British Burn Washington: White House and Capitol Ablaze
British troops under Major General Robert Ross marched into Washington, D.C., on August 24, 1814, after routing American militia at the Battle of Bladensburg, which contemporaries mockingly called "the Bladensburg Races" because the defenders fled so quickly. The British burned the White House, the Capitol, the Treasury, and the Library of Congress. First Lady Dolley Madison famously rescued Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington before fleeing. A sudden thunderstorm helped extinguish the fires, and the British withdrew within 26 hours. President Madison returned to find the executive mansion a smoking ruin. The building was restored and painted white to cover the fire damage, though the name "White House" predates the burning.
August 24, 1814
212 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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