When Washington burned : the British invasion of the Capital and a nation's rise from the ashes / Robert P. Watson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Watson, Robert P., 1962- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Washington (D.C.)--History--Capture by the British, 1814.

Washington (D.C.).

United States--History--War of 1812--Campaigns.

United States.

Military campaigns.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 275 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, [2023]

Summary:

"Perhaps no other single day in US history was as threatening to the survival of the nation as August 24, 1814, when British forces captured Washington, DC. It is a unique moment in American history that might have significantly altered the nation's path forward, but the event and the reasons why it happened are little remembered by most Americans. The British conquest of Washington, DC during the War of 1812 happened because of inept American leadership, a poorly trained and equipped military, and a lack of foresight. The burning of federal building, including the White House and Capitol, reversed a decade and a half of work to build the capital city. The humiliation of a foreign army eating dinner at the president's table and the flight of the federal government reopened old questions about the survival of the United States, what kind of government it would have, and where its capital should be located. Yet the British invasion was repulsed over the coming weeks and months, and from the ashes of the capital city, the United States ultimately emerged stronger. Robert P. Watson tells this almost forgotten history and probes questions about the American calamity, British motives, and what it all meant for the United States"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-268) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Watson, Robert P., 1962- When Washington burned

ISBN:

9781647123505

164712350X

OCLC:

1338165437