Why did the British burn government buildings in Washington, D.C.?

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1812, War of — War of 1812 Battle between the frigates HMS *Shannon* and USS *Chesapeake* off Boston during the War of 1812; detail of a lithograph Louis Haghe after by J.C. Schetky.

During the War of 1812, British forces under General Robert Ross captured Washington, D.C., on August 24, 1814, and burned several government buildings, including the United States Capitol and the White House.1

The British justified this destruction as an act of retaliation for the earlier American burning of York (modern-day Toronto), which was the capital of Upper Canada, in 1813.1