The White House Is Burning: August 24, 1814

by Jane Sutcliffe

The British are coming.

This "biography of a single day" captures the burning of the White House by the British during the War of 1812 from the viewpoint of the people who were there, including First Lady Dolley Madison, a British officer, and a nine-year-old slave. 

In the early hours before dawn, a cry went out that the British were advancing on Washington, D.C. America was two years into another war—The War of 1812. By nightfall on the 24th, British soldiers were setting fire to D.C., starting with the Navy Yard, then the Capitol and the White House, where First Lady Dolley Madison still kept watch.

Jane Sutcliffe draws upon first-person accounts to recreate a compelling chronology of the events of August 24, 1814.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Middle Grade, War, United States, Chapter Books

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

I am a kids' nonfiction author, school presenter, reader, library lover, and owner of one very spoiled dog named Willy.

Reviews

[Beth Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud for school. This book takes place mostly over the course of one day, August 24, 1814, when the British captured and burned DC. It was really interesting to see how everything fit together, and this large format provided lots of paintings and illustrations and some maps. My main complaint was that at times the primary source quotations were a little long and not necessarily on topic (or too repetitive).

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still don't quite understand the causes of the War of 1812, but I know a lot more about it than I did a few days ago. It's difficult to imagine 1814 Washington, DC---the image of 21st-century DC keeps getting in the way---but the story is an interesting one. Sutcliffe does well combining her narrative with original sources. Dolley Madison's personality comes through well, and I really feel for the men who made the decision to burn the Navy Yard.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thorough examination of the burning of Washington, DC during James Madison's tenure as President in 1814. It's told in a narrative manner, using many primary source quotes from a diverse group of individuals, from the British commander, to Dolly Madison to slaves of various ages, and including service people from both the British and American troops.

In places, it reads like a novel, although sometimes it slows down. I particularly liked the section on Dolly Madison.

There is a quick overview of the entire war and it's aftermath, which I appreciated. I needed that historical context. The book was illustrated with period paintings and political cartoons, which come off as a little "dry" to modern viewers.

Certainly, it was very well researched and written, and presented a slice of American history that I knew nothing about. I liked the way that the author likened the event to Pearl Harbor and 9/11, as pivotal national events. Her comparisons to ways that such an event would be presented by the media today were interesting. Her inclusion of those with conflicting pov's, different ages and backgrounds added depth to the book.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

If my educational experience with the War of 1812 was at all typical, then I can say when American teachers cover that time period, then focus on the awful unlawfulness of press-ganging at the beginning and the awesome ironicness of the Battle of New Orleans at the end, and just kind of slur over the burning of D.C. in the middle.

After reading this, I have to say, I can see why – America really dropped the ball on that one. The British did everything right when it comes to attacking a city – but the Americans didn’t help by doing everything wrong, more or less throwing down the welcome mat and practically handing out the torches.

Sutcliffe covers the invasion and burning of Washington D.C. in detail. She places events in context of the larger geo-political historical picture, as well as using the letters, memoirs and diaries of eye witnesses of all socio-economic levels and both sides to give a great on-the-ground pictures of events as they happened over a highly eventful 24 hour period.

Excellent history book, geared for younger readers, but full of quite a lot of information that any reader would enjoy and find fascinating.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some kids, this might be a terribly dull book. Despite this not being the most exciting time period for my kids to study, we found it interesting enough and the pace moved quickly enough to keep us engaged while reading this for history (homeschool). The details and side stories were wonderful! I loved all the details about Dolly Madison saving documents and Washington's portrait from the White House before fleeing, and the kids really empathized with having to burn down the entire US fleet of ships. Excellent artwork included as well!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a straightforward and focused account of the British attack on the buildings of the capitol. Using a series of biographical introductions like the British generals and the Madison’s who were in the White House at the time.

It was an easy read and provides the perspectives of war, slavery, and the developing nation.

[Buffy Rochard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I enjoyed the first hand accounts and was awed by all the fascinating details that I'd never heard of before. Very entertaining!

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it

[Noel Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story on the war of 1814 when the British burned the White House, Congress, and the Senate buildings.

[Lady reading under the Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, exciting, and horrifying! Such terrible wanton waste of lives and property.

This is a great book to use in a study of the War of 1812.

[Cindy Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like historical details, this book is for you. I found it to be repetitive and to jump around, but the details are there. Enjoyed the history, but felt it could have used some editing.

[Bookish_B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was for my 6th grader. We enjoyed it and she learned a lot.

[Kristin Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of our drying read alouds for 4th/5th grade history. My girls and I enjoyed learning about the event, but there were often too many quotes and it was just a bit longer than we needed.

[Kate Gauntt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the telling of history through a collection of first hand accounts via diaries and letters of people who were there.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The White House is Burning: August 24, 1814 brings a crucial event of the War of 1812 into sharp focus. The story is told through a charming narrative and the words of a collection of strong personalities including President James Madison and his charismatic socialite wife Dolley, George Gleig, a young British officer, American General William Winder, slave Paul Jennings, and Admiral Cockburn, a determined British officer. Memorable quotes are highlighted such as Gleig's quote, "Never did men with arms in their hands, make better use of their legs." Color drawings and paintings of personalities and weaponry including Congreve rockets add to the content. The print is easy to read and the reproductions of paintings are vivid. The superb writing flows smoothly and will serve well for nonfiction reports for 4th through 12th graders (and since the title is 116 pages, it exceeds the minimum requirements for length of many nonfiction assignments). A map of Washington D.C. is on the end papers; the bibliography is extensive and the index is thorough. Highly recommended.

[Dawn Moews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history of one day--August 24, 1814--is made fresh and immediate by the use of multiple primary sources. As a fan of history and historical fiction, I was fascinated by this book giving the background of the burning of Washington--in particular the White House during the War of 1812. The use of diary and journal entries as well as eye witness accounts in newpapers and journals of the day give a feeling of immediacy that brings the events to life. The choice of sources to use and how they are intermingled contribute to a freshness that made me feel I was watching events unfold. I would use this book with students from intermediate through high school and maybe even college. We don't always do a good job helping our students see the impact of historical events on ordinary people. We certainly don't do a good job of helping students to see the ordinary lives of celebrities. This book juxtaposes the famous and "important" with the ordinary in such a way that each becomes a necessary link to tell the story.

(16-17: I-0, II-DM, III-0)

[Gail Gauthier · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The White House Is Burning is a great read, but it's also lovely to look at. It's illustrated with beautiful period artwork and portraits of historical figures referred to in the narrative. Though this is what might be described as an over-sized book, don't mistake it for a picture book. This is 105 pages of full text accompanied by 7 pages of quotation credits and a 3 page bibliography. And there is an index. I mention all this because I've heard that some teachers in the upper elementary school grades have page requirements for books acceptable for projects. This book ought to meet them.

I don't know how big a place The War of 1812 has in school curriculum. This book, though, is so marvelous a piece of work that it ought to be valuable in teaching how to read history and how history can be written."

Excerpt from Original Content.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

200 years ago, our capital, Washington D.C. was under attack by the British during the War of 1812. This is the account of the events leading up to the burning of the city, the battle and a bit of the aftermath. The British were in and out in one fatal day, but managed to destroy some of our young country’s treasures and architecture, including the Capitol and the White House.

Sutcliffe gives us several different viewpoints, including Presidentress Dolly Madison (from a letter to her sister), British and American soldiers, towns-people, a tourist and even a slave's account of that terrible day. Enough illustrations to provide context to upper elementary students, this short history is accessible on all school library levels.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started using historical fiction a dozen years ago as read-alouds for my fifth graders, there were no good books about the War of 1812 or WWI . Now there are several that bring to life the events of these wars. I purchased this book for those students who want to go deeper and learn more. And, as always, I love YA non-fiction- just enough detail to deepen understanding, but short enough to maintain high interest.
Includes many drawings and photos of paintings, tons of backmatter (which will help students understand what 'research' involves). It really is too bad we didn't have photography at that time, as the images of what the White House looked like are an interpretation.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introductory text for older elementary school students, I'd say 5th grade and up. As I mentioned in a comment, this book somehow managed to get itself listed in the new release adult non fiction history section of my (large city who should not have these issues) library's online database. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed when I picked it up - but only because I thought it was a text geared toward adults about this extraordinarily simple day. It was a decent work that did it's job well and provided a good foundation for students to learn from.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history book for young people, with a few moments explaining significance of nuanced moments or facts. Well researched, with lots of quotes and excellent end materials/citations. Nice imagery of the play-by-play of about three days, of a moment in American history that is often quickly glossed over as part of the War of 1812. Surprisingly good quality paper doesn't match the content, and made it hard to turn the pages and not feel like you'd accidentally turned two pages at once.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

From my 11 yo daughter: This was a really good book, and it had a lot of really interesting pictures. I liked the way it was written, since it was broken up into timestamps from the day. I don't always like historical non-fiction, but this kept me captivated, and I wanted to keep reading.
From me: Ditto to everything she said, but I would add that I liked the first person accounts taken from diaries and letters. Really brought it to life.

[Laura Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

This narrative nonfiction book takes a remarkable moment in history (which most of us know little about) and presents it from a variety of perspectives, including the first lady’s, a slave’s, and the commanders of both armies. Great use of primary sources with an excellent source list and bibliography.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The burning of the White House by the British during the War of 1812 is told from the viewpoints of various witnesses and participant, including First Lady Dolley Madison, a British officer, and a nine-year-old slave. Sutcliffe makes great use of primary source material in this well-rounded, engagingly told account.

[Gwenyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this new book about the burning of the White House by the British that I blogged about it here: http://story-slinger.blogspot.com/201... It's great nonfiction for ages 10-14.

[Lin Lin]

I find it hard to put down this new non-fiction about the War of 1812. It reads, after all, like a fiction with its rich primary sources, vivid descriptions of solders, civilians, officials, generals from both the British and American sides.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific middle-school non-fiction. (A great read for adults, too.) Sutcliffe covers this single event in the War of 1812 in a day-by-day narrative, skillfully utilizing original sources. Excellent!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done with excellent use of primary sources. Sutcliffe does a very nice job of making this story of interest to contemporary readers.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging narrative and factual account of the burning of the White House. Non Fiction but reads like it's fiction. Great for the young history buffs or easing someone into NF in the 4-6 gr. range.

[Andrea Labonte · Rating 1 out of 5]

it's too dense for me.