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two miles upstream to the village of Georgetown, where
they were hidden in an abandoned
gristmill
.
After a night in the gristmill, Pleasanton had the carts
loaded again and driven to the town of Leesburg,
Virginia, some 35 miles west of Washington. The bags
were placed in an empty house. Pleasanton turned the
keys over to John Littlejohn, a minister and the local
sheriff of Leesburg.
When the British soldiers arrived in Washington, they
found the city nearly empty. The soldiers set fire to the
White House. Although a thunderstorm drenched the
fire, extinguishing the flames before the building was
completely destroyed, all that remained were the sturdy
exterior walls of the mansion.
But far away in Leesburg, the papers saved by
Stephen Pleasanton were safe from the British invasion.
The papers were returned to Washington that fall. For
saving the Declaration of Independence, Pleasanton
received a promotion.
As for John Armstrong, his refusal to believe the
British would invade Washington cost him his job.
11
Flight to Leesburg
Text-Dependent Question
Why did Stephen Pleasanton need to save the Declaration of Independence and other
documents?
Research Project
The War of 1812 has often been called “the Second American Revolution.” To explain
this, you will need to research and understand the causes of this conflict, as well as
what its resolution meant for the United States and its relationship with Great Britain.