Synopses & Reviews
In this "biography of a single day," the burning of the White House by the British during the War of 1812 is told from the viewpoint of the people who were there, including First Lady Dolley Madison, a British officer, and a nine-year-old slave. Jane Sutcliffe draws upon first-person accounts to recreate a compelling chronology of the events of August 24, 1814.
Synopsis
The British are coming. This biography of a single day captures the burning of the White House by the British during the War of 1812 from the viewpoint of the people who were there, including First Lady Dolley Madison, a British officer, and a nine-year-old slave.
In the early hours before dawn, a cry went out that the British were advancing on Washington, D.C. America was two years into another war--The War of 1812. By nightfall on the 24th, British soldiers were setting fire to D.C., starting with the Navy Yard, then the Capitol and the White House, where First Lady Dolley Madison still kept watch.
Jane Sutcliffe draws upon first-person accounts to recreate a compelling chronology of the events of August 24, 1814.
About the Author
Had it happened in modern times, it would have been called breaking news. Camera crews in helicopters would have covered it all, live and on the scene.
A nation wouldve gathered to watch the shocking images: A battle with enemy troops just outside Washington, DC. The humiliating defeat of American soldiers. Residents of Washington fleeing the city in terror. The last-minute evacuation of the First Lady from the White House. Then the unthinkable: foreign invaders marching into Washington, torching first the Capitol building, then the White House.