Very Brexit Problems@VeryBrexitProbs
Americans love banging on about the War of Independence. They’re quieter on the War of 1812. Here’s why.
In 1812, America declared war on Britain. The plan was to march into Canada and annex it. Thomas Jefferson said it would be “a mere matter of marching.”
It wasn’t. The Canadians sent them packing. Two years later, the British sailed up the Potomac.
American forces collapsed at Bladensburg in what’s still called “the Bladensburg Races” because of how fast they ran. President Madison had already fled to Maryland.
The British walked into Washington unopposed. They sat down in the White House, ate the dinner Dolley Madison had laid out for forty guests, used the President’s silver, then set fire to the building. Then they burned the Capitol, the Treasury and the Navy Yard.
A freak thunderstorm put the fires out the next day. The British left when they were ready. It’s still the only time a foreign army has captured the US capital.
You can see why it doesn’t come up much.
