Presentation by Ralph Eshelman from the War of 1812 Teacher Symposium.

1. WashingtonCity
Myths From the War of 1812

2. Did the British really burn Washington City?

3. 20051998

4. 1987
2013

12. Tingey House, Quarters “A”
Quarters “B”

15. The buildings destroyed, by the fire...were, the Mast-
shed, and timber-shed, the joiners & boat-builders
shops, and mould loft–all the Offices–the medical
store–the plumbers and smiths shops, and block-
makers shop–the saw-mill & block mill, with their
whole apparatus, tools and machinery–the building
for the steam engine, and all the combustible parts
of it’s machinery and materials; the rigging loft–the
apartments for the master, and the boatswain of the
yard, with all their furniture–the gun carriage
makers and painters shops, with all the materials
and tools therein at the time: also the hulls of the old
frigates Boston, New York and General Greene (Com.
Thomas Tingey to Sec. of Navy William Jones,
October 18, 1814)

16. Burned by the British:
U.S. Capitol
White House
U.S. Treasury
Belmont-Sewall House
Long Bridge over Potomac (one side
burned by British)
GW town house on Capitol Hill
(believed to have been
accidentally burned by
sparks from the Capitol)
Tomlinson’s Hotel (also known as
Carroll’s hotel)
Houses possibly burned:
Hamilton’s House, Ball’s House, Frost’s
House, Philip’s House, Jenkins’ House,
and Brent House
Burned the following day:
U.S. Arsenal at Greenleaf Point
Executive Office / War Office Building
Three ropewalks
Washington Navy Yard (any remaining
targets after initial American
burning)
Burned by the Americans:
Washington Navy Yard
Mast shed – gun carriage shop
block shop
joiners and boat shops
mould loft
mast loft
supply loft
New and old timber shed – mould loft/sail loft
Medical store, offices and apartments
Rigging loft – carriage maker
iron/cooper fittings
made cordage
Plumbers, Painters and Smith shops – block shop
engine house
saw mill
Saw shed
U.S. frigate Columbia (outfitted ready for sea)
U.S. sloop Argus (13 guns)
U.S. frigate Essex (nearly ready for sea)
Hull of U.S. frigate Boston (laid up in 1802)
Hull of U.S. frigate General Green (laid up in 1802)
Three barges, two gunboats, one row galley
Two hundred barrels of gunpowder
Eastern Branch Lower Bridge
Eastern Branch Bridge (not Bladensburg Bridge)
Long Bridge over Potomac (one side burned by Americans)

17. Burned by the British Aug. 24:
U.S. Capitol
White House
U.S. Treasury
Belmont-Sewall House
Long Bridge over Potomac (one side
burned by British)
GW town house on Capitol Hill
(believed to have been
accidentally burned by
sparks from the Capitol)
Burned by the Americans Aug. 24:
Washington Navy Yard
Mast shed – gun carriage shop
block shop
joiners and boat shops
mould loft
mast loft
supply loft
New and old timber shed – mould loft/sail loft
Medical store, offices and apartments
Rigging loft – carriage maker
iron/cooper fittings
made cordage
Plumbers, Painters and Smith shops – block shop
engine house
saw mill
Saw shed
U.S. frigate Columbia (outfitted ready for sea)
U.S. sloop Argus (13 guns)
U.S. frigate Essex (nearly ready for sea)
Hull of U.S. frigate Boston (laid up in 1802)
Hull of U.S. frigate General Green (laid up in 1802)
Three barges, two gunboats, one row galley
Two hundred barrels of gunpowder
Eastern Branch Lower Bridge
Eastern Branch Bridge (not Bladensburg Bridge)
Long Bridge over Potomac (one side burned by Americans)
Tomlinson’s Hotel (also known as
Carroll’s hotel)
By assuming there were 109 brick or stone buildings and 400
total buildings in Washington in 1810 the British burned six
(or 5.5%) of the total brick and stone buildings in the city or
1.4% of the total 400 structures on the 24th.
The British burned approximately 19 total building during
their total occupation of the city or about 4.8% of all
structures.
Assuming the US burned 22 structures it represents about
5.5% of the total structures.
Combining the total estimates of both the British and US
burnings about 10.3% of the total structures in the city were
burned.
These figures do not include bridges and vessels which
would not have been counted in the 1800 total city
structures.
Because there were certainly more than 400 buildings in
Washington in 1814 these percentages are on the high side
of what the actual percentage would be.

18. from survey 1856-59
1810

19. Washington City 1800

23. Bridge
Bridge

29. Washington 1810

30. Pennsylvania Avenue, May 1813, sketch by Latrobe

33. Was the President’s Mansion really pained white to cover scorch marks?

34. Iron oxide staining on blocks of Aquia Sandstone

36. Did the great storm really help save the city,
or at least lessen the damage?
Washington tornado damage 1927 Washington tornado damage 1973

37. Did Dolley really save the George Washington portrait?