Im not sure all you want to know, but ill start with a brief biography. Mahone is a native of southampton county, virginia, which he is growing up in the era of the imagery of the slave insurrection of 1832. Graduates from Virginia Military institute. Enlists at the beginning of the war. Not anything superb as brigade commander, but somehow really knows how to handle a division, so his troops absolutely shoot James Longstreet near where jacksons mortal wound had been. Richard anderson is moved up to first corps command. Mahone is moved up to division command. And right after this battle, lee praises ma hones ability to recapture the lines and promoted to Major General. So hell remain Division Commander until the surrender. What about the his showing of humaneness . Oh, yes. So, yes you know, several people comment on this. He, you know, stops his soldiers from killing blacks as best as he can, and obviously he cant stop them all even when theyre right in front of him. Mahone is a slave owner. He doesnt believe in equality at the beginning of the war or even perhaps when it ends, yet he has this miraculous sort of desire to become politician. He creates and sustains virginias first biracial political party, the readjusters in the postwar years. And really sort of attempts to cater to blacks. Even at one point admits that just steps away from the capitol today down on the national mall. We join the Smithsonian Associates with a conversation about author anthony pitch about his book the burning of washington. This is the august edition. The september guide will come out next week for september,ing on, and november. Always find these programs online at smithsonianassociates. Org. Before we begin tonight, please turn off your cell phone. Despite the fact were three stories underground, they to get reception. You dont want to be the person whose phone rings at the crucial moment in the lecture and gets the death glare from all of your neighbors, so make sure it is off now. There will be crucial points of the lecture, because this evening were coming up on the 200th anniversary of the burning of washington. The actual day is sunday, august 24th will be the 200th anniversary. When we were talking about how we would mark, we wanted to commemorate this anniversary despite the fact that its a less than glorious moment in our nations history, and when we thought about who best would come to speak to us about it, the unanimous choice was anthony pitch. For those of you who have been Smithsonian Associates members for a long time, hes certainly no stranger to you. He has been giving lectures and tours about the lincoln assassination based on his book they shot papa dead. Restaurant Tasting Tours in adams morgan. And lectures and tours on this topic based on his book aptly named the burning of washington. And you will also notice this evening that there are cspan cameras around. They are here broadcasting. Those of you who are watching on cspan will be no stranger to anthony pitch. Many of his lectures and programs have been taped for broadcast for them before. So were very lucky to have him tonight. Ladiy ies and gentlemen, mr. Anthony pitch. [ applause ] thank you very much for coming. Ill just put that down. Its raining outside, and so im very glad to see a lot of people here tonight. I want to tell you that a few years ago, i escorted somebody into the white house and his name was major ed ross. The same name Major General robert ross who burned the white house. He was a descendant and he wanted to see the scorch marks that i told him were there. They are theyre under the front door. And theres a big, stone archway where you can see massive scorch marks from the fires set by the briltish in 1814. And the pastry chef who had his offices close by couldnt stop giggling. He thought, well, heres a man whos come to finish the job. I like to write stories that are epic, true and sad. People ask me why dont you write something funny . I cant. I really like to write epic stories. Vietnam was one. And then i wrote the boning of washington, the president escapes, the city in flames, the National Anthem comes out of it and you have Andrew Jacksons victory at new orleans all in the same campaign. And when i have my lit rare supplement in england, the reviewer says they described what happened here as this amusing little incident. He was parading his ignorance because he didnt realize that the british suffered the greatest defeat in the long annals of the valiant history of military conflict. At the hands of americans. Had that happened before the peace treaty was signed, i think wed been different today. Winston churchill described this as not a war of ind pen kens. He denied it was not a war of independence. Who am i to argue with that great man . Now, forcunfortunately, hes no here with us so, challenge him. Now, if youre at sea and your ships haul off sailors, if you dont do anything, you are surrendering your sovereignty. Its an affront to the dignity and sovereignty to a nation. Thats why i call it, without question, a war of independence. So, now, let me tell you what washington was like in 1814. It was a gawky village. There were only 8,000 residents and one sixth were slaves. When the same diplomat saw the president , he wrote home to his mother, dearest mom, lookly for me, im in turkey and they have the most prime evil simplicity of manners. So why would they want to target this village . They want today humiliate around demoralize the americans. The commander of the british commander of north america wanted to give americans what he called a complete dropping. And this was, in part, pay back for american successes. Where they burned and plundered some 069 buildings most recently in york and in the individuals on the niagara front. Britain affronts had been targeting the others trade with neutral america. This spent all the american ships and banning american ships from each others conditions. In addition, thousands of british troops deserted for betterpaying positions. In a sixyear period, after 1810, the british hold off about 5,000 sailors of american ships. About 1300 of these were later found being born in america. Both of whom had been born after d declaration of independence. And the man against war was represented to John Randolph of roanaoke. Well, calhoun was not going to have any of this. He didnt share any emotional attachment to the former colonial power. So he replied, great, indeed, must be the reason for going to war if so much had bound us together in the past. And in the summer of 17812, a bitterly divided congress, as bitter as it was in the vietnam war, declared war on britain. For two years, it was a distant richble. If you lived in washington and you might not read the newspaper. You might not have known that there was a war going on. But in 1814, napoleon fell. The capital remained undefended. He was one of those characters that history throws up time and time again. People who believe that that judgment is best for everybody else, even when reality to the country stairs him in the face. He was one of those. He was a former minister to france. And it was said of him that nature and habits forbid of him to speak well of any man. He was that kind of person. When a fleet of british w warships came up the chesapeake bay, the secretary of war dismissed him. They said he would not come with such fleet, without meaning to strike somewhere. But they certainly will not come here. What the devil are they doing here . Baltimore is the place. This is a lesson to be learned from the war of 1812. It doesnt have the analysis that a greater inspection would have by a greater number of people. That is the lesson to be learned. There are many lessons to be learned, but that is the greatest lesson. Armstrong quit his job when people refused to serve underhim. He was dismissed with groo fee tee on the ruin capital. Describing him as a coward. He was a wrong person in the right job at the right place. He wasnt the kind of person that he could see they were going to attack baltimore, philadelphia or washington. So the british disembarked about 9,000 troops. The path to the capital was clear. Fear in washington turned to terror. And terror gave way to pandemonium. Their possessions were spilling over the sides of the carts and wagons and more precious than jewelry. Thats setting what it was like. And so i dislike books that give a dry recitation of effects. These are real people with real emotions reacting to different circumstances. This is what i tried to portray. What happened to the people involved . Most of the cloaks were over 45. And, therefore, exempt from the militia. But in the basement of the house of representatives, nearly all of the offices were empty because most of the cloaks were youchk people. Only j. T. Frost, a newcomer, remained at his desk. He was over 45. So, in this moment of unparalleled crisis, a man is now burdened with the need to make rapid decisions of national importance. Thats how history operates around one man. And so nobody was around to advise poor frost. I use this word vandals with care. Its den grating the british, but theres no other word. There was a colleague who tried hard to reason at his desk. But, he, too, had been marched out of the city to meet the enemy. When it was too late, most of the carts and wagons had been grabbed by the military. And the remainder were piled high with the goods in flight. So in desperation, he ordered three messengers to scour the country side for transport. They came back in 1814 six months out of town. Then they returned to the capitol to arrive august 24th, 1814. He was frustrated beyond measure. Both men knew they skould have saved all the papers of the house and even the vast contents of the library of congress if only theyd been able to seize more transplant. The library of congress faced the western edge of them all. It was a large room with tempered ceilings. It went up like a tinderbox. You know about Thomas Jeffersons offering and it was presented as a new rye brar of congress. 6,487 books. And he said it will take about two weeks for the books to arrive at the library of congress. You should see what they incured for bookcases at the library of congress. Every subject you can think of, its all there in different languages. That was Thomas Jefferson. Two days before the british arrived, he got them out of the navy yard into virginia. We settled up across from georgetown. He rode uch ap and told the two apparent owners he was impounding it. So some citizens who might normally have buckled under bureaucratic pressure, now bristles. Its got my fingerprints all over it at the National Archives. Booth was one of the last to free the city before the british arrived. And before he did so, he decided to check at the white house. He saw an american colonel and the colonel dismounted, went over to the locked front door of the white house, pulled hard on the bell rope, banged on the front door shouting out the name of the french, john latif of the household staff. But for booth, all was as silent as a church. Only then did this poor navy cloak realize that in his words, the metropolis of our country was abandoned to its horrid fate. You can almost hear his howl. He then ordered his stuff to secure as best they could in the departmental records. One of the cloaks, steven plesant, remember that name, stephen with a ph and pleasantton. Pleasanton. But pleasanton described himself as chiefly instrumental in this. Very gently, put the o rirjales, believe it or not, the declaration of independence, the constitution and George Washington correspondence into bags that he had made up into book bags that were lynning. While this was being done, none other than the secretary of war passed by. And armstrong rebuked him for being an alarmist. Plez santon was not intimidated. Imagine, he stood up to the secretary of war and said its more prudent to protect the documents of the revolutionary government. So he loaded the carts across the Potomac River and put them in an abandoned mill. Burr then he immediately had second thoughts. He was now opposite fox holes foundry. Certainly to be star getted by the brit ish. A spy or a turncoat could easily lead the enemy to a hiding place. So he went further into virginia, got some wagons, came back and loaded them up and he drove 35 miles west to leesburg, virginia. Put them in an empty house, locked the door and gave the key to the collector of Internal Revenue and then checked into a hotel. That night, the residents of leesburg went into the streets and they could see the fiery glow over the burning city of washington. Pleasanton was not amongst them. He was too tired and fast asleep. Now, i know this happened because 39 years later, pleasanton thought he was going to lose his job because he didnt know anybody in the incoming administration. In those days, you had to know people. He said i could have been rewarded by the british if i had given them the documents, and i didnt. And the letter is in buccanons papers in the library of congress. I was always up set by the condition of his grave. We walked from the capital to the white house. As we passed the National Archives, i was testimonying stories all the time from the war of 1812 and i said if it were not for steven pleasanton, you would not be able to see those documents in the National Archives today. Of course i raised the money and we got an expert and he restored the tombstone, its upright now and the man has now got the credit that is so long orr due. Now, i want to tell you about a woman who was equally as brave and fear leless and disregarded the safety of her own life. Her name is Dolly Madison. She is, without doubt, the most beloved first lady ever to live in the white house. Jackie kennedy was admired, but dolly was beloved. She was a marvelous woman. New years day in particular, people used to pay courtesy to her from the president on downwards. Stewards fulllength portrait of George Washington hang in the west wall of a large dining room. It had been acquired by the federal government in 1800 for the white house at a cost of 800. At that moment, two new yorkers scape into the white house and asked if they could do anything to help. According to a historian who interviewed them late ere, save that picture. Under no circumstances allow it to fall into the hands of the british. When she saw that a slave was taking too long, she told him to break the wood and take out the canvas. Now, french john comes in. Did french john tell jennings to stop and, with doris approval, took out a knife and cut the fabric from its frame, 95 inches long, 59 3 4 inches wide. Or did dolly tell the slave to break it from the wood and take it out . We dont know fr sure. But the conservatives didnt find any cut marks. He put it flat in the wagon and drove through georgetown into the country side and left with a farmer overnight. A few weeks later, they returned it to dolly. When my book came out, i was invited to the white house. They took me to rooms off limits. Theres a Little Medicine chest near by and you can pull out the drawers. In 1939, a canadian wrote to president roosevelt. And he said my grandfather was a pay master and oversaw the rating of the warehouses of cultural produce. But i checked it out. Thomas canes was the pay master of the debitization. But none of the ewe set foot in washington. So either hes mistaken as its the white house, well, we then went to see the portrait of George Washington. They took away the rope that keeps you about 20 feet away. And then, for the first of countless times, i recall saw the artisan made a mistake. In the painting, George Washington is standing up facing you. Theres a table next to his right leg. Under the table are some books, fine art. And the title painted on one of the books reads laws and constitution of the United States. Sates. Can you believe it . Gill spert stuart made a spelling mistake. Its extraordinary. Well, when the british arrived on capital hill, they found it confronted and linked not by a dome, but by a 100 foot long, covered, wooden walkway. They expected to find signs of republican simplicity. But, instead, they found evidence of monarch yal splendor. It wasnt a normal building. It represented the hopes and aspirations now, of course, its a beacon of voracity. He was an architect. It could compare with any of its weather counter parts in europe. There were no sculptors of american. When he found two worthy tus cans, he hired them. He exasperated him. He called him an artist of firstrate excellence. And the other sculptor was linsone yurks. He feared it didnt resemble the bird of prey. And latrobe didnt want any criticism, least of all, from a congressman from the western states. So he wrote a letter asking for the drawing of a head and yosz of a bald eagle. He opens his package to find the perfect head and neck of a bald eagle. Shoot the bird of prey to look at the arrangement of its feathers. Working in meticulous detail, he wouldnt leave a year beyond the departure of the british. He put all of his Creative Energy in this. When he had finished, latrobe marvelled. He called it the finest eagle. It had a wingspan of 12 feet and was hoisted high above the speakers chair in the awesome hall of the house of representatives. Now, sadly, it would be destroyed. Along with all the other works of art over the objections of Junior Officers and british army who said we dont mind a string of ordinaries and some ammunition and weapons and everything like that. But why artwork . I have correspondence that you could see it in baltimore. You could even see it in the ships logs of british warships on the river, 50 miles east. Thats extraordinary. Now, 100 soldiers and sailors. Thats all. Two columns tramped down pennsylvania on their way to the white house. On iert side of them were double rows of poplar trees planted by Thomas Jefferson. When one of the men started to talk, an officer shouted silence. Ill shoot the first man who speaks. Slaves scurried ahead. The ring runs a boarding house. Major general robert ross entered under the low door and began to tease the woman saying madame, we have come to sock with you. Terrified woman. Tried to s