Washington Burning: How a Frenchman's Vision for Our Nation's Capital Survived Congress, the Founding Fathers, and the Invading British Ar

by Les Standiford

Book Overview

Another wonderfully crafted narrative history from Standiford, author of Last Train to Paradise, Washington Burning is the riveting story of the Federal city and the men who have built it. 8-page b&w... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307346447
• ISBN13: 9780307346445
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 353 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.6" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

an informative, briskly paced narrative

Since I work in Washington and get off at the L'Enfant Metro Station, there were a number of appealing things about this book's subject. The author has the story-telling touch, keeping his chapters modest in length and allowing the characters in the story, particularly the city of Washington's first and most influential designer, Pierre Charles L'Enfant, to speak. Unfortunately, the story of L'Enfant is not always a positive one, and he appears to have spent many of his years after losing his job as city designer nearly destitute. It was encouraging to read, however, that L'Enfant's original design and influence on the city of Washington received its fair due many years after L'Enfant's death. L'Enfant is now buried in Arlington Cemetary with a "view" of the city he did so much to create. The book's telling of the British invasion and sacking of Washington in 1814 is also interesting. I wonder what would have happened had President Madison stayed in the city and in the White House. It seems as if the British, as destructive of public property as they were, were careful about the treatment of the city's people. Maybe Madison, along with Dolley, could have prevented the burning of the President's House, as it was then called. Secretary of State, then Secretary of War, and finally President James Monroe comes off as a courageous leader, seemingly risking his life by trying to track the British forces around Washington (Monroe had served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War). Monroe also cared a great deal for L'Enfant, who it must be admitted was a rather quirky character, by trying to get him another government job.

If you are taking a kid to D. C., you'll want to read this book

I just finished reading this book, and just also returned from a trip to D.C. My husband and I took our ten-year old grandson, and I read about half of the book on our flight there. I had learned enough that my grandson and I were able to have a good time, sitting on his bed, looking out at the city lights, and talking about Pierre L'Enfant. If you are taking a kid to D.C., I highly recommend reading this book. For me, it was a mixture of a review of American History and brand new information, wonderfully written. You will know far more than you will present in your stories, as great storytellers always do.

The Quirky Beginnings of Our Nation's Capital

Les Standiford's entertaining and eloquent "Washington Burning" tells the story of the difficult breach birth of our nation's capital, presenting the political, diplomatic, military and technical factors that shaped it -- especially its architects. Mr. Standiford, the director of the Creative Writing Program at Florida International University, writes gracefully, and the story he weaves around the building of Federal City offers fresh perspectives, despite the vast literature on the founding fathers that has gone before. The author addresses some less familiar issues of the history of our federal buildings, throwing light upon their rain soaked nooks and crumbling crannies. Mr. Standiford has done his homework, and rests his views on the study of several primary sources. He has profitably mined the letters of architect Pierre Charles L'Enfant and George Washington in the Library of Congress. His detailed narrative is in part composed painstakingly from the French-born L'Enfant's poorly worded, confusing correspondence. A little over two centuries ago, Washington D.C. occupied an insignificant place in the world; today, things are very different. He tells us its story with sympathy, humor and a rubbish pile of fascinating detail. Mr. Standiford's central point is simple: "The efforts of Washington, L'Enfant, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Hamilton to build, defend, and rebuild Washington D.C., in its fledgling years is a microcosm for the building of the nation itself, the first in a never-ending series of internal struggles to preserve our nation and its way of government...that plagues and inspires us to this day." The author is well aware of the political minefield that awaits any unflattering study of our founding fathers -- especially Washington and Jefferson. In the "Author's Note" Mr. Standiford tells us how the idea for this book originated in the days following the 9/11 attacks as he was reminded of the British destruction of Washington D.C. in 1814 -- too bad he overreached in trying to draw parallels with today's acts of terrorism and the British occupation and destruction of Washington D.C. 187 years before. This story is good enough to stand on its own. Mr. Standiford details the choosing of the site and procurement of land for the capital city itself, day by day: the deals, the funding, the successes, the losses and the shifting political and financial arguments. The genius of George Washington's leadership in these difficult negotiations is clear. Mr. Standiford's principle character, Frenchman Pierre Charles L'Enfant, famously known as the "Architect of Washington City," is the stuff of legend. L'Enfant was, as Mr. Standiford shows, "eccentric and passionate and difficult," which makes for fascinating reading. Future presidents, Adams, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe make mostly cameo appearances, in deference to L'Enfant and the other passionate overworked architects. The early years -- long before he undertook t

Interesting Story Reads Well

Les Standiford is a successful novelist and a great story teller. His story of the selection of Washington DC, the building of the public buildings, their burning during the War of 1812, and the rebuilding afterwards reads like a novel and is well worth reading. There are a few errors but not fatal ones. I'm not a historian, but James Madison was not a senator (page 67); Patrick Henry became his political enemy in Virginia after losing the state ratification vote on the Constitution, and the opposition of Henry's followers resulted in Madison serving in the House rather than the Senate. On page 267 Madison at Bladensburg is described as the only president to be on a battlefield, but Lincoln was shot at in July 1864 at Fort Stevens in DC during Jubal Early's attack. The author says the burning of Washington was a kind of Pearl Harbor or 9/11 of its day, with citizens so outraged that their largely indifferent attitude to the new Potomac location was tranformed into a determination to rebuild on the site. But the vote in Congress to keep the capital in DC and rebuild only passed by nine votes, so this comparison may be a bit overblown. Also, the roles and characters of Andrew Ellicot and Benjamin Banneker could have been developed more. Despite these comments this book is well worth the read, especially for it's portrayal of George Washington, L'Enfant, Adams, and the Madisons, with tribute to the courageous role of Dolley Madison in saving many valuables from the White House. This is a very interesting story most Americans aren't aware of, and they'd profit from the well told tale of the founding of our nation's capital and the personalities of the real characters involved in the story.

A watershed event in our nation's history

Les Standiford's Washington Burning focuses on an often ignored, but highly significant event in our nation's history--the British invasion of Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812. With a historian's meticulous eye and a novelist's flair for drama, Standiford recounts the efforts of the brilliant, eccentric architect, Peter L'Enfant, whose vision for the nation's capitol ultimately prevailed in the face of political resistance, rampant corruption, and the devastation of war. At the same time, Washington Burning describes how a terrorist attack on U.S. soil galvanized a nation. This well-written book is highly recommended.