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# British troops burned the White House and the Capitol in 1814, and Jefferson's books replaced the Library of Congress
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/24-avgusta-1814-goda-belyi-dom-i-kapitolii-byli-sozhzheny-britanskimi-voiskami-posle-porazheniia-amerikantsev-v-bitve-u-blandensberga/
- Published: 2023-08-25T07:35:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T18:44:26.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Archive, Books, Heritage, Society

On 24 August 1814 the White House and the Capitol were burnt by British troops after the American defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg. In the fire the Library of Congress was destroyed entirely. In the end, in place of the burnt library, the state acquired the book collection of Thomas Jefferson, some 6,000 volumes.

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_9612@25-08-2023_10-35-11.jpg)

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_9613@25-08-2023_10-35-11.jpg)

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_9614@25-08-2023_10-35-11.jpg)

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_9615@25-08-2023_10-35-11.jpg)