With all the immediacy of an eyewitness account; Anthony Pitch tells the dramatic story of the British invasion of Washington in the summer of 1814; an episode many call a defining moment in the coming-of-age of the United States. The British torched the Capitol; the White House; and many other public buildings; setting off an inferno that illuminated the countryside for miles and sending President James Madison scurrying out of town while his wife Dolley rescued a life-sized portrait of George Washington from the flames. The author's gripping narrative--hailed by a White House curator; a Senate historian; and the chairman of the National Geographic Society; among others--is filled with vivid details of the attack. Not confining his story to Washington; Pitch also describes the brave; resourceful defense of nearby Fort McHenry and tells how Francis Scott Key; a British hostage on a ship near the Baltimore harbor during the fort's bombardment; wrote a poem that became the national anthem.
#1146741 in Books Applewood Books 2006-07-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x .38 x 7.50l; .66 #File Name: 1557090130168 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Required ReadingBy Michael BlizzardVery interesting book; I learned a lot about the perspective of the former slaves from reading these books fro the different states; highly recommend it to anyone studying this period of American history. I recommend it for anyone of any race.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A look at our pastBy debi HouckI live in Georgia and to find a book about former slaves allows me a chance to hear their stories.5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A. Patterson's review is nonsenseBy A. R. NilssenIn regards to what A. Patterson wrote in the first review: he/she completely misses the point. This is an example of first-person accounts. What the ex-slaves refer to as enough to eat or the "master" was good to them is to be taken RELATIVE to the overall slave condition throughout Georgia and the other slave states. IT WAS STILL SLAVERY FOLKS. Also; keep in mind these accounts were collected in the Deep South during the 1930's; Jim Crow and segregation were still in full effect. Many didn't even want to give interviews and some of those who did may have sugar-coated their accounts for fear of retaliation. Also; keep in mind that there are 14 other volumes from 14 other states which will more than provide a full and wide-ranging perspective. This book; along with the other volumes; are invaluable first-person accounts of America's most atrocious crime. It is filled with details of slave life from songs; funeral rites; physical punishment; families torn apart; etc. A. Patterson's review is meaningless rhetoric. He/she wrote; "The abuse; torture; denigration; etc of slaves is well documented in the stories in Black folk's families; in other; less racist books." All those are in this book; but much of it is couched in neutral and even positive overtones; which is an example of one among many psychological effects slavery created in its victims. First-person accounts are invaluable for what they show and don't show. DEFINITELY BUY THIS BOOK.
