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J
ust 29 years after America won its
independence
from Great Britain, the two nations were at war
again. The British had never fully accepted their defeat
at the hands of the
colonists
in the War for
Independence. Meanwhile, the British continued
skirmishing
with the French, their long-time enemies,
particularly on the high seas. Britain needed sailors for
its navy, and in 1802, English warships started kidnap-
ping American sailors and pressing them into service.
Next, the British openly attacked American ships sailing
for France. Finally, on June 18, 1812, America declared
war on Britain. The War of 1812 had begun.
By August 1814, British troops had landed south of
When British soldiers invadedWashington,
D.C., in the summer of 1814, they found the
city empty. Panicked citizens had fled when
they heard the Redcoats were coming.Though
the soldiers burned theWhite House and
other important buildings, the nation’s most
important documents had been saved—
including the Declaration of Independence.
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Flight to Leesburg
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