The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814 [Hardcover]

Anthony Pitch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998

In the hot and humid summer of 1814 British troops completed a fifty-mile march to capture the young American capital, putting to rout along the way pitiful citizen militiamen (some in winter gear, others barefoot) while President James Madison galloped out of town to safety. Among those remaining, a realization spread that Washington had been "abandoned to a horrid fate". In no time, British arsonists set off an inferno whose glow was seen miles away and from which burn marks are visible today on original stones of the White House. This attack was one of the defining moments in the coming-of-age of the United States, and Anthony Pitch tells the dramatic story with all the immediacy, of an eyewitness account.

Painstakingly tracking down firsthand sources and tattered letters, diaries, journals, and newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic, Pitch has brought this key episode of American history to life in a gripping narrative filled with vivid details. He describes how, after the catastrophe in Washington, a hostage on a British warship named Francis Scott Key wrote an epic poem that later became the national anthem as he viewed the Star-Spangled Banner still flying over embattled Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor Readers of Anthony Pitch's book will experience again the sense of pride and honor felt by Key and all Americans in 1814 as they underwent this national trauma and finally celebrated victory in this Second War of Independence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Americans have grown so accustomed to being citizens of a superpower that our collective memory of the burning of Washington during the War of 1812 has been submerged. Pitch, with a solid reputation as a tour leader and local D.C. historian, offers an archivally based, definitive account of the British raid into Chesapeake Bay in 1814, and the successful march on Washington that was a function of American ineffectiveness as much as British competence. After two decades of war with France, British forces had grown adept at "descents": small-scale incursions into hostile territory with the objective of inflicting damage and creating despondency. The decision to burn public buildings and destroy public property was as much political as military, aimed at sending the message that nowhere was there safety from the long arm of the British crown. The British withdrew once the capital lay in ruins, sailing on to the more economically promising targets of Alexandria and Baltimore. The latter city's successful resistance demonstrated that the British were not invincible. Even militia, given competent commanders and sufficient numbers, could blunt the edge of a raiding force unable to replace its own losses. At least as significant, according to Pitch, was the decision not to relocate the capital even temporarily, but to continue governing from the ruins, which conveyed the message that, like its predecessor, this second war of independence would be fought to a finish. In a Britain weary of conflict, that was a powerful incentive to initiate negotiations that within four months produced the Treaty of Ghent and confirmed America's identity as a nation. 14 illustrations. History Book Club selection.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

To this day, stones that bear the burn marks of the fire set by the British in the War of 1812 can be seen on the White House, but little thought is given to their context. Pitch attempts to bring alive that time of humiliation and triumph for the young republic, a time too much eclipsed by the American Revolution and the Civil War. A naturalized American born in England, Pitch is perhaps more importantly a guide who provides popular walking tours of historic neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. He knows both the past and present of his adopted city and has a feel for the people of the era covered here, which he displays through numerous entertaining anecdotes and quotations. This book fills a gap by enlightening many Americans about an important time in their history and is of special interest to Washingtonians. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Katherine E. Gillen, Luke AFB Lib., Avondale, AZ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press; illustrated edition edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557506922
• ISBN-13: 978-1557506924
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #656,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A breathtaking account of Washington's survival, December 31, 1999

By 

Jane West - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814 (Hardcover)

The "Burning of Washington" is a fast-paced and moving book that reads like a novel, yet is flawlessly researched and based totally on first-hand accounts and historic records. The author engages the reader's imagination to such an extent that it has the feel of a movie. From the opening paragraph the reader is immediately swept up into the chain of events not merely as a spectator, but as one of the cast. Such is Anthony Pitch's talent that one can hear the shots whistling past, feel the ground shake with the explosion of the fearsome, newly invented Congreve rockets, and experience the shock and horror of its citizenry as they are caught up in the catastrophe. What soon becomes apparent is how ill prepared the country was to defend itself and why the burning of Washington need never have happened. One is confounded at the number of hapless accidents which paved the way for calamity. The foibles of many in command seem almost comical had they not had such tragic consequences. At the same time one rejoices in the courage and bravery, along with the many small acts of kindness on both sides. Dolley Madison, ever gracious and calm, keeps her head while all about are losing theirs and sacrifices self interest for the national good. This is a tale that has been too long neglected, perhaps because of the abject humiliation experienced. But it is a tale that MUST be told and kept alive in the national consciousness, and no one tells it better than Mr. Pitch. His brilliant command of the English language allows him to weave together the wealth of factual details he has so carefully researched into a rich tapestry that grips the reader from start to finish. It definitely rates five stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Detailed Stories - Needs Maps, April 29, 2002

By 

colin_crehan (Urbana-Frederick, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814 (Now Hear This) (Audio Cassette)

Anthony Pitch gives wonderful tours of Washington DC, which is how I first happenned across this fine book. The book captures a superb level of detail which lends personalities and stories to historical people and places, as any good tour guide should.

Pitch gives the reader a great sense of the confusion and fear that Washington residents felt, and the difficult decisions that were pushed upon them. He frames the burning of Washington with early unrest in Baltimore and later American victories in Baltimore and New Orleans which lends perspecitve, and places the burning of Washington in the proper context of the overall war.

The book needs more maps to acquaint the reader visually with the movements of individuals, ships, and armies. I highly recommend reading the book with a map on the side, to complete your immersion into this fine book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed yet vivid, exciting and easy to read, January 30, 1999

By 

S. Anderson (GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814 (Hardcover)

If you have seen Mr. Pitch on PBS you might find it hard to believe he just as great in print as he is on television. The depth of his research and his ability to relate this story reflect his love of history. I particularly enjoyed his insights into the psychology of warfare. The defenders of Baltimore were ready to capitulate after the sack of Washington but because of a delay in attacking by the British they were able to regain thier resolve to resist. Timing is everthing. A great read, I could not put it down.