On August 24, 1814, British troops spent nearly an hour eating and taking souvenirs inside the White House, then set it on fire. Only a roofless stone shell was left.

On August 24, 1814, British soldiers set fire to the White House, leaving only a roofless stone shell.

After a victory at nearby Bladensburg, Maryland, British soldiers marched on Washington, destroying the U.S. Capitol and many other public buildings, the National Park Service explains.

President James Madison sent word to his wife, Dolley, to flee. With the help of aides and enslaved workers, she escaped with as many treasures as they could carry. The British arrived about 11 p.m., spent nearly an hour eating and taking souvenirs, then torched the building.

An eyewitness

Margaret Bayard Smith wrote on August 30, 1814, that nothing remained but the 'crack'd and blacken'd walls,' and that a scene once so splendid 'was now nothing but ashes.'

On August 24, 1814, British troops spent nearly an hour eating and taking souvenirs inside the White House, then set it on fire. Only a roofless stone shell was left.

An eyewitness

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