The Burning of Washington

205 years ago today, James and Dolley Madison reunited here at Dumbarton House in Georgetown. It had been a horrendous few days for them. The war against the British, which some were calling a second war for independence, had gone terribly wrong. Just the day before, August 24, 1814, James had been leading American troops in battle in Maryland while Dolley prepared for his return home that evening.

Throughout the day, James sent messages to Dolley to update her on the fighting. As she went about doing the normal daily work at the President’s Mansion, she made occasional trips to the roof to use her spyglass to see what she could of the battle on the outskirts of the city. As the day grew late and dinner time neared, the messages grew more dire. The outcome of the battle did not look good for the Americans. James advised Dolley to begin packing.

While checking on both dinner and the battle, Dolley oversaw some packing and did some of her own. Important government papers were loaded onto wagons and sent to safety on a Virginia farm. Dolley began to pack personal items belonging to her and James but knew that anything related to the running of the country must take priority. She did, however, make sure her pet parrot made it to safety.

As wagons were being loaded, more urgent messages began to arrive. The American troops had lost the battle. The British would soon be marching into the city. Dolley must leave or risk being captured.

Realizing that she had no choice but to flee, Dolley paused for a moment in the Presidential Mansion. She had spent so many hours here, first as guest and hostess to her friend Thomas Jefferson and now as hostess in her own right. As the first Presidential wife to truly live in the mansion, she had been given the honor of decorating the rooms to her liking. She had managed to save the red velvet curtains from the oval room, but there was not enough time to save it all. The table had been set in anticipation of James and his men returning triumphant and hungry from a long day of fighting. The plates, the utensils, the food…it all must be left.

Those who were to accompany her to safety urged Dolley to climb into the wagon before it was too late. She took one last look around. Her gaze landed on a large full-length portrait of General George Washington. She could not leave this portrait of The National Hero to be desecrated by the approaching British army. She ordered that the portrait be taken down and sent off to safety. The picture would not come down from the wall. It could not be easily removed from its frame. Finally, as the British drew closer, the portrait was cut from its frame, rolled up, and placed into one of the wagons headed to Virginia and safety.

Dolley finally consented to climbing into her wagon. Disguised as a farm wife, she escaped into the night.

At the same time, the British troops marched into the city from the east. When they reached the yet unfinished Capitol Building, they set it ablaze. Sparks from that fire blew onto nearby buildings, burning them as well. Townhouses that George Washington had built on Capitol Hill were destroyed.

The British marched down Pennsylvania Avenue virtually unopposed. They planned to burn every public building along the way. However, they spared the Patents Office at the request of its director. Too many things of use to people around the world would have been lost. At one point, a local doctor tried to fight the British but was quickly taken prisoner.

When the British arrived at the President’s Mansion, they decided not to let Dolley’s dinner go to waste. After eating well, the soldiers were allowed to take whatever they wanted from the house. Finally, soldiers stationed themselves around the perimeter of the house. At the signal, each threw a flaming torch through one of the windows. The fire quickly took hold and lit up the night. It could be seen from miles away.

As the British troops began their march out of the city, a storm the likes of which had not been seen before in the Federal City blew in. Hail, driving rain, disastrous winds, even a reported tornado forced the British out of town faster than they had anticipated. The storm also managed to put out the flames of the buildings on either end of Pennsylvania Avenue and keep them from spreading farther.

As the sun rose on August 25, citizens of the Federal City surveyed the smoldering ruins. It was bad, but it could have been much worse. The Capitol Building with many important papers and the entire collection of the Library of Congress had been lost. Three full walls and one partial wall still stood at the President’s Mansion. In the coming days, a few usable items would be retrieved from the wreckage, but the mansion and its contents were mostly gone.

James and Dolley finally reunited at the Dumbarton House in Georgetown. From that vantage point, they could see the smoldering ruins of the city. They mourned their losses, gave thanks for what remained, and began to plan for rebuilding.