British troops capture Washington, D.C. and set the Presidential Mansion, Capitol, Navy Yard and many other public buildings ablaze.

The Burning of Washington, also known as the Capture of Washington, was a successful British amphibious attack conducted by Rear Admiral George Cockburn during Admiral John Warren's Chesapeake campaign. It was the only time since the American Revolutionary War that a foreign power had captured and occupied a United States capital.

Following the defeat of American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814, a British army led by Major-General Robert Ross marched on Washington, D.C. That evening, British soldiers and sailors set fire to multiple public buildings, including the Presidential Mansion, United States Capitol, and Washington Navy Yard.

Chesapeake Campaign Map
Chesapeake Campaign Map (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Admiralty House Bermuda at Mount Wyndham 1818
Admiralty House Bermuda at Mount Wyndham 1818 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Burning of Washington 1814
Burning of Washington 1814 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
US Capitol 1814c
US Capitol 1814c (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Watch: The Burning of Washington: The War of 1812 in Four Minutes

From the American Battlefield Trust channel.

Sources and further reading: Wikipedia — Burning of Washington, White House, United States Capitol, Washington Navy Yard (CC BY-SA). Images: Wikimedia Commons.