As thousands of Washingtonians packed their belongings and left town, First Lady Dolly Madison resolved to stay with her husband and, if necessary, oversee the evacuation of the White House.
By midday on Wednesday, August 24, 1814, British troops marching from Bladensburg stood poised to attack Washington. Convinced by friends that it was time to flee, the First Lady pointed to Gilbert Stuartâs full-length portrait of President George Washington. âSave that picture, if possible,â she instructed Paul Jennings, a 15-year-old enslaved African-American. âIf not possible, destroy it: under no circumstance allow it to fall into the hands of the British.â
Madison initially ordered Jennings to help remove the entire portrait, frame and all, from the White House wall. But with the British approaching and time running short, she ordered Jennings to break the frame apart so the canvas could be removed with a knife. Two friends of the Madison family then carted the portrait away, storing it in a farmhouse outside Washington for safekeeping.
MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY OF ROCHESTER
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