"The Sole American Killed in the 1814 Burning of D.C...." Topic

… Was Related to George Washington

"The city of Washington was overrun with British soldiers. In an act of retaliatory vengeance for the burning of Canadian settlements, the invading army set fire to the American capital; flames shot into the sky from the destroyed U.S. Capitol building. President James Madison and his cabinet fled the city, and U.S. troops perched on a hill northwest of the city watched the conflagration. Only one American lost his life that day in the capital city. His name was John Lewis, and he was the grandnephew of George Washington.

The British military commanders aimed only to destroy public buildings and threatened their soldiers (on pain of death) not to hurt civilians. General Robert Ross was even upset that in burning the Capitol, they had destroyed the nascent Library of Congress. "I make war neither against Letters nor Ladies," he said. The few Washingtonians who stayed behind described the invading British as "perfect gentlemen."

But Lewis felt differently. He held a legitimate grudge against the British: Both he and his elder brother Charles had been impressed into the British navy and only recently freed…"
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Amicalement
Armand

In an act of retaliatory vengeance for the burning of Canadian settlements, the invading army set fire to the American capital;

A very weak argument, since the British and their Indian allies had been burning steelements all up and down the frontier since before the war officially began.

"And then the marshmallows were broken out, a jolly time was had by the men and officers all"

No matter what the reason or argument the deed was done, it is I believe consensus the peoples of the young United States felt stung but understood the retaliation in context.

Prior to the first arrival of American forces in the UK in 1942 a British officer, trying to prevent a future problem, cautioned his men that it would be best if they did not mention the burning of Washington.

A voice then comes from the rear ranks: "I knew that we burned Joan of Arc, but I didn't realize that we burned old George as well."

A voice then comes from the rear ranks: "I knew that we burned Joan of Arc, but I didn't realize that we burned old George as well."

Ha! Always one joker in every unit.

I thought the French had burnt joan of arc?

"A voice then comes from the rear ranks: "I knew that we burned Joan of Arc, but I didn't realize that we burned old George as well."

hahahaha, I don't care what side of the world you live on, that is funny! lol

When Eisenhower went to Bermuda he was met by an honour guard of the DCLI[?] who were wearing red hackles in their caps. When he asked what the red hackles were for the reply was "Paoli".

The DCLI in Bermuda would have had a red backing to their cap badges, but DCLI had never worn hackles. Even the former 46th Regt (2nd DCLI), had not worn those since about 1835.

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Curiously, a young American staying on Bermuda met a platoon of DCLI out on a route march c. 1954. They gave him a cap badge and explained the story behind the red backing- (merging the attack at'Powlee,' as they called it, with Brandywine Creek, as is often the way).

The boy was particularly interested, since he had grown up near Chadd's Ford, two miles from the Brandywine Creek battlefield and realised they were talking about the village he knew as 'Pay-o-lee.'