We hosted an event with author and Historian Dr. Robert Watson to discuss his upcoming book, “When Washington Burned.” This book tells the forgotten story of August 24, 1814, when British forces captured Washington, threatening the survival of the nation.
Dr. Watson’s book details the British campaign and American missteps that led to the fall of the capital city but also tells the redeeming stories of the courageous young clerks and the bold first lady who risked their lives to save priceless documents from the flames, including the Constitution.
Dr. Robert Watson is an award-winning author, professor, historian, and media analyst with a passion for history and politics. He has published over forty books, five works of fiction, and hundreds of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, and reference essays.
Throughout his career, Dr. Watson served as editor or a board member for several scholarly journals and served on the boards of local non-profit organizations, including the Harry Truman Foundation, the Calvin Coolidge Foundation, and George McGovern Library and Center for Public Service, co-convened a half-dozen national conferences on the American presidency and was the co-founder of the annual Truman Legacy Symposium which is held at the Harry S. Truman Little White House and sponsored by the Truman Presidential Library.
Perhaps no single day in US history was as threatening to the survival of the nation as August 24, 1814, when British forces captured Washington. This unique moment might have significantly altered the nation’s path forward, but the event and the reasons why it happened are little remembered by most Americans. When Washington Burned narrates the British campaign and American missteps that led to the fall of the capital city, but also tells the redeeming stories of the courageous young clerks and the bold first lady who risked their lives to save priceless documents from the flames, including the Constitution.
