White House (Washington, D.C.) History Search this
Physical description:
xiv, 433 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm
Type:
Books
History
Place:
Washington (D.C.)
United States
Date:
2016
19th century
Capture by the British, 1814
War of 1812
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.
