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>> "through the perilous fight" is a gripping account of six weeks of dylan's leaders and retails and fitted detail one of the burning of our capital at the heel of the british and the spectacular and improbable turn of events that will change the course of the war and the path of our young nation.

steve vogel has written extensively of military history in the wars in afghanistan and iraq as a graduate from international public policy from john hopkins school of studies represent steve vogel. [applause] >> it really is a great honor to be here when they think about it the library of congress which you may or may not know was burned down as part of the story that i tell. is erotic to be here -- ironic to be here today.

the attack on washington and of the burning of the white house and the library of congress comment today colbert's papers are at the library of congress so that is justice served of some kind. [laughter] but i do spend a lot of time there an equal resources both for the amount of material and the major scripps and really the terrific people that work there and many of them are here today in the orange t-shirts thank you to the library of congress. 200 years ago this spring a royal navy squadron showed up in the chesapeake bay to launch a chain of events to culminate in the boarding of washington and the battle for baltimore and to spur

the creation of the "star spangled banner", our national anthem. most of the events are familiar to us as bits and pieces we don't know how they fit together. we have images of dolly madison and saving the portrait of george washington and francis scott key almost like he came out of outer space to witness the bombardment to write a song about it and andrew jackson rigo this as separate little stories but not how they connect or we have forgotten a lot. grow wheat up in this area as they did in alex the andrea we are immersed in history this fantastic place to visit but all lots of it for example, of civil war

history all over the region we get our share of than ims fascinated by civil war as anything else and it strikes me as odd we do so little about this event that took place just 50 years before the civil war despite the fact where we're standing of action as the dramatic parts of the story during the war of 1812. you can see the capital back there it did not have the dome but it was still a mecca of is a building that was billed for the ages. a and a lot of what we know today of the war is misunderstood or wrong. i want to settle an overview of the war of 1,812th not

to go into too much detail but one of the important things to remember is the united states declared war on great britain and not the other way around they assume the british wanted to take back their colonies and why we are at war. it is a lot more complicated that great britain was in the midst of a titanic struggle with napoleon. the war lasting a better part of 20 years with france. from great britain standpoint they were in a life-and-death struggle fighting for civilization in their minds in did not have any hesitation in tripoli on american sovereignty to win the war. if we looked for a hundred years after 9/11 of british was either with us or against us mentality. the united states felt its

own sovereignty was not respected by great britain. our ships we're stopped by the british royal navy at sea. anybody they suspected of british origin could be pressed into service and there was a lot of restrictions on american trade that were infuriating to a lot of people in the united states ended 1812 we had a new congress that was elected i would not say radical but a group of people who felt firm the we put a stop to this and pushed for war with great britain. james madison who was a bit ambivalent at the same time of course, one of the great father's of the constitution had come to the conclusion if the united states did not put a stop to the british action we it might as well

be a state of great britain and again. so war is declared in 1812 in great britain was infuriated and saw it as a step in the back that set the stage for our story. the war went pretty bad the verbal sides in both ways. for the united states it was a catastrophic start to the war we launched several invasions of canada. something you don't hear very often but they failed miserably but the canadians remember them well. [laughter] one of the great ironies talk about francis scott key to is the main character in my book a very interesting guy. despite going on to write the most patriotic of all american songs come he was deeply opposed to this war.

it split the country right down the middle. very partisan lines in francis scott key when one of the invasion attempts failed miserably he actually celebrates and writes a letter to his good friend john randolph of virginia and says this is treason but as your patrick henry said it sid is treason i glory in the name. think about that that was on twitter or on the cable show he probably would not of been thought of the same way that we think of him today but that was the atmosphere back then the country was absolutely broke in the treasury a couple years into the war congress had bad agreed to any new taxes so

the treasury was broke the government was dysfunctional and radically vicious partisanship but this is what the situation was. but for great britain the war had not gone that well either particularly during the first era there's several american victories at sea by the uss constitution old ironsides against british warships and they are humiliating. great britain decided they need to give more attention with the iberian peninsula. they were starting to win the war to send our direction. in 1813, there we are

admiral failed in the chesapeake. there was a british historian in the united states at the time and as he later wrote until admiral coburn showed up the inhabitants of the chesapeake bay region would not have even known there was a war going on except by here say. that was the change. very capable officer officer, ruthless, i argue he was not vicious he was cruel but not for cruelty's sake even somebody who was fighting a form of total warfare 50 years before william tecumseh sherman with his march to the south he believed the way to put an end to the war was to make americans pay a high price and this involves

destruction of a lot of property in this area. the royal navy squadron berndt a number of towns in maryland virginia chesapeake region, hampton, and upon the sassafras river, plantations, the countryside was in terror by the end of 1813 and coburn was not only the most hated man in america but also the most feared a figure that people could not utter his name without taking the most unpleasant things that were set about admiral coburn i will not repeat them that he was not a popular figure. the 200-mile link of the chesapeake bay was not ideal

but he really believed in order to put an end to this war he would need some arne troops. after several months of his operations he had come to the conclusion that a small british army force could take the capital of the united states being very and little opposition it was a pretty bold statement going up the potomac river found very little in the way of capable american defenses. most such as they were were of the canadian frontier. so the defense of the capital the entire region fell to local militia units. they were not particularly well-trained.

some gentlemen who were more interested in the uniforms other than real fighting and for the most part these militia were very uneasy about leaving the homes of unguarded while coburn would launch raids on plantations up and down the water raised of virginia and maryland. april 1814 the whole face of the war suddenly changes because napoleon advocates across the atlantic ocean. said of the the troops of the duke of wellington's army are suddenly free to be sent to the united states to put an end to the war and coburn had a force of 4,000 troops to send to the chesapeake region. they render the command of

british general robert ross. one of wellington's finest officers but not a rash officer in would not just plop his men down on the shore and attack the capital what was coming to be a large power. a country of 10 million he had a small force and to capture the capital it struck him as bizarre a and possibly impossible. but after the troops arrived in the region and coburn takes ross on the raids he persuades him quickly the american forces were not in any position to defend the capital. they were right. we saw one of the most incapable leaders and american history leading the

american force around here. really started at the top with president madison a brilliant leader but as commander in chief he was having his problems. part of it is because he believed so strongly an a weak executive and did not believe the president should be seizing powers as a military leader. said he was perceptive to washington's vulnerability and directed the secretary of war john armstrong to take steps but he was incredulous and could not imagine they would even bother themselves with washington. reseal little village of 8,000 people with the capital which still had a way between the breezeway

between the white house and the senate but mostly farmland, the cows grazing, the woods, a few nice house is but not any type of prizes for the british. he called it a sheep walk. very little was done. the british lee and in august 1814 with the army troops. they do a masterful job of complete the faking out the americans. it is remarkable there were mower militia available band british troops. despite their lack of trading the they could set up a decent defense they should hold off the british forces. but ross a and coburn executed their foreswear they'd send one up the

potomac and another up the chesapeake bay and it throws the american command. they did not know what the intention was if they would attack to baltimore baltimore, annapolis, washin gton, what they we're doing. the net result was a lot of dithering and when the british began to move to washington for the main attack coming up the river, by this time the americans realize what was happening, it was too late. the american militia commander really wasn't much of a leader. in his defense he had gotten very middle support from the secretary of war john armstrong. on august 24 as a british begin to move which was right at a river crossing a place to the british could

cross the river defending washington and bring the forces around to capture the capital, by the time the forces for a clear they were literally racing from washington to reach the right place in they were arriving at the same time as the british after their serious of brilliancy. so if you look today you can see the shops and the places but if you close your eyes you and look at the terrain and go there with a map you can visualize how the battle took place. the hills with the british attacking coming up and crossing where their river is today where the bridge is they came across there. the american forces actually

put up a strong fight under commodore joshua barney one of the real heroes of the story. i will not go into detail right now but he was the finest american fighter out there with some him in a few marines almost single-handedly turn back the british assault with a very vicious cannons and fire. when we talk about the racist everybody laughs a and says the americans and turned a and ran. yes they did but that does not give credit to brave fighting that went on that day and those that managed to save the capital but the british were too clever in the american commanders to enact and there is an open road to washington that night. they come in and and come

down to capitol hill and opposed. the american army had retreated in the militia had gone past the white house into georgetown. if you live here in the washington area, some of the names that we see are fascinating because we don't think of them as part of this battle or precarious moment in american history. but the british come in and set fire to the capital pretty quickly. the washington navy yard, very sadly of course, it has been in the news the last few days with a tragic event, it is one of the most historic places in this country that has seen a lot of tragedy over the years.

that night the american commander of the navy yard had orders not to let the british capture the place. so this installation that built the number of american navy ships that had stores of supplies you have the capital in flames the british come up pennsylvania avenue to the white house. that is in flames it is hard to imagine today we tended to forget this day august 24 as was one of the of most terrible of american history. they were visible as far away as baltimore, maryland.

it is just as spectacular and magnificent as people said it was a sight they would never forget. this has to be one of the most desolate moments in american history with the white house and capitol smoldering ruins nobody knows who they are. they had to flee and that they did not stick with it there was no air force one or presidential helicopter to take him away. president madison for all his failures as a commander actually formed quite bravely that day to try a to do what he could which is very little then ends up coming back to the warehouse

crossing over theodore roosevelt island to escape being into virginia with all the but the government is in disarray, it is hard to think three weeks later we come to a great moment of triumph and that is a story i tried to focus on. the next three weeks in particular are credible because the british, they don't have a big enough force to stay here. they destroyed all the government buildings in respected private property pretty well. there was some push to go straight to baltimore. why baltimore? we had a rivalry i am sure people here in those days it was far more important than

washington. the third largest city in the united states when of the most important ports and the most support center of american private hearing that was a very effective manner of legalized piracy that was effective at curbing the british shipping. the british were very eager to go to baltimore handed move to directly bear this story could have ended quite differently because it was on the verge of capitulation after news of washington's paul arrived. the same militia troops are from baltimore and a fleet up in disarray back home they say we cannot stop these guys. a number of things happen to change the story. one is the u.s. navy a couple of commanders in to

perry who won a great battle a year earlier they are setting up the defense is and baltimore and writers in particular have a very capable gunners who are now to build up the militia defense and also did not have the general winder. but the people island baltimore decided don't want the general as their commander. in the he is a very capable commander to have the loyalty of the troops not just the wrong and the whiskey with the troops of francis scott key it is amazing when we think of his whole part because he takes

part of the debacle despite his opposition he like other citizens in this town he signs up for the militia is not very capable but at least was out there. during the fight acting is a civilian adviser with though washington and commanders doesn't perform particularly well and it only adds to the chaos but only one of many who wears it has the badge of honor. but to rescue america did dr. taken prisoner by the british on the way out in the intercepts the british as the sale of up to baltimore. to argue for this meighen's freedom of mission approved

by president madison. the delegation just as they make the decision to attack baltimore. i get into the reason why they delayed but that saved baltimore to give them time to build up defenses and by the time the british come up the river the american defenses numbered 15,090 set up on trenches that today is patterson park. the british attack through doors point it puts up of much bigger fight in general ross adds that been killed

in the battle the exact circumstances are a bit of a mystery and might have been sharpshooter's but the british were not as capably led to lose a bet -- a bit of their pizazz. at the same time that cable attack on fort mchenry to succeed for the british to reach baltimore. it is perfectly positioned to but the british had a very formidable squadron the most floating artillery in the world and the environment that francis scott key witnesses is there as a detainee.

the vantage point directly off the water to see this fantastic display of firepower launched at the fort. he feels they cannot stay in this bombardment did other people feel the same thing. but the american commander inside for it to mccann wray very wisely scatters his men and the gunpowder and the results is it is not nearly as effective as the british would have expected. a terrific storm is raging the british have trouble aiming but francis scott key

just as an end seeking is the the american flag flying over fort mchenry but as the knight gets darker he cannot see anything. only with this bombardment is the fact it is still going on as he can hear these cooling-off it is a sign of relief. but then the firing comes to a part -- to all. then the british were withdrawing their british forces that had a division very vague but they feat that means they have surrendered. that means the commander of

the year to the makeup of these but he sees the fly it with me saying that national anthem, it is important to remember what will he was right tea was is a really a question he doesn't know if he will see the american flag flying there in the morning if he doesn't see there that means for me cadre is gone then that means baltimore will be decimated and that is heftier that philadelphia handed a york would be next. he is really asking if the american democracy would survive. during that dark period it'd be teefourteen there is a real question about that. that ends with a question mark.

it is a song that bears repeating even to this day. even with the health of our democracy. i want to leave some time for questions and discussion but i want to thank every ready for attendee in this event and also to the library of congress. [applause] >> they give for writing this great book on the war of 1812. first i picked it up by thought it was just about the burning of washington and and nothing else but you put the whole war into context. but there has been other attempts to write about the

war of 1812. do you think americans have very little interest overall because of the lack of hero's sword great commanders that came out of that war? most of us don't remember the people but i remember reading about robert ross but i don't know anything about winder. there is not a lot of great seeing this to add but does that explain it? we like to focus on characters and great leaders with the war every chartwell education group we don't seem to have a lot. >> there is some truth a few years after they them a very large in the american consciousness. andrew jackson is a great hero of the war. also william henry harrison

is in its eaton james buchanan but in the next 40 or 50 years as it affirms the american sovereignty not until the civil war comes along that it is important that american in history the war every chartwell education group begins to recede from memory. ironically, from the soldiers fighting but in fact, it is a civil war that is responsible for bringing the "star spangled banner" to bring it to more providence. the song was popular but the unofficial anthem particularly in this region but union troops who were fighting for sumpter had come under fire there is a lot about the "star spangled banner" that resonated with

union troops that day one of the reasons but song becomes our national and baum. part of the obscurity today is it is hard to understand what the war is fought about and hard to understand who won the war end you will hear different versions. probably the only people who have a good claim are the canadians. [laughter] they clearly cable out the best. great britain and united states each got something is out of it but the united states the war sets the stage for the monroe doctrine and the american expansion to the upper west. it deserves to be remembered more than it is. think you.

>> fate you for your work is great to see another volume as we get closer to the anniversary of the "star spangled banner." so where do you differentiate and there is some good scholarship now and i am curious if there are stories to tell if use the other books as another personality and where can we see some new information from your work? >> there have been some fine books and my personal favorite is the dawn's early light which is a terrific book. everybody who has written has built on the work of those who have gone before agent they could find a lot

of new materials as new as things are found now. we did a lot of research in great britain including the royal marine museum to access the royal marines and sailors involved in this campaign and some news stories to provide details about what happened in washington or the faq arsenal explosion for example, that there is a point that it is today nobody knew what that was. i found a diary of the captives and that confirms the views of the cannon blew into the well and set it off.

my book tends to follow certain characters it is a very chronological ticktock description of the events. it tells a story that we know the detail but news stories our new characters or do understanding is a and five years from now it will be possible to write another because new things are found a and new diaries to the state archives. it is a steady worth telling again. >> what exactly was the british coal with this campaign? you mentioned the only have 4,000 and they go up to baltimore next but i always have wondered as many of us has been taught the burning

of washington was retaliation of diverting of york, not toronto. was there a digit -- bigger strategic purpose? and i would think there would have more sympathy or acceptance moving into the new york harbour so what were they after? >> whole story of british burning washington as revenged this is a myth. it is one that we can pretty clearly say now is not why the british came here. they were already burning towns in chesapeake will before anybody knew about york. as a justification as they

introduced into the parliamentary discussions with flowback so what coburn envisioned was a blow to collapse the government to force americans to make peace on the british terms. a lot of ways operating as free-lance to persuade his superiors to go along with a plan based on opportunity to end the war it if they had captured baltimore they may have succeeded. it is interesting to think about. when we say the british did not come here because york was burned one year earlier not to say they were not eager for revenge but it was not about york but other

actions in canada that were more recent that in british mines were much more heinous actions they york which actually hardly made a ripple at the time. by the american command would ever happen to there was from the troops running around on their own purses that the british commanders here have the bursting of the capital of the white house. as an attempt to justification. >> two years ago i took my son to fort mchenry with a museum and displayed with their great multimedia presentation bombarding the heck out of the fort hall from point-blank range.

something that bush is not quite the case since but a display this is where the gun crew was killed. wait a minute. what was the american casualty list for the battle? it turns out five people died of one unit of one crew. i said where were the bombs bursting in the way? in error. not on the ground to. but before they had the jury can and that could shoot out two or 3 miles through the waterway so they had to come siegel final to shoot to broadside then go back then the next one and they took turns because they cannot get close enough to hit the fort. they say the winner gets to write the history but people talk about the incompetence of the british commander that spend 30 hours without

delivering an effective attack? >> of british had the raided the attention one dash advantage of bombardments squadrons set up in the half moon acred to miyazawa the american dance could only fire a mile and a half the the british mortars could go to my heels. easily. they could set there until the cows came home but the problem was when they tried to get closer because they're not being effective some were bursting in air. they had fuses. the shrapnel was meant to be effective to killed garrison members but you are right to. four died during bombardment others wounded.

including the african american who lost his leg and died a couple months later and some civilians. the reason the casualties were so low is they were so spread out in the shells are not firing correctly and having trouble aiming. those who were in charge word dispirited. when he tried to send the ships in closer then the american guns that the french left them were very effective. so when they tried to get closer to pulverize the fort they could not doing and the admiral was not willing to risk the ships. he was planning to go to

your lindsay and thought it was a worth the cost. the other key reason on the harbor or protecting former cadbury the british ships could not get around the fort. they were linked together by chains and that saves baltimore. >> 8q so much. [applause]

>> my official copy has not come from amazon get some my copy is with the tonight of this delightful and wonderful and important important, impressive, compe lling, must read the book. i get to be very short at this podium right now. [laughter] today is the publication date the actual date of dalliance books. i get to introduce her to all of you. you say what is the yorker doing in philadelphia?

but once you are arrested in the town you are of the town [laughter] there are no cops with handcuffs today. [laughter] has i would normally tell you how many books dineley and has written. 10. how many distinguished roles she has had serving more presidency and i can recite. and also more than a couple decades we're both addicted to a twitter and she has many more followers than i do but you can read that. but i think of her differently about the way the kids would hold the to the standards it w hold the to the standards it what they would say often as they

trusted me faber is a you have to walk the walk not just talk the talk. a and a diary and walks the walk every single day. she is a fierce advocate for our democracy in just society and children and those who work with children and for our public schools in the roles those schools have been our society. you although she is a highly respected educator and historian but she has become a beloved and i been a beloved activist and leader. she is as brilliant as she is compassionate. those who know her would say it as passionate as brilliant.

we both watched mayor bloomberg take the concept of accountability to distort it is set to an anti-democratic way she started her own journey to think about what was going on in terms of education and. she looked at the forum is going on at that point showed as joyce and competition and saw that they did the work dan spoke truth to power in a way that nobody else could. the what she has done now is even more impressive for important because with this new book by ian doesn't

simply pullback the book of testing session or privatizing but she talks with a great truth about what is working and what is not. with a consistency that lets -- lack star again and its simplicity is so compelling that it is hard to walk away from it. and i am so delighted that she is doing this on the first day this book comes out because of what you all have gone through here in philadelphia with the austerity the way the schools have opened this week without art, without

music, without libraries, without nurses, without counselors. kids sitting on the floor because there is not enough tasks and class's swollen at 60 kids. multiple grades sharing the same classrooms. what donny and has done for us has created a context about why they're saying is that they have happened in the last few years are wrong and what we need to actually insurer we claim the promised land of potential and with that our democracy and our society. is my great honor and privilege to introduce dr. diane ravitch. [applause]

>> randy cater specifically to introduce me and i am very grateful to her for her french shipping and leadership them the courage that she shows to stand up for teachers. and i am very happy to be at the philadelphia free library because today is the day of my book published in what that means and to be on publication day as a was sitting back there i looked

amazon it is number 105 on the first day. [applause] in i know from years at looking at amazon though once ahead of it are cookbooks. [laughter] it is the number-one book of public policy a and it just came out today so i am delighted also excited that you are ground zero. for the destruction of privatization of education. to write about schools without social workers or counselors or libraries bang you say why are the children learning?

they're missing something. but to help fight back in an organization that will be a path and we will not raise much money but that is the good housekeeping seal of approval to those races for public education because there is so much astroturf that nobody knows who is in public education and so we are a group of parents and activists it is the network for public education we will endorse candidates also we

just won the other day. [applause] i know yourself phones are turned off but i will ask if you are interested in the possibility to make this note text i don't know how to do this but i am telling you. [laughter] teeeighteen then put in the number 88777. to follow the schools across the country. the text is dat then you put the numbers 888777 i hope

that is correct. [laughter] i will tell you how my book starts with a couple of quotations to summarize what i've about to what the book is about first of all, i consider to be the most famous lines of john dewey and a message with the best in life once for their own child that what they want for their own children the other ideals and acted upon it destroys our democracy. we live in a world where we want the best for our children and we allow other children to have circumstances we would not tolerate. this i would like to remind us of those words but the other quotation and is from

a crusty old conservative john adams said in 1785 the whole people to take upon themselves the education of the whole people in and be willing to bear the expense is of its there shouldn't be a district of 1 mile square that to maintain at the public's expense of the people themselves. [applause] and i asked my editor of it is possible it to say that page is already filled up so we keep hearing in my head all the time the saying goes like this to steal the goose

off the common but us they steal the comment from the goose. [laughter] [applause] >> with the state constitution it says the general assembly should provide for the needed support it a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the commonwealth. it does not say each town and each school district is on its own but the responsibility of the state of pennsylvania to provide for the maintenance of public education in every part. you cannot lead the district go bankrupt but not headed over to a charter operator for profit. [applause] these days we hear the term reform from around we are

engaged in this era but somehow that terms steve is corrupted and refers to budget cuts, firing guidance counselors or teachers or closing public schools turning the dollars over to private management and of japan were sam pretending it is the most important an outcome of schooling and all for reform in many teachers and principals today feel that somehow in ways that they understand that they are disrespect did. sometimes it seems public education is the goal of the movement. so what i describe in the book having a debate with the editor