The burning of the White House : James and Dolley Madison and the War of 1812 / Jane Hampton Cook

Object Details

Contents

The pirate -- Mighty little Madison -- Hello, Dolley -- Dueling strategies -- Knickerbockers -- Torpedo -- Chesapeake fever -- Snubbed by Dolley -- Atrocious Hampton -- Dear Dolley -- The White House -- Hospitality and hostility -- Noses for news -- Not your average news day -- Superabundant force -- Twenty thousand reinforcements -- Hanging Madison -- Invasion -- The British are coming -- Spyglasses -- Bladensburg races -- Capitol conflagration -- White House inferno -- Displaced or conquered? -- Phoenix spices -- Phoenix multitude -- White House phoenix -- Dawn's early light -- Relocating the capital city -- Poor Mrs. Madison -- President's Club -- Uplifting news -- Rise of the First Lady -- Epilogue

Summary

It's unimaginable today, even for a generation that saw the Twin Towers fall and the Pentagon attacked. It's unimaginable because in 1814 enemies didn't fly overhead, they marched through the streets; and for 26 hours in August, the British enemy marched through Washington, D.C. and set fire to government buildings, including the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Relying on first-hand accounts, historian Jane Hampton Cook weaves together several different narratives to create a vivid, multidimensional account of the burning of Washington, including the escalation that led to it and the immediate aftermath. From James and Dolley Madison to the British admiral who ordered the White House set aflame, historical figures are brought to life through their experience of this unprecedented attack.

Data Source

Smithsonian Libraries

Date

2016

19th century

Capture by the British, 1814

War of 1812

author

Cook, Jane Hampton

Subject

Madison, James 1751-1836

Madison, Dolley 1768-1849

White House (Washington, D.C.) History

Type

Books

History

Physical description

xiv, 433 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm

Place

Washington (D.C.)

United States

Topic

History

Campaigns

Record ID

siris_sil_1068956

Usage

CC0