To The Public

To The Public

Washington (D.C.) --History --Capture by the British, 1814.
Thornton, William, 1759-1828.

Thornton's letter to the public was written in answer to accusations that he had behaved inappropriately in his negotiations with the British to prevent them from burning the Patent Office. The National Intelligencer was one of the leading newspapers in the capital city, and allowed Thornton's letter to reach a wide audience.

Thornton, William

National Intelligencer

1814-09-07

Public Domain

English

Text

dni18140907

Washington, DC

Hearing of several misrepresentations, I think it my duty to state to you in as concise a manner as the various circumstances will permit, my conduct in the late transactions in this City.
....
Hearing next morning while at breakfast in Georgetown, that the British were preparing to burn the War Office and the public building containing the models of the arts, I was desirous not only of saving an instrument that had cost me great labor, but of preserving if possible the building and all the models - I therefore left my breakfast and hastened forward, determining to request the first known democrat I should meet to accompany me, lest the malevolent should insinuate that I had in any manner held an improper communication with the invaders of the country
….
When we arrived there we found the Revd. Mr. Brown, Mr. Lyon and Mr. Hatfield near the Patent Office. Major Waters, who was then on guard and waiting the command of Colonel Jones, informed me that the private property might be taken out, I told him that there was nothing but private property of any consequence, and that any public property to which he objected might be burnt in the street, provided the building might be preserved, which contained hundreds of models of the arts, and that it would be impossible to remove them, and to burn what would be useful to all mankind, would be as barbarous as formerly to burn the Alexandrian Library for which the Turks have been ever since condemned by all enlightened nations. The Major desired me to go again with him to Col. Jones, who was attending some of his men engaged in destroying Mr. Gale's types and printing apparatus. I went to the Avenue and was kindly received by the Colonel; they took their men away and promised to spare the building. I then returned satisfied without seeing any other British officer, and went out of the district with my family. On Friday (26th) I returned to the city lest any inferior officer, not knowing of this promise, should set fire to the building; but I found the British were gone, except a few sick and wounded men and their attendants.