Check Out William Weber's Strategic Surprise The British Capture of Washington, DC, 1814

Guest post by William Weber.

This month, 24 August to be exact, marks the 200th anniversary of the British capture of Washington, DC.

Strategic Surprise: The British Capture of Washington, DC, 1814 examines the British invasion and the American response. It highlights how British deception shaped American perceptions leading to the capture of the Nation's capital, noting how events could have unfolded differently. It also presents a fictitious warning memorandum written for President Madison, laying out alternative British objectives and capabilities. Having received this information, what would you have done?  

It compliments previous posts to this blog "Rethinking the War of 1812" and "1814: How Washington Was Saved". A more extended treatment of the this issue appears in Neither Victor Nor Vanquished, "Chapter Six: The Battle of Bladensburg: Could Washington Have Been Saved."

Editor's Note: Weber is a little too modest enough to admit his article was also picked up by io9 where it received over 33.000 views.