Washington Dc History

On August 24, 1814 - British troops land in Maryland and attack Washington D.C. It is captured. The burn the White House and Capital Building. Next day a tornado hits D.C. British leave Washington because the spot isn't strategic, the move and attack Baltimore;

Funding for the War of 1812 became our countries prime concern, which nearly left our Capitol in ashes. On August 24, 1814, British troops set fire to the Capitol, and only a sudden rainstorm

Washington took away that fear when he launched the attack on Hessian troops. He followed up this victory by a win at Princeton. Next, he was forced to fight a battle that he knew he would lose. The British navy took over Philadelphia at the battle of Brandywine Creek. Washington’s militia was strengthened in October, when General Gates won at Saratoga, New York. In the spring of 1778, good news arrived when the French decided to send money, troops, and a fleet to help the colonies. When the British heard the news they decided to consolidate their position to New York and New Jersey. In the time period between 1778 and 1781 Washington kept the British army concealed to New York City. At the time he faced a variety of disappointments by losing the battles of Brooklyn Heights, Kip’s Bay, Harlem Heights, and White Plains.

The British were over confident and made poor decisions, whereas George Washington carefully thought out his tactics. The colonists used Guerilla Warfare, and militia were quick and often popped out from behind trees to attack. Using this type of warfare was very beneficial to the Colonists, as it did not give the British enough time to shoot the colonists before they were killed. Guerrilla Warfare was known to “weaken the enemy” (McDougal,210). By focusing on winning small battles, in their own land, the colonists were able to keep enough supplies, food and men to eventually win the war. In the battle of Yorktown, “British general Cornwallis set up his base, located on a peninsula” (McDougal, 209), which was a bad move on their part. Washington saw the opportunity and made the smart decision to block the one land entrance, so that the British could no longer get any supplies that they needed. Washington’s plans along with the Colonists motivation were the were the reason they won the

The Battles of Lexington and Concord are the initial battles of the revolutionary war. In the Revolutionary war Britain descovers that the terrnosity of the Americans will not so easily be silenced. Hundreds of British troops, exstimated to be around 700, marched from Boston to Lexington on the evening of April 18, 1775, with secret orders to capture any weapons availble to the American militia. Thanks to the efforts of Paul Revere and William Dawes, who rode from Boston to Lexington in the middle of the night. Colonial leaders John Handcock and Samuel Adams were warned of the intentions of the oncoming redcoats. The British red coats clashed witlh American militia at Lexington on April 19, 1775.

Washington and Rochambeau decided that a battle in New York would be too difficult to win. They agreed to attack Charles Cornwallis while he and his army were stationed in Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis was located on a peninsula on the Chesapeake Bay because, there, he could receive supplies via boat from New York. (Creating America) They were expecting more troops from New York, but they never arrived. The lack of reinforcements was lucky for General Washington and Rochambeau because Cornwallis had a comparatively better army; the battle might not have ended the same if the enemy had more troops. (The British Surrender at Yorktown)

The war of 1812 ended as a stalemate in 1814 when the downfall of Napoleon allowed the British to distribute more military resources to the war, Washington D.C., fell to the British in August. While In Washington, British troops burned the White House down, and other buildings in retaliation for the earlier burning of government buildings in Canada by the US soldiers. The British soon retreated, and Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor withstood a massive British continuous attack and inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the Star-Spangled

c. After American naval successes on Lake Erie under Admiral Oliver H. Perry and then on Lake Champlain, a British force invaded the Chesapeake region and burned the new capital of Washington to the ground in August 1814. They then were beaten off

The city of Baltimore was able to withstand the British. Even after the burning of Washington D.C. the United States was still able to stand and defend itself. This signified that war was not over and the United States still had some fight left. If the United States was not able to protect Fort McHenry and would have been overpowered by the British the United State would have lost the

Now in Surprise, Security, and the American Experience, there were three big shifts in the history of united states foreign policy, each one was by a surprise attack on America. The first one happen when the British sacked Washington on August 24, 1814. This exposure of America led John Quincy Adams, as President, to come up with ways the U.S. Should define it self.

The War of 1812 began when the United States decided they wanted to declare war on Britain. The causes that led up the bold decision made by the United States was because of , restricted trade, and the need for expansion of the United States territory. The United States was economically, financially and socially impaired compared to Great Britain. Great Britain was seen as the powerful mother country. The consequences of declaring war on Britain included the burning of the White House in Washington D.C. The war involved fighting with Great Britain and the Indians. The Indians received victories because they decided to side with Great Britain.

The news got back to England, and King George III was angered when he heard the outcome of Boston. He spoke before Parliament and ordered that the rebels were to be stopped. The British, devastated by the defeat, returned later in the year, this time with more reinforcements and the help of the Hessians. New York City was now the new battleground. The battles and conflicts that lie ahead once again reminded Washington of what kind of army he had.

As Sir Washington was heading back from delivering the message, he saw a point of land at an intersection of Allegheny and the Monongahela form the Ohio, where he thought would be a brilliant idea to build a fort. Dinwiddie agreed to his suggestion therefore building Fort Prince George, but ended with the French coming and taking over changing the name to Fort Duquesne. Washington ended up moving to the Great Meadows where he and his troops decided in building a fort that would be called, Fort Necessity. Three days within encampment, Washington and 40 men went looking for a group of French that were seen about seven miles away from Chestnut Ridge. When finding the French they were made prisoners, killed the commander Joseph Coulon de Villiers, and several others were killed as well, especially since it was a surprise attack they surrendered. George Washington won that encounter but the French weren’t about to give up yet. Not to long after, French troops were sent out from Fort Duquesne and defeated the British which left the French in charge of the west Allegheny Mountains. In 1755, General Edward Braddock came from Britain to America as commander in chief I order to help Britain gain Fort Duquesne back. Again the British had failed, loosing men as well as General Braddock who passed away four days after the

During the War of 1812 as British burned the emblem of United States, then- President James Madison and his family were forced to leave Washington D.C. After waiting for the violence to subside the Madison’s eventually moved into the nearby Octagon House. In efforts toward reconstruction James Hoban was brought in design the White House and direct the building efforts. However the house was not able to become a home until 1817 when President James Monroe moved in. After the war of 1812 the White house became a symbol of the only war fought on U.S. soil. Many suggested that the capital be moved inland and yet Andrew Jacksons victory at the battle of New Orleans swayed any doubt that Washington D.C. was eternal home of the Nations

After Howe 's victory at Brandywine, his army camped at Germantown, Pennsylvania. Washington planned a surprise attack against the redcoats at sunrise. He broke the army into four separate columns for battle. The American soldiers marched to Germantown by two roads, with General Sullivan to the right and General Greene to the left. Washington, along with General Wayne, joined Sulliven and caused the British to fall back.