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Today in History - 24th August

24th August 1814 - British forces capture Washington DC and set fire to the White House

211 years ago today, British forces marched into and captured Washington DC, before setting fire to key US government buildings, including the Capitol Building, the headquarters of the American navy, and the White House (then called the President's House).

The incident was part of the War of 1812, the first major armed conflict between the US and Britain since American independence. The US had declared war on Britain due to restrictions the Brits were placing on American merchants and the belief that they had been assisting Native American tribes in their resistance against US territorial expansion.

After routing the US army at the Battle of Bladensburg, 9 miles northeast of Washington DC, the British army marched towards the American capital city. Their aim was not to occupy and hold the city, but rather to humiliate the Americans, as revenge for the aftermath of the Battle of York (modern day Toronto) a year prior, in which the US army burned down numerous key buildings, including the city's parliament buildings.

The British subsequently entered Washington unopposed, marking the first, and to this day only, time a foreign army has captured America's capital city. They went on to torch some of America's most important buildings, but avoided most civilian homes. The following day, a large storm struck and the British, who did not intend on staying anyway, left. The storm proved to be a blessing for the Americans, as it put out the fires and was therefore labelled 'the storm that saved Washington.' The damaged White House was rebuilt by 1826.

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