Burning of Washington

The burning of Washington, also known as the capture of Washington, was a successful British amphibious attack conducted by Rear Admiral George Cockburn as part of the Chesapeake campaign planned by Admiral John Warren. It was the only time since the American Revolutionary War that a foreign power had captured and occupied a United States capital. Following the defeat of American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814, a British force led by Major-General Robert Ross marched on Washington, D.C. That evening, British soldiers and sailors set fire to multiple public buildings, including the presidential mansion (White House), United States Capitol, and Washington Navy Yard.

The attack was in part a retaliation for American actions during the previous year in British-held Upper Canada, in which U.S. forces burned and looted York and then burned large portions of Port Dover. Less than four hours after the attack began, a heavy thunderstorm, possibly a hurricane and a tornado, extinguished the fires and caused further destruction. The British occupation of Washington, D.C., lasted for roughly 26 hours.

President James Madison, along with his administration and several military officials, evacuated and found refuge for the night in Brookeville, a small town in Montgomery County, Maryland; Madison spent the night in the house of Caleb Bentley, a Quaker who lived and worked in Brookeville. Bentley's house, known today as the Madison House, still exists.