Posted on 08/31/2014 12:25:10 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Moving from the Capitol, British Navy Rear Admiral George Cockburn, Army Major General Robert Ross, and 150 redcoats marched to the White House. Rocca asked Allman what the Britons' impression of the White House would have been as they walked in the door: "I think that it was a pretty good-sized house, but not a palatial one. No Buckingham Palace. No Versailles. That it was, you know, reasonably well decorated."
The biggest surprise? A dinner set for 40. So the British feasted in the White House dining room before burning the mansion down.
Here, too, the walls survived. But little remains of what was once inside -- what does is an American icon.
The East Room, the largest room in the house, and where Teddy Roosevelt's kids used to roller-skate; where Susan Ford had her senior prom; and more importantly, the room with the great full-length portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart.
"This is the one that Dolley Madison rather famously saved before leaving the White House. She had already packed up state papers, the red velvet drapes that she had had put in the Oval Room. Then, kind of as a last-minute thing, she said, 'Oh, we've got to save General Washington.'"
"And she gave the instructions to get it off the wall. It was bolted on. So they had to pretty much cut the frame open and then lift the canvas out on its stretcher."
As Dolley Madison was busy cramming silverware into her purse, White House servants -- the maitre d' and one of the family's slaves -- rescued the painting. "She was trying to save everything she could," said Allman. "She was leaving her personal things."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Every two hundred years, a pattern, the WH gets sacked. ;-)
Didn’t know that about the Washington portrait. That’s pretty amazing...
Another article about the War of 1812. I didn’t know about the British general who had his portrait painted against a backdrop of Washington ablaze.
Dolley Madison is remembered for saving Washington’s portrait and for serving ice cream in the White House, as well as being the “hostess with the mostess”.
Yo, it the Black house now! Get it right!
After burning the White House to the ground, the British celebrated with cake...
The Hillbillys (Hillary and Bill Clinton)and their staff took what remained when they left the White House.
My recollection of the War of 1812 centers around this
Battle of New Orleans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_iRIcxsz0
In the second of two skirmishes that led to the Battle of North Point, Major General Robert Ross, having been shot by members of Captain Edward Aisquith’s First Baltimore Sharp Shooters, who were in the forward advance, was taken in route back to the British landing site. Along the North Point Road, his staff laid the General by the side of the road under a large poplar tree that over hung the roadside. It was here he breathed his last. An entry in the captain’s log of HM Ship-of-the-line Royal Oak states clearly that Ross’ remains arrived onboard that evening at 9 p.m., some eight hours after having been shot.
Yee Haw!
Did the Americans who burned York (Toronto) have similar paintings commissioned? That was the rationale for the burning of the White House.
As Dolley Madison was busy cramming silverware into her purse, ....She was precursor of Hillary Clinton? Who knew?
I remember reading several books as a child about Dolley Madison and the Washington painting. That’s really why I remember her.
It wasn’t a stalemate. The Brits failed to dominate us and control the sealanes. If it was a stalemate we’d all be speaking British driving on the left and drinking warm beer
I think it’s reasonable to note that this British victory was far and away the most embarassing defeat in American military history. The British forces involved were no more than a raiding party in size. Around 4,000, if I remember correctly.
There is absolutely no way they should have been able to penetrate to and conquer the national capital. The Virginia and Maryland militia alone should have been able to stop them.
James Madison was a very great man, but he was a really, really lousy war president.
Cockburn was an arrogant jerk who enjoyed burning and destroying the lives and property of people he considered to be “pirates” who resisted being subjects of the king. He burned looted and terrorized along the Chesapeake and enjoyed it
One source I read indicated he threatened to put Dolly Madison in chains and parade her through the streets of London
Never Forget.
My history is a little fuzzy, but if I remember correctly, we lost because we forgot the lessons of the revolution: guerrilla warfare against a superior (trained and equipped) force. Whenever we went head to head with the Brits in open field battle, we got whooped. When we hid behind trees and cottonbales, we kicked ass.
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