Aug 24, 2020 3 min read

This week (Aug. 24) in 1814, several thousand British soldiers entered Washington, D.C., set fire to the Capitol, the Navy Yard, the Treasury Building and, finally, the building that we now call the White House. It was the ultimate indignity in a war – the War of 1812 – abundant with indignities and ineptitude on both sides.

The war began over the issue of British impressment, in which officers of the British Navy would board American vessels on the high seas looking for British sailors who had deserted and – upon finding them – would “impress” (force) them back into service. America protested this violation of its sovereignty, but to little avail. In fact, needing extra crew to serve in its ever-expanding Navy, the British began impressing American sailors, which was the spark that lit the fuse of war.

As most students of our history know, the War of 1812 was full of sound and fury, but signified little (Britain sort of won the war; America sort of won the peace). Today it is mostly remembered for the torching of the White House and for First Lady Dolley Madison’s heroic escape from the city, refusing to leave until attendants had safely removed the now-famous Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington that hung on a White House wall.

In her haste, however, Dolley left behind much of the White House china and silver, which at the time of her exit was actually set for a dinner party. Indeed, so sudden was the news of the British incursion, the dinner was prepared and ready to be eaten. Wine decanters were full, meats were on the spit and side dishes were in serving bowls – much to the delight of the marauding British troops, which, not having enjoyed a decent meal since arriving in America, promptly devoured the repast. Upon completing the meal they faced the choice of doing the dishes or burning the White House. They chose the latter.

Only at the time it was called the President’s House (or President’s Palace) and in the aftermath of its burning the entire country sank into a state of shame and humiliation, none more so than the residents of the District of Columbia, and – among them – none more so than the President’s House groundskeepers and staff. Ashamed to even look at the home they had deserted, they decided to hide its charred and blackened walls behind a thick coat of white paint – a color that was duplicated after the house was rebuilt. Thus, perhaps the most enduring legacy of the War of 1812 is the famous name a later president – Teddy Roosevelt – subsequently gave to our home of presidents on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation’s capital. The White House.