[Johnny-Canuck]

Or is it just some sort of tale? If we did burn it down, did we really change its color from pink to white???

[RoyalHighlander]

The White House was burned by Britsh Troops in retaliation for the burning of Yorkton...
The White House was burned in the War of 1812. Dolly Madison, wife of the President, was able to save the portrait of George Washington when she ran from the building. It was rebuilt and white paint was used to cover the damage from the fire. Since then it has been called the White House.
The British invasion of Washington D.C., in the summer of 1814 was a defining moment in the coming-of-age of the United States. The British torched the capitol, the White House, and many other public builings, setting off an inferno that illuminated the countryside for miles and forced President James Madison to gallop out of town while his wife, Dolly, stayed behind to rescue a life-size portrait of George Washington from the flames.

[electricbuford]

What I want to know is when did Dolly Madison start makin' them lip smakin' snack cakes ??

[Newfie Scott]

Apparently, we get the "we burned the White HOuse" thing from the fact, at the time, we were a part of Britain, and secondly, there may have been some Canadians in the British military unit (I haven't been able to confirm this).

Either way, our military did burn the white house, because our military at the time was the British Army!

[Hopper]

General Ross, who led the invasion (or maybe liberation?) into Washington is buried in Halifax.

He was killed during the attack and was transported for burial.

[Navy141]

It wasn't so much that Canadians were in the British units, but more that when the terms of service of these men was up they were given a plot of land to farm in Canada. This means that most of these men were the backbone of Canadian settlements.

[matrix]

So technically, the large portion of the British Military are in fact Canadians, and they are our ancestors!

Im wondeirng, Canada must of crushed the US in that war considering they were suppose to be invading us, but we managed to push them all the way to New Orleans... how did that happen? I guess the Americans should have been better prepared for the wrath of Canadian determination!

[Guest]

The Battle of Washington D.C.

By 1814 the defenders of Canada had repelled five separate American invasions, but they were running low on reenforcements and supplies to withstand the American assaults.
In Quebec City, the British Governor General of Canada Sir George Prevost believed that he could not hold out much longer without more help from Great Britain, he wrote desperate appeals to London to send him men and supplies.

In the summer of 1814 Sir George Prevost got his wish. Napoleon had been defeated in Europe freeing up tens of thousands of British troops to fight in North America, most of the British forces were shipped over to Quebec City and Montreal and put at the disposal of Governor General Prevost.

Prevost had a reputation of being a hesitant commander but now he had enough troops to go on the offensive.

Governor General Prevost devised plans for his first full scale invasion of the United States. He would personally lead the main invasion force south from Montreal down the Richelieu River and into Lake Champlain, if he could destroy the American naval facilities there he would turn his attention to control of the great lakes and the Michigan territory which the British had promised to the Indian people as a future country.

The key to controling the lakes was the American naval base at Sackets Harbour, and that is where President James Madison felt most vulnerable.

While the United States government was concentrating on the defences hundereds of miles away on it's northern border it neglected matters closer to home.

In the late summer of 1814 a British fleet was sent into Chesapeake Bay to make a deversionary attack against Washington and Baltimore.

When the lead British ships appeared in Chesapeake Bay in August 1814 the Americans had no idea where they were headed or what their intentions were. The British sailed up the Patuxent River and moved ashore a force of nearly five thousand crack troops fresh from the battle fields of Europe.

In the American capitol there was a curious lack of alarm when word arrived that the British invasion force had come ashore. At the new Congress building there was no serious worry that the capitol of the United States might be attacked. At the White house or President's Palace there was little concern, the leaders of the United States had been assured by the Secretary of War that there was no danger.

John Armstrong assured the president that the British might attack Baltimore but the young capitol was in no danger.

Mr. Madison rode to the front to watch the up coming battle, he sent a note to his wife:

"My dearest I have passed among the troops who are in high spirits and make a good appearance. The reports as to the enemy has varied from hour to hour, the last and probally best information is that they are not very strong and are without cavarly and artillery and of coarse they are not in a condition to strike at Washington."

Dolly Madison the presidents wife was now hearing differently. Mrs. Madison knew what was a foot better than her husband the British moved relentlessly on Washington knowing the effect it would have on the people of the United States to have their nations capitol attacked.

The British soon got word that the only troops standing between them and Washington were militia units. The main British force moved into a Washington suburb and after a brief battle the militia units broke and ran, in the words of one American observer:

"They ran like sheep being chased by dogs".

Several hunderd U.S. sailors came ashore to fight but they could not stop the British advance for very long.

The military problems of Mr. Madison and his cabinet faced on the Canadian frontier were now being repeated at the door of the nations capitol.

Once the battle had commenced Mr. Madison and the Secretaries of War and State decided it would be better to withdraw to a position in the rear.

Ahead of the President word shot back to Washington that all was not well. The British invasion force was now clearly in on the capitol, the presidents wife Dolly Madison dashes of a note to her sister:

"Will you believe it my sister, we have a battle or skirmish near the city. I am still within sounds of the cannons, Mr. Madison comes not. May God protect us. Two messengers come in and asked me to leave the capitol, I must stay here and wait for my husband."

While Mrs. Madison showed great courage at the White House . Mr. madison was tracking down the Secretary of War to find out what steps were in the works to meet the final British assault, he was shocked and disheartened to find out there was no plan.

The 25th of August 1814, the British approached the heart of Washington, march down Constitution Avenue bearing a flag of truce and demand a surrender. Suddenly from a house window the flag of truce is fired apon.

The British troops rushed into the house where the shots had been fired from, and put all who were found in the house to the sword and then reduced the house to ashes. They went onto burn and destroy every building connected to the government.

While Washington burned, the president and his cabinet became fugitives fleeing westward deep into the hills of Virginia. At the White House Mrs. Madison was persuaded to leave also, and soon after the British troops arrived.

When these British soldiers who had been sent to destroy the President's house entered they found a dinner that had been made for about forty people. They ate every bit of food and drank every bottle of wine, then started to destroy the White House.

Washington D.C. the capitol of the United States was a city on fire, what had started two years earlier as the invasion and conquest of Canada (a subject territory) had now turned into a defensive war.

[IronMike]

Order of Battle - Battle of Washington D.C. (Bladenburg)

Royal Marines - Chesapeake, Bladensburg, Washington, Georgia, Fort Bowyer, New Orleans, Lacolle Mills, lake Champlain

85th Regiment (Bucks Volunteers) AKA Kings Regiment of Light Infantry - Bladenburg, capture of Washington, Baltimore, New Orleans 1814-15

44th Regiment (Essex) - Bladensburg, Washington, Baltimore, New Orleans, Mobile

21st Regiment (Royal North British Fusiliers) - Chesapeake, Bladenburg, Capture of Washington, Baltimore, New Orleans

4th Regiment (King's Own) - Bladensburg, Capture of Washington, New Orleans, Fort Bowyer, Mobile

Corps of Royal Engineers - Officers at many of the engagements

1814 Aug. 24 Bladensburg Inf: 1/F4 1/F21 1/F44 1/F85

A very good resource for historical facts on Land forces of Britain, the Empire and the Commonwealth
Regiments

[ABSOLUT_SS]

Thanks for that link.

[yankee]

America did not start the War of 1812 to invade Canada. We declared War on England after enduring years of English Navy ships pirating our ships and taking our goods. Even then we only declared war after Tecumseh (who was leading the Indians against our expanding pioneers) allied with England and England armed the Indians to attack the settlers. That is what started the War. Our History Books do show this event, we did attempt to take the English Canada and we "failed miserably". The White House incedent is true but we were not pushed back to New Orleans. The English Soldiers captured the White House, put their feet on the Presidents Desk and lit a cigar before burning it, they went back to Canada after that. It was painted White and has been the White House ever since (just the inside was damaged).

You are proud of the War of 1812 as you should be. But we also claim pride in what the War did for us. We stopped the bigger Indian threat and continued our expansion into the West, Andrew Jackson had several succesful battles, including taking Florida, Alabama and Georgia, we gained International respect after the Treaty of Ghent, and we too have the pride of a young fledgling Country just 20 years after our current Constitution was written. A rough start to be sure... but a start.

I still think you would have been better off just surrendering and joining us in the Red, White and Blue!! Welcome to Toronto USA... JUST KIDDING!!

I really do love Canada... you are the best! I'm coming to visit your beautiful country and all you fine (and I will also say beautiful) people soon, I always enjoy my visits there!
C/ya!

[Johnnybgoodaaaaa]

It's so funny that the British treated the US as a little bitch, and 150 or so years later they are getting the US's help with supplies and an army for world war 2. The war of 1812 was really a pointless stupid war started by the British.

[AdamNF]

Johnny you really got some fucking studying to do.

[yankee]

Johnny is right from the standpoint that England repeatedly attacked and pirated our ships. The entire Declaration of Independance was because of unfair trade partices, yes indeed you could say England treated the US like "their little Bitch". I kinda like that... its so true. The US was held economically "captive" by England who taxed us heavily and forbade our trade with any other Countries but England so they could soley profit from us.

The English mistreatment didnt stop with the revolution. We got so upset at their interference on the open seas (they had Naval superiority) we passed the Embargo Act of 1807 and later the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809, both trying to deal with the English harrassment (pirating) on the open sea. Both of these Acts turned out to be bad economics and plunged the US into a depression. This was the back drop to the War of 1812. When England armed Tecumseh, our Indian neighbors who wanted to stop westward pioneer expansion, the writing was on the wall. The US felt it had to buck down and defend its new country and hope for expansion (this was very important at the time). We declared War on England (they were taking our ships so you could say they started it). I do think what we did to the Indians was cruel and in many cases unneccesary. But I wasnt there to question their thinking at the time.

Today I love England and Canada... but this is how it was at the time of 1812. Like Canada, the US had many people who loved England at the time, like the revolution (just as controversial at the time) the War of 1812 would not have happened unless it was really neccesary. But it was a stupid War and good politics probably could have prevented it. But in those days the options seemed more limited.... no UN to solve (or not solve as so often the case) everyones problems!

[Johnnybgoodaaaaa]

AdamNF AdamNF:

Johnny you really got some fucking studying to do.

So it looks like it's you, AdamNF, who needs to do some studying.