Two hundred years ago this evening the British burned D.C. in retaliation for U.S. burning the city of York (now Toronto). Sir George Prévost, Governor of Canada, wrote to the Royal Navys Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane in Bermuda. The burning was authorized by Admiral Cochrane and executed by British forces under the command of Major General Robert Ross and Rear Admiral George Cockburn, and was meant to demoralize the government and to punish Americans for their depredations in Canada. After they had defeated Napoleon, the British forces came to the U.S. deal with the Americans. (Almost viewing them as if WWII occurred without the Americans joining against Hitler.) They planned a blockade of the U.S. that was reminiscent of the three prongs used in the Revolutionary War and later in the U.S. Civil War. The British force burned many of the government buildings including the White House, Treasury, Congress, and the Library of Congress (later replaced by Thomas Jeffersons collection) but they didnt burn the US Patent Office (USPTO). The Bermudan navy took two pictures of King George and Queen Charlotte from Washington and hung them in the Bermudan Parliament building where they still remain today. Dolly Madison saved the painting of George Washington and the cabinet papers of her husband James Madison (not the Declaration of Independence as many falsely assume). smithsonianmag/history/your-guide-three-weeks-1814-we-today-call-war-1812-180952425/ smithsonianmag/history/british-view-war-1812-quite-differently-americans-do-180951852/?all This link shows a lot of scans of the letters between the leaders mentioned above: collections.libraries.iub.edu/warof1812/exhibits/show/warof1812/the-war-1814/washington---baltimore smithsonianmag/history/how-dolley-madison-saved-the-day-7465218/?all Commemorative events of the burning of Washington happening in D.C. and MD in the next few weeks: smithsonianmag/travel/commemorate-war-1812-bicentennial-events-180952421/
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 00:08:26 +0000
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