When Washington Burned - The British Invasion of Capital a Nation s Rise From Ashes

"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"--

About the author

Robert P. Watson is Distinguished Professor of American History at Lynn University and the author or editor of more than forty books, including George Washington's Final Battle: The Epic Struggle to Build a Capital City and a Nation (Georgetown University Press, 2021).

Product details

• Authors: Robert P Watson, Robert P. Watson
• Publisher: Georgetown University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.10.2023
• EAN: 9781647123505
• ISBN: 978-1-64712-350-5
• No. of pages: 312
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > IT, data processing > Hardware; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), military history, HISTORY / Military / United States, HISTORY / United States / 19th Century, c 1800 to c 1900, United Kingdom, Great Britain, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas, Battles & campaigns, District Of Columbia (Washington, Dc), c 1810 to c 1819, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / Napoleonic Wars, Specific wars and military campaigns