Washington, D.C. Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Burning during War of 1812 === {{Main|Burning of Washington}} [[File:British_Burning_Washington.jpg|thumb|After their victory at the [[Battle of Bladensburg]] in 1814, the [[British Army during the American Revolutionary War|British Army]] burned the [[White House]] and other buildings during a one-day occupation of Washington, D.C.]] On August 24, 1814, during the [[War of 1812]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] forces invaded and occupied the city after defeating an American force [[Battle of Bladensburg|at Bladensburg]]. In retaliation for acts of destruction by American troops in [[the Canadas]], the British set fire to government buildings in the city, gutting the [[United States Capitol]], the [[Treasury Building (Washington, D.C.)|Treasury Building]], and the [[White House]] in what became known as the [[burning of Washington]]. However, a storm forced the British to evacuate the city after just 24 hours.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_classroom/classroom_documents-1812.html |title=Saving History: Dolley Madison, the White House, and the War of 1812 |access-date=February 21, 2010 |publisher=White House Historical Association |archive-date=August 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810154832/http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_classroom/classroom_documents-1812.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Most government buildings were repaired quickly, but the Capitol, which was largely under construction at the time, would not be completed in its current form until 1868.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aoc.gov/history/us-capitol-building |title=A Brief Construction History of the Capitol |access-date=December 2, 2012 |publisher=Architect of the Capitol |archive-date=December 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210221221/http://www.aoc.gov/history/us-capitol-building |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page