Capitol Hill in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Destroying the Library
Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 14, 2015
1. Destroying the Library Marker
Returned Souvenir
In 1940 a collector sent the Library of Congress a book titled, RECTs and EXPENDs [receipts and expenditures] U.S. FOR 1810. It survived the British burning of the library in 1814 because British Rear Admiral Cockburn took it for a souvenir. He inscribed it, Taken in President's room in the Capitol of Washington 24th August 1814.
In the summer of 1814 the United States had been at war with Great Britain for two years. Battlefronts had erupted from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. On August 24, following their victory over the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland, British troops marched on Washington with devastating results.
The Star-Spangled Banner Historic Trail reveals sites of the War of 1812 in Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland. Visit ChesapeakeExplorerApp.com or download the Chesapeake Explorer App.
Erected by
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #03 Thomas Jefferson, the Former U.S. Presidents: #04 James Madison, and the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1814.
Location. 38° 53.243′ N, 77° 0.135′ W. Marker is in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Capitol Hill. It is at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast and 3rd Street Southeast, on the right when traveling west on Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 3rd Street Southeast, Washington DC 20003, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Capitol in Flames (here, next to this marker); St. Mark's Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Beverly Riston (about 400 feet away); Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church (about 400 feet away); Madison (about 600 feet away); 408 Seward Square, S.E. (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Madison (about 800 feet away); American Legion Post 8 (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Southeast Washington.
Also see . . .
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 14, 2015
2. Destroying the Library marker
The Library's John Adams building is behind the marker; The Thomas Jefferson building is on the left.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 14, 2015
3. Destroying the Library
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 14, 2015
4. Souvenir
British Rear Admiral George Cockburn and the inscription he made in what remains the only book known to have survived the 1814 burning of the Library of Congress.
In Cockburn's handwriting: “Taken in President's room in the Capitol, at the destruction of that building by the British, on the capture of Washington, 24th August, 1814. [later] by Admiral Cockburn & by him presented to his eldest brother Sir James Cockburn of Langton Bart. Governor of Bermuda.”
In Rosenbach's handwriting: “And now, this sixth day of January 1940, after 126 years, restored to the Library of Congress, by A.S.W. Rosenbach.”Close-up of photo on marker
In Cockburn's handwriting: “Taken in President's room in the Capitol, at the destruction of that building by the British, on the capture of Washington, 24th August, 1814. [later] by Admiral Cockburn & by him presented to his eldest brother Sir James Cockburn of Langton Bart. Governor of Bermuda.”
In Rosenbach's handwriting: “And now, this sixth day of January 1940, after 126 years, restored to the Library of Congress, by A.S.W. Rosenbach.”
Photographed by Wikipedia
5. Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn
In this painting by John James Halls Admiral Cockburn stands in front of Washington in flames.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 15, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,084 times since then and 13 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week April 24, 2016. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 15, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
