This Was The First Of Three Occasions In American History When An Army Attacked The Capital City
The other two incidents occurred in 1814 when British troops assaulted and set fire to Washington, D.C., and in 1864 when Confederate forces stormed Fort Stevens in Washington, D.C., but were repelled. On August 24, 1814, flames erupted from the unfinished remains of the US Capitol. In reprisal for Americans burning the Canadian capital at York the year before, British forces set fire to this structure, the White House, and much of Washington. According to Joel Achenbach for the Washington Post, among other reasons, the War of 1812 between Britain and its young former colony was sparked by the Royal Navy's practice of "impressing" American men into British service by falsely accusing them of being British subjects.
During the Valley Campaigns of 1864, on July 11 and 12, 1864, forces led by Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early and Union Major General Alexander McDowell McCook engaged in combat in what is now Northwest Washington, D.C. Early's attack, which took place fewer than four miles from the White House, alarmed the American administration, but Maj. Gen. Horatio G. Wright's reinforcements and Fort Stevens' robust defenses significantly reduced the threat. In the midst of one of its worst heat waves ever, Washington, D.C., prepared for the Confederate onslaught. Both to avoid the heat and the approaching Confederate advance, Congress and influential citizens departed town. President Lincoln, however, chose to stay close to the city, residing with his family at the Soldier's Home in modern-day Northwest Washington, even though a steamer was waiting on the Potomac to pick them up if the situation deteriorated. In the meantime, refugees from neighboring countries started to enter the comparatively safe city.
