapless accidents, and the incompetence of their commanders, some of them well-meaning, some of them cynically devious.
Pitch’s book is one of descriptive power and he fully captures all of the story’s personalities. His writing is straightforward but compelling and he has a good grasp of the subject matter.
Pitch highlights how ill-prepared the Americans were for Admiral Cockburn’s invasion. The American troops in the Chesapeake were beset by bad luck, hapless accidents, and the incompetence of their commanders, some of them well-meaning, some of them cynically devious.
Pitch’s book is one of descriptive power and he fully captures all of the story’s personalities. His writing is straightforward but compelling and he has a good grasp of the subject matter.
November 23, 2015
A remarkable history. 9.11 will be forever on our minds but this was not the first time Washington DC was attacked from a foreign entity. In fact Wash DC was all but burnt to the ground during the war 1821 (August 24, 1814 exact date). If you include the Civil War, Washington DC has faced some near-do disasters.
This history does give you the before, during and after effects from the British burning Washington DC. I would recommend it to anyone interested in history.
This history does give you the before, during and after effects from the British burning Washington DC. I would recommend it to anyone interested in history.
September 19, 2008
This is a fascinating study of the British attack on Washington, incredilbly detailed and researched, and written with a flowing narrative. Pitch's extensive research does, however, cause him to trail off on too many side stories that muddle the pace and the intensity of the primary story. He could have been more selective or placed some of these minor tales in an appendix.
March 4, 2014
I read this in conjunction with a tour of Washington, DC in anticipation of the commemoration of the Burning in 1814. It certainly filled me in on locales and events which I didn't remembering learning in American history. Our tour ended at the Smithsonian Museum where the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore is displayed.
July 28, 2015
At the time I read this, I was living in Silver Spring, Maryland, not far from Bladensburg, where the British trounced the U.S. regulars and militia before marching on Washington. I remember thinking at the time that the story would have made a fantastic episode of the old radio series, "You Are There." Great story, very well told by Anthony Pitch.
April 12, 2016
The author has compiled an amazing amount of minute details in this interesting history of events leading up to and during the British sack of our capital city during the War of 1812. The earlier activities on the floor of the U.S. Congress that culminated in our declaration of war are also good reading.
August 11, 2011
This book is extraordinary. Details of events was well explained. I could not put the book down. There was a lot of research of facts backing the historical events which had occured. I recommend any one to read this book. History in the making.
August 26, 2012
As Maryland attempts to cash in on the war of 1812, it's worth remembering how far from our finest hour it really was. This is an excellent account, with particular interest for those of us living in the neighborhood.
April 4, 2015
Very educational and filled in some gaps in my understanding of American history. Not quite scintillating though.
July 25, 2020
Very good. Ample sources like news articles, letters and diaries make for a personal story instead of just a list of facts, places and names.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews