Introduction It t ook mere hours for the British to deliver one of the most crucial defeats of the War of 1812 1812 1815 By early afternoon on August 24 1814 British forces had overrun the inexperienced American forces at Bladensburg Maryland clearing a path for the British to take over the nearby US capital city As the American lines started to collapse President James Madison who had accompanied his outmatched troops into battle to inspire confidence retreated on horseback to Washington DC After making sure the White House had been evacuated Madison rode out of Washington DC appearing calm to onlookers despite his knowledge that the city was about to be destroyed by British troops As nightfall descended the hilltops along the Potomac River gave him a view of the battle’s aftermath Attorney General Richard Rush who accompanied him later described the devastating scene The columns of smoke and flame descending through the night from the Capitol the president’s house and other public edifices as the whole were on fire some burning slowly others with bursts of flame and sparks rising high up in the dark horizon But faced with this grim scene the president refused to appear defeated Villagers who encountered him on this journey described him as tranquil as usual and though much distressed by the dreadful event which had taken place not dispirited A summer storm soon extinguished the flames and word arrived that the British had departed the burned city Madison 6
decided the best course of action was to return as quickly as possible This would demonstrate that while the city had fallen the US government had not and the president remained in power Madison sent word to the rest of his cabinet to join him On August 26 Madison rode the streets of Washington DC with Rush and his secretary of state James Monroe The walls of the White House were burned blackened and crumbling The dome of the Capitol Building had collapsed and the Library of Congress within it had been destroyed The Navy Yard lay in ruin while private residences also had been set aflame and dead horses littered the streets Even in the dire surroundings the president maintained his usual calm demeanor As Monroe located new positions for British troops set fire to buildings in Washington DC on August 24 1814 7
artillery to defend the city in case of another attack Madison comforted the troops and residents he encountered urging them to keep their spirits up Our good president is out animating and encouraging the troops and citizens not to despair a local banker wrote Not everyone shared Madison’s outlook at first While the president was visiting the Capitol William Thornton the architect who had designed the gutted building delivered a message from a group of citizens who wanted to surrender to the British After two years of fighting and the loss of their capital city they were ready to accept defeat But Madison forbade it declaring that surrender was not acceptable and that no one should suggest it to the British Thornton joined Madison’s cause by rallying Washington DC residents to repair their city and prepare to defend it again Likewise the American people followed their president’s lead and persevered The United States may have lost a crucial battle in its capital city but it had not lost the war James Madison is most remembered as one of the United States founders As a delegate at the Constitutional Convention Madison played a major role in shaping the Constitution the document that replaced the Articles of Confederation and established how the new country would be governed As one of the authors of The Federalist Papers he helped persuade the states to approve the new Constitution ceding some of their power to make a stronger central government Then as a member of the United States Congress he introduced and pushed for the passage of the Bill of Rights the first ten amendments to the Constitution which establish some of Americans most fundamental liberties For these reasons Madison is often referred to as the Father of the Constitution 8
While the creation and passage of these documents ranked among Madison’s most historic and far-reaching accomplishments he also went down in history as the nation’s first wartime president Standing just 5 feet 4 inches 1 6 meters tall the fourth president was a soft-spoken man who was often in poor health He did not fit most people’s image of a military commander and he was reluctant to take the country to war But he successfully led the United States through one of its first major conflicts as a new country Through the controversial and costly War of 1812 Madison reasserted the country’s independence while maintaining the constitutional rights he had fought to create man with a quiet voice James Madison was a short slight 9
