9781422287453

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When British soldiers invadedWashington, D.C., in the summer of 1814, they found the city empty. Panicked citizens had fled when they heard the Redcoats were coming.Though the soldiers burned theWhite House and other important buildings, the nation’s most important documents had been saved— including the Declaration of Independence.

J ust 29 years after America won its independence from Great Britain, the two nations were at war again. The British had never fully accepted their defeat at the hands of the colonists in the War for Independence. Meanwhile, the British continued skirmishing with the French, their long-time enemies, particularly on the high seas. Britain needed sailors for its navy, and in 1802, English warships started kidnap- ping American sailors and pressing them into service. Next, the British openly attacked American ships sailing for France. Finally, on June 18, 1812, America declared war on Britain. The War of 1812 had begun. By August 1814, British troops had landed south of Flight to Leesburg

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