When Britain Burned the White House: The 1814 Invasion of Washington - Softcover

Peter Snow

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848546130 ISBN 13: 9781848546134

Publisher: John Murray (5 Jun. 2014), 1798

Synopsis

The US President James Madison and his wife Dolly have just enough time to pack their belongings and escape from the White House before the enemy. Two centuries before 9/11, Britain - now America's close friend, then its bitterest enemy- set Washington ablaze before turning its sights to Baltimore. In his compelling narrative style, Peter Snow recounts the fast-changing fortunes of both sides in this extraordinary confrontation. Using a wealth of material including eyewitness accounts, he also gives us an insight into the striking personalities on both sides of the conflict. When Britain Burned The White House highlights this unparalleled moment in American history, its far-reaching consequences for both sides and Britain's and America's decision never again to fight each other.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Snow is a highly respected journalist, author and broadcaster. He was ITN`s Diplomatic and Defence Correspondent from 1966 to 1979 and presented Newsnight from 1980 to 1997. An indispensable part of election nights, he has also covered military matters on and off the world`s battlefields for forty years. Peter is married and has six children.

Review

Snow builds his account on the voices of those who fought and witnessed the campaign, from nervous US militiamen to Ross, Cockburn and Dolley Madison, the president's resourceful wife. Written with verve and insight, this is a fitting reminder of a remarkable interlude in a war that deserves to be better known * BBC History Magazine * The result is superb. When Britain Burned the White House is an exemplary work of history - lucid, witty and humane, with terrific pace, and so even-handed that it will surely be received as well in America as here * The Spectator * A stirring tale * Max Hastings, The Spectator * Peter Snow's account of this extraordinary event in British-American relations reads like a military thriller, each chapter raising the tension with a mass of detail and a kaleidoscope of characters who transform this book from what could have been a dry, chronological account into a riveting romp . . . Snow adds an extra ingredient - a boyish enthusiasm for his subject . . . a meticulous and fascinating account * The Times * With ample quotes from English letters and diaries, Snow ably brings out the humanity of his subjects * Kirkus Reviews * Never before has this story been told more fully or more engagingly, with greater empathy for both sides, or with greater balance. The pace is brisk, the characterizations sure, the judgments done with a light touch. The book distinguishes itself by rounding off the story of Washington with the subsequent Baltimore attack-both part of the larger British Chesapeake campaign. For the story of that campaign, this is now the narrative to read * Publishers Weekly * Snow's narrative is authoritative and absorbing, his profiles sure and compelling, his judgments considered and fair, and his documentation most impressive * Library Journal * [An] excellent account . . . Snow, an experienced British journalist, has told the story of those engagements with brio and a fine gift for making sense of the complexities of battle . . . a fine example of serious and literate popular history * Washington Post *

Edition details

• Publisher: John Murray (5 Jun. 2014)
• Publication date: 1798
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1848546130
• ISBN 13: 9781848546134
• Binding: Paperback