British Army Enters and Burns the US Capital City

For the inhabitants of Washington, D.C. it was a night of terror.

Continuing British Burns Washington, D.C..
Today is our final installment from Richard Hildreth and then we begin the second part of the series with George R. Gleig. For works benefiting from the latest research see the “More information” section at the bottom of these pages.

Previously in British Burns Washington, D.C..

Time: August 24, 1814
Place: USA Capital City

The President’s house, and the offices of the Treasury and State Departments nearby, were set on fire, Ross and Cockburn, who had forced themselves as unbidden guests upon a neighboring boarding-house woman, supping by the light of the blazing buildings. By the precaution of Monroe, the most valuable papers of the State Department had been previously removed; yet here, too, some important records were destroyed. The next morning the War Office was burned. The office of the National Intelligencer was ransacked, and the type thrown into the street, Cockburn himself presiding with gusto over this operation, thus revenging himself for the severe strictures of that journal on his proceedings in the Chesapeake. The arsenal at Greenleaf’s Point was also fired, as were some rope-walks near by.

Several private houses were burned, and some private warehouses broken open and plundered; but, in general, private property was respected, the plundering being less on the part of the British soldiers than of the low inhabitants, black and white, who took advantage of the terror and confusion to help themselves. The only public building that escaped was the General Post Office and Patent Office, both under the same roof, of which the burning was delayed by the entreaties and remonstrances of the superintendent, and finally prevented by a tremendous tornado which passed over the city and for a while completely dispersed the British column, the soldiers seeking refuge where they could, and several being buried in the ruins of the falling buildings.

A still more serious accident at Greenleaf’s Point, where near a hundred British soldiers were killed or wounded by an accidental explosion, added to the anxiety of the British commander, otherwise ill enough at ease. He naturally imagined, though as it happened without any occasion for it, that an army of indignant citizen-soldiers was mustering on the heights of Georgetown. An attack was also apprehended from the south, to guard against which the Washington end of the Potomac bridge was set on fire by the British, while at the same moment a like precaution was taken at the Alexandria end to keep them from crossing. No news came of the British ships in the Potomac, which Ross anxiously expected; and that same night, leaving his severely wounded behind, and his camp-fires burning, he silently retired, and, after a four days’ uninterrupted march, arrived again at Benedict, where the troops were embarked, diminished, however, by a loss in killed, wounded, and deserters of several hundred men. Yet while Ross, on his part, thus stealthily withdrew, so great was the terror which he left behind him that some sixty British invalids, left in charge of the wounded, continued in undisturbed possession of Capitol Hill for more than twenty-four hours after his departure, till at last the citizens mustered courage to disarm them.

George R. Gleig

Now we begin the second the second part of our series with our selection from Campaigns of the British Army in Washington and New Orleans by George R. Gleig published in 1821. The selection is presented in 1.5 easy 5 minute installments.

George R. Gleig (1796-1888) was a Scottish soldier, military writer, and priest.

While the two brigades which had been engaged at Bladensburg remained upon the field to recover their order, the third, which formed the reserve, and was consequently unbroken, took the lead, and pushed forward at a rapid rate toward Washington. As it was not the intention of the British Government to attempt permanent conquest in this part of America, and as General Ross was well aware that with a handful of men he could not pretend to establish himself for any length of time in the enemy’s capital, he determined to lay it under contribution and to return quietly to the shipping. Nor was there anything unworthy of the character of a British officer in this determination. By all the customs of war, whatever public property may chance to be in a captured town becomes confessedly the just spoil of the conqueror and in thus proposing to accept a certain sum of money in lieu of that property, he was showing mercy rather than severity to the vanquished.

Such being the intention of General Ross, he did not march the troops immediately into the city, but halted them upon a plain in its vicinity while a flag of truce was sent in with terms. But whatever his proposal might have been, it was not so much as heard; for scarcely had the party bearing the flag entered the street than they were fired upon from the windows of one of the houses, and the horse of the General himself, who accompanied them, killed. All thoughts of accommodation were instantly laid aside; the troops advanced forthwith into the town, and having first put to the sword all who were found in the house from which the shots were fired, and reduced it to ashes, they proceeded without a moment’s delay to burn and destroy everything in the most distant degree connected with the Government.

In this general devastation were included the Senate House, the President’s official residence, an extensive dockyard and arsenal, barracks for two or three thousand men, several large store houses filled with naval and military stores, some hundreds of cannon of different kinds, and nearly twenty thousand stand of small arms. There were also two or three public rope-works which shared in the same fate; a fine frigate, pierced for sixty guns, and just ready to be launched; several gun-brigs and armed schooners, with a variety of gunboats and small craft. The powder-magazines were of course set on fire, and exploded with a tremendous crash, throwing down many houses in their vicinity, partly by pieces of the walls striking them and partly by the concussion of the air; while quantities of shot, shell, and hand-grenades, which could not otherwise be rendered useless, were thrown into the river.

All this was as it should be; and had the arm of vengeance been extended no further there would not have been room given for so much as a whisper of disapprobation. But unfortunately it did not stop here. A noble library, several printing-offices, and all the public archives were likewise committed to the flames, which, though undoubtedly the property of the Government, might better have been spared.

I need scarcely observe that the consternation of the inhabitants was complete and that to them this was a night of terror. So confident had they been in the success of their troops that few of them had dreamed of quitting their houses or abandoning the city. Nor was it till the fugitives from the battle began to rush in that the President himself thought of providing for his safety. That gentleman, as I was informed, had gone forth in the morning with the army, and had continued among his troops till the British forces began to make their appearance. Having ridden through the ranks and exhorted every man to do his duty, he hurried back to his own house, that he might prepare a feast for the entertainment of his officers when they should return victorious. For the truth of this I will not be answerable; but this much I know, that the feast was actually prepared, though, instead of being eaten by American officers, it went to satisfy the less delicate appetites of a party of English soldiers.

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