The Man Who Captured Washington Volume 53

Major General Robert Ross and the War of 1812

An Irish officer in the British Army, Major General Robert Ross (17661814) was a charismatic leader widely admired for his bravery in battle. Despite a military career that included distinguished service in Europe and North Africa, Ross is better known for his actions than his name: his 1814 campaign in the Chesapeake Bay resulted in the burning of the White House and Capitol and the unsuccessful assault on Baltimore, immortalized in The Star Spangled Banner. The Man Who Captured Washington is the first in-depth biography of this important but largely forgotten historical figure.

Drawing from a broad range of sources, both British and American, military historians John McCavitt and Christopher T. George provide new insight into Rosss career prior to his famous exploits at Washington, D.C. Educated in Dublin, Ross joined the British Army in 1789, earning steady promotion a