<P> The Burning of Washington was a British attack against Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, during the War of 1812 . On August 24, 1814, after defeating the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg, a British force led by Major General Robert Ross occupied Washington and set fire to many public buildings, including the White House (known as the Presidential Mansion), and the Capitol, as well as other facilities of the U.S. government . The attack was in part a retaliation for the recent American destruction of Port Dover in Upper Canada . It marks the only time in U.S. history that Washington, D.C. has been occupied by a foreign force . </P> <P> President James Madison, military officials, and his government fled the city in the wake of the British victory at the Battle of Bladensburg . They eventually found refuge for the night in Brookeville, a small town in Montgomery County, Maryland, which is known today as the "United States Capital for a Day ." President Madison spent the night in the house of Caleb Bentley, a Quaker who lived and worked in Brookeville . Bentley's house, known today as the Madison House, still stands in Brookeville . </P> <P> Less than a day after the attack began, a sudden, very heavy thunderstorm--possibly a hurricane--put out the fires . It also spun off a tornado that passed through the center of the capital, setting down on Constitution Avenue and lifting two cannons before dropping them several yards away, killing British troops and American civilians alike . Following the storm, the British returned to their ships, many of which were badly damaged . The occupation of Washington lasted only about 26 hours . After the "Storm that saved Washington", as it soon came to be called, the Americans were able to regain control of the city . </P> <P> The British government, already at war with Napoleonic France, adopted a defensive strategy against the United States when the Americans declared war in 1812 . Reinforcements were held back from Canada and reliance was instead made on local militias and native allies to bolster the British Army in Canada . However, after the defeat and exile of Napoleon Bonaparte in April 1814, Britain was able to use its now available troops and ships to prosecute its war with the United States . In addition to reinforcements sent to Canada, the Earl of Bathurst, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, dispatched an army brigade and additional naval vessels to Bermuda, from where a blockade of the US coast and even the occupation of some coastal islands had been overseen throughout the war . It was decided to use these forces in raids along the Atlantic seaboard to draw American forces away from Canada . The commanders were under strict orders, however, not to carry out operations far inland, or to attempt to hold territory . Early in 1814, Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane had been appointed Commander - in - Chief of the Royal Navy's North America and West Indies Station, controlling naval forces based at the new Bermuda dockyard and the Halifax Naval Yard which were used to blockade US Atlantic ports throughout the war . He planned to carry the war into the United States by attacks in Virginia and against New Orleans . </P>

What made the british disperse after the burning of washington