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The Cheseapeake Campaign and the Star-Spangled Banner
The most famous of these destructive raids was the burning of public buildings including the White House in Washington by Sir George Cockburn, who succeeded Warren in April in the naval command, and General Robert Ross. Ross' account reads:
Judging it of consequence to complete the destruction of the public buildings with the least possible delay, so that the army might retire without loss of time, the following buildings were set fire to and consumed -- the capitol, including the Senate house and House of Representation, the Arsenal, the Dock-Yard, Treasury, War office, President's Palace, Rope-Walk, and the great bridge across the Potewmac.
President James Madison was forced to flee to Virginia and American morale was reduced to an all-time low. The expedition was carried out between August 19 and August 29, 1814, and was well organized and vigorously hahahahahahahad. On the 24th the American militia, who had collected at Bladensburg, Maryland, to protect the capital, fled almost before they were attacked.
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