When Washington Burned, Robert P. Watson
When Washington Burned, Robert P. Watson
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

When Washington Burned
The British Invasion of the Capital and a Nation's Rise from the Ashes

Author: Robert P. Watson

Narrator: Christopher Douyard

Unabridged: 10 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/28/2023


Synopsis

Perhaps no other single day in United States history was as threatening to the survival of the nation as August 24, 1814, when British forces captured Washington, DC. This unique moment might have significantly altered the nation's path forward, but the event and the reasons why it happened are little remembered by most Americans.

When Washington Burned narrates and examines the British campaign and American missteps that led to the fall of Washington during the War of 1812. Watson analyzes the actions of key figures on both sides, such as President James Madison and General William Winder on the United States side and Rear Admiral George Cockburn and Major General Robert Ross on the British side. He pinpoints the reasons the campaign was such a disaster for the United States but also tells the redeeming stories of the courageous young clerks and the bold first lady, Dolley Madison, who risked their lives to save priceless artifacts and documents from the flames, including the Constitution. The British invasion was repulsed over the coming weeks and months, and the United States ultimately emerged stronger.

General listeners interested in the history of Washington, United States history, and military history will be fascinated by this book.

About Robert P. Watson

Robert P. Watson, a prominent historian and frequent political commentator, is the author or editor of more than thirty-five books, including America's First Crisis, which received a 2014 IPPY Gold Medal for history. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brian on September 10, 2023

I lived in Washington, DC and the Washington, DC, area for a long time, and I have a strong interest in its history, so I was very excited to see a history written by a professional historian of the British attacks on Washington, DC and Baltimore in the War of 1812. Watson's book checks in at 217 pa......more

Goodreads review by jamesr.dinkel on July 30, 2024

What the a Brit thinks A good book about a period of American history that most Americans know very little about. The author seems to have never heard about the War of 1812 around Lake Erie,as it is never mentioned. The motto " Don't Give Up The Ship" is remembered and the flag can be seen at thrU.S.......more