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WORK TITLE: The Man Who Captured Washington
WORK NOTES: with Christopher T. George
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://themanwhocapturedwashington.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
Fellow of the Royal Historical Society * http://www.historynet.com/book-review-the-man-who-captured-washington.htm * http://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/MR-Book-Reviews/March-2017/Book-Review-037/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:Queen’s University Belfast, Ph.D., 1988.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Historian, writer, and public speaker. Has given presentations at Folger Shakespeare Library, White House Historical Association, and U.S. Capitol Historical Society.
MEMBER:Royal Historical Society (fellow).
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
John McCavitt is a military historian who lectures widely. In addition to speaking engagements throughout Northern Ireland, he has given talks at Oxford University and the House of Lords, as well as in Lisbon, Rome, and Chicago. McCavitt has also lectured at several places in Washington, DC, and the surrounding area, including at the Folger Shakespeare Library, the White House Historical Association, the Navy Yard, and the Irish Embassy, along with the North Point Visitor Center near Baltimore, Maryland. His lecture to the U.S. Capitol Historical Society on the British capture of Washington in 1814 was broadcast on American History on C-SPAN in August, 2012.
McCavitt is the author of books, including The Man Who Captured Washington: Major General Robert Ross and the War of 1812, written with Christopher T. George, founding editor of the Journal of the War of 1812. In an interview with Jeannette DiLouie for the Innovative Editing website, McCavitt noted that he first knew of Ross because there is a monument of the general erected in 1826 in Rostrevor, County Down, in Northern Ireland, Ross’s hometown and where McCavitt lives. McCavitt told Innovative Editor contributor DiLouie that the monument “was allowed to become rather rundown until recent years.” He added: “And even local knowledge about him was extremely limited.” McCavitt went on to remark: “I simply wanted to know more about this man, and I had the historical skills to do so. His career was a remarkable one in so many ways and in so many theaters of war that it was obvious there was enough to fill a book.”
In The Man Who Captured Washington, McCavitt and George provide an in-depth biography of Major General Robert Ross (1766–1814). Drawing from a wide range of both British and American sources, including memoirs of veterans, government records, newspaper accounts, and secondary sources, the historians detail Ross’s life from his youth onward. Ross was educated in Dublin and joined the British Army in 1789. His military career was marked by a steady rise in the ranks as he became a commander and fought Napoléon’s French army in several theaters, including Holland, southern Italy, Egypt, and the Iberian Peninsula. “McCavitt and George cast Ross as a popular leader who demonstrated efficiency and personal bravery in battle,” wrote Jonathon Hooks in the Journal of Southern History. He went on: “They also argue that Ross fiercely protected the soldiers he commanded from censure whenever they stood accused of harassing or abusing civilians.”
After nearly dying in battle following a serious wound, Ross was recovering when he received another assignment, namely, to lead a small army against U.S. troops in the War of 1812. Ross proved a capable leader in the war. His troops won the Battle of Bladensburgh and then moved on to Washington, D.C. Although Ross spared individual homes, he became notorious for burning down public buildings, including the White House and the Capitol. According to McCavitt and George, Ross burned these buildings only because he had received orders to do so. McCavitt and George detail the major reasons that led to Ross’s taking Washington, pointing primarily to the fact that the U.S. Army mistakenly believed that Ross and his troops were of little real threat. Ross and his troops were in Washington for just one day, and the general died only weeks later outside Baltimore, Maryland, just before the September 12 Battle of North Point. According to McCavitt and George, the defeat of Washington almost led Congress to move the U.S. capital to another city.
The Man Who Captured Washington “accomplishes its goal of introducing readers to Ross’s military skill and accomplishments,” noted Hooks in the Journal of Southern History. HistoryNet website contributor Mike Oppenheim remarked: “This biography will … preserve the memory of the dynamic if largely forgotten general.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Journal of Southern History, August, 2017, Jonathon Hooks, review of The Man Who Captured Washington: Major General Robert Ross and the War of 1812, p. 670.
ONLINE
HistoryNet, http://www.historynet.com/ (October 27, 2016), Mike Oppenheim, review of The Man Who Captured Washington.
Innovative Editing, https://www.innovativeediting.com (May 1, 2017), Jeannette DiLouie, author interview.
The Man Who Captured Washington Website, http://themanwhocapturedwashington.com (February 18, 2018).
Dr. John McCavitt
In an ideal world website wouldn’t exist, a client would acknowledge the importance. We are a friendly firm of Financial Advisors who are happy to meet with you face to face or liaise with you via the phone or email to provide a service that’s right for you. Our Services included offering advice and solutions on Mortgages, Insurance, Financial Protection, Investments and Pensions. Our aim is to leave you worry free about your finances because you know they are in safe hands. In an ideal world website wouldn’t exist, a client would acknowledge the importance.
Dr. John McCavitt
Our Services included offering advice and solutions on Mortgages, Insurance
Financial Protection, Investments and Pensions
Our aim is to leave you worry free about your finances because you know they are in safe hands
In an ideal world website wouldn’t exist, a client would acknowledge the importance
We are a friendly firm of Financial Advisors who are happy to meet with you face to face or liaise with you via the phone or email to provide a service that’s right for you
John McCavitt is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of Sir Arthur Chichester: Lord Deputy of Ireland, 1605–1616 and The Flight of the Earls.
April’s Author of the Month: Dr. John McCavitt
Featured Title: The Man Who Captured Washington
Genre: Historical Non-Fiction
Age Appropriate: 12+
Bio: A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Dr. John McCavitt completed his Ph.D. at Queen’s University Belfast in 1988. Besides writing a range of articles, he’s the author of four books, including Sir Arthur Chichester, Lord Deputy of Ireland, 1605-16, The Flight of the Earls and The Flight of the Earls: An Illustrated History. Most recently, he co-authored The Man Who Captured Washington: Major General Robert Ross and the War of 1812 with Christopher T. George from Baltimore.
His public speaking engagements have taken him throughout Ireland, as well as to Oxford and the House of Lords, Lisbon, Rome and Chicago. He’s also been invited to appear at prominent D.C., sites such as the Folger Shakespeare Library, the White House Historical Association, the Navy Yard and the Irish Embassy, along with the North Point Visitor Center near Baltimore. In particular, McCavitt’s lecture to the U.S. Capitol Historical Society on the British capture of Washington in 1814 was broadcast on American History on C-Span in August 2012.
Jeannette: I suppose the best way to start out this interview is with a personal confession.
I love history in general and pre-1830 American history in particular. Yet as far as I can remember, before I read The Man Who Captured Washington, I never once heard of Robert Ross – an all-around fascinating figure and someone who played an enormous role in a major U.S. moment.
I mean, we’re talking about the person who burned down Congress and the White House! You’d think I would have known something about him. But apparently not. Not until I spotted your book while doing research for my next historical novel.
So I’m very curious. How did you learn about Ross, and what was the major motivating factor that made you decide to write a whole entire book about him?
John: I live in his hometown of Rostrevor, County Down, in Northern Ireland. It features a monument that was erected to his memory in 1826, though that was allowed to become rather rundown until recent years. And even local knowledge about him was extremely limited.
I simply wanted to know more about this man, and I had the historical skills to do so. His career was a remarkable one in so many ways and in so many theaters of war that it was obvious there was enough to fill a book.
Jeannette: Okay, so other historians might not automatically recognize Ross either. That might make me feel a little better. Though I still think standard history books do students a major disservice not describing him at least a bit.
He was such a compelling character that this little patriotic American reader found herself rooting for him as he advanced against Baltimore in the fall of 1814. Not Rear Admiral George Cockburn, mind you. I really can’t stand that guy. My last historical villain, Sir Banastre Tarleton? Oh, I had a ton of fun with him. Cockburn though, not so much.
But again, I definitely found myself caring about Ross. As the author, how attached did you get as you researched and wrote about his life? And what was the aspect about him that stood out most to you?
John: As an author, you have to try to get into the mindset and worldview of your study – someone living over 200 years ago, in this case. That doesn’t mean you’re for or against him though.
For example, I described the subject of my first book, Arthur Chichester, as a man guilty of genocide. So I tell it as it is without fear or favor. The fact that Ross happened to be an officer and a gentleman – an amiable, witty, personable character whom friend and foe (for the most part) admired – does makes him a more appealing subject, of course.
I’ve since become great friends with his descendants here in Rostrevor. Visiting them during my research process, I came across a fascinating letter in a book in their library, which had never been seen by a historian before. It was written by an American officer who fought against Ross at the Battle of Bladensburg and was later wounded at North Point near Baltimore when Ross was killed.
The letter showed that this officer actually travelled to Rostrevor to pay his respects to Ross’s family.
Jeannette: That’s quite the statement about his character. You mention, of course, in The Man Who Captured Washington how he was a brave and fair commander with his own men as well. Actually, considering how he died, he was probably too brave.
I love the intimate backstory you were able to give Ross, describing his sense of humor and family life, personal doubts, and commitment to king and country. It makes for a truly great read – more like a novel than a textbook.
In order to accomplish something like that, I imagine your historical research has to be more in-depth than it otherwise would be. What was the process like? How did you go about collecting your sources?
John: No matter what style of book I write, I apply the most rigorous academic research and standards. But I think that some subjects lend themselves more readily to a broader readership. In those cases, it would be a pity to suffocate such fascinating topics in a writing style that would turn off most people.
In terms of the research process, it’s a matter of reading up on all the secondary literature, following leads to the primary sources they mention, and using skills honed over many years to eke out evidence that’s never been previously seen. That involved research trips to London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin, and multiple trips to Washington, D.C.
We’re talking about processing tens of millions of words, then tailoring and tapering them into book form.
Jeannette: When you put it like that, it sounds downright daunting. Worthwhile and quite the adventure, but daunting nonetheless.
John: Well, in this modern digital age, I found Google Books to be a remarkable resource. So many highly specialized books and printed records can now be easily accessed online; whereas before, you would have to visit specialized libraries. Being able to search for online databases of American and British newspapers has also been an important breakthrough.
Jeannette: Yeah, I’m extremely grateful for the internet in that regard. I love buying up actual books – including yours – to read and mark up when I’m doing my initial rounds of research for a historical novel. But sometimes the nitty-gritty details are best found in original sources that aren’t so easily accessible outside of online collections.
I also imagine it helped that you live where Ross was born and that your co-writer lives where Ross died. Which brings me to my next question, this one about the collaboration process. How did you come to co-write with Christopher George?
John: I contacted Chris by email a number of years ago. We both were interested in writing a book about Ross and reckoned that we should pool our knowledge and skills. Chris had been working on the War of 1812 for some 25 years at that point, whereas I took the study up in 2008, having previously focused on early modern British, Irish and European history.
He and I have become great friends since then, and we’ve met up on numerous occasions both in Maryland and here in Ireland.
Jeannette: Well, I’m very happy you found each other, because the result is impressive – as the University of Oklahoma University Press clearly saw, since it published your joint effort.
You’re actually the first traditionally published author I’ve featured here. So I’m sure Innovative Editing readers and followers would like to know how you got your publishing contract in the first place.
John: It’s not easy, and making the first breakthrough greatly helps.
For my part, I chose a topic that was a wide open field – a hugely important era in Irish history on which very little had been published. My first book on Sir Arthur Chichester was described as a “model monograph” in English Historical Review.
After that, your reputation goes before you to some extent in terms of interesting publishers. That being said, academic presses apply very high standards and have your initial manuscript peer-reviewed by recognized experts in the field.
Jeannette: Sounds like quite the process, though I kind-of wish they would do something similar with fiction. I might get my money’s worth more often that way when I’m buying up novels.
That aside, do you have any advice or words of wisdom for other non-fiction writers who want to be traditionally published?
John: If you’re in it for the money, prepare to be disappointed. But if your project gives you a sense of personal achievement and makes a substantial academic or literary contribution, then it’s still worth it.
I wrote two books by the time I was 40 and thought it was time to give others things in life a go. I’m afraid, however, that my creative urge hasn’t been satiated yet; I think my brain needs to be engaged in highly stimulating research and writing.
Plus, you never know. some day your book might be made into a blockbuster film. I’m still waiting!
Jeannette: Maybe we can start a petition for the History Channel to pick up The Man Who Captured Washington. I know I’d watch it in a heartbeat! And I’m definitely looking forward to the new book I know you’re writing. Care to share the highlights?
John: I’m working on a sequel to the Ross book with Kevin Chambers, a colleague who works in the National Archives in London. We’re preparing a manuscript on the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
We reckon that researchers haven’t utilized some 80% to 90% of British sources yet. This would be evidence that not only sheds light on the British side of events, but is also highly revealing in detailing what the Americans did.
For an American readership, this book will make for more palatable reading – since many of the men Ross led to attack Washington met their doom at the hands of Andrew Jackson and his “dirty shirts!”
Jeannette: I wish that included the irritatingly self-assured Admiral Cockburn. But I already know he went on to lead a long and distinguished life after the War of 1812.
And speaking of arrogantly destructive individuals, I wish I had room to ask you your thoughts about Andrew Jackson. Now, he was a piece of work! We’re running out of space though, so I suppose I’ll just have to wait to read your academic opinion on him when that New Orleans book comes out.
Thanks again so much for your efforts and insights! And for all of you Innovative Editing followers, I really do highly recommend The Man Who Captured Washington. It reads so well with such a strong plotline and vivid characters, you won’t even know you’re learning something along the way!
You can read more about John McCavitt and his works at www.theflightoftheearls.net, www.themanwhocapturedwashington.com and www.battleofneworleans.uk. While you’re at it, feel free to spread the word around social media for all of your history-loving friends – or just anyone looking for their next good book. You can find him on Twitter specifically @john_mccavitt.
The Man Who Captured Washington: Major General Robert Ross and the War of 1812
Jonathon Hooks
83.3 (Aug. 2017): p670+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Southern Historical Association
http://www.uga.edu/~sha
The Man Who Captured Washington: Major General Robert Ross and the War of 1812. By John McCavitt and Christopher T. George. Campaigns and Commanders. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2016. Pp. xiv, 297. $29.95, ISBN 978-0-8061-5164-9.)
Americans familiar with the sole instance of occupation of the nation's capital by a foreign power know well the role Britain's Robert Ross played in that event. After pushing aside a hastily assembled American force composed mainly of militia, Ross entered Washington, D.C., on August 24, 1814. Though in the city for only twenty-four hours, the British burned most of the public buildings while sparing almost all of the private dwellings. Ross's brief presence left its mark on the United States. Congress briefly considered relocating the capital city, the Capitol and the Executive Mansion underwent significant reconstruction, and Congress approved a program to improve coastal fortifications so that another foreign incursion would never take place. Despite the influence Ross's victory had on the United States, he has mostly been forgotten in the United States and in his home country.
John McCavitt and Christopher T. George shed new light on General Ross and the significance of his triumph in their recent biography of this somewhat overlooked commander. McCavitt and George trace Ross's life from his childhood in Ireland to his death just outside Baltimore, Maryland, only weeks after he victoriously entered Washington. Included in their coverage of the general's life is a chapter dedicated to his service in the Napoleonic Wars. The authors believe this portion of Ross's career has failed to receive the attention it deserves.
McCavitt and George cast Ross as a popular leader who demonstrated efficiency and personal bravery in battle. They also argue that Ross fiercely protected the soldiers he commanded from censure whenever they stood accused of harassing or abusing civilians. His time fighting the French provided Ross with numerous opportunities to demonstrate these characteristics. While stationed in Malta, Ross did not hesitate to stand up for subordinates accused of damaging civilian property. McCavitt and George also praise Ross for leading his men in a successful rearguard action against the French during the Peninsula War.
The bulk of this biography focuses on Ross's three-week campaign in Maryland during the late summer of 1814. McCavitt and George portray him as a brave, decisive soldier who keenly evaluated the strength and condition of the American militia facing him at the battle of Bladensburg just outside the District of Columbia. The authors characterize Ross's behavior in Washington as somewhat chivalrous. Although he obviously ordered the destruction of public buildings, he spared civilian property and burned government structures only because his superiors ordered him to do so. Even Ross's death less than a month later outside Baltimore is depicted as another moment of gallantry, as the young general rode well ahead of his troops to determine the strength and position of American forces defending the threatened city. According to McCavitt and George, Ross's early demise cast a pall on his recently acquired fame resulting from his capture of Washington.
This biography accomplishes its goal of introducing readers to Ross's military skill and accomplishments. Using veterans' memoirs, government records, a wide anay of newspapers, and recently composed secondary sources that focus on the Chesapeake invasion, McCavitt and George have consulted a very reliable collection of sources. The result of their research familiarizes readers with the talents and personality of the British general who did what no other military leader has done since--captured the capital of the United States.
Jonathon Hooks
Mississippi University for Women
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Hooks, Jonathon. "The Man Who Captured Washington: Major General Robert Ross and the War of 1812." Journal of Southern History, vol. 83, no. 3, 2017, p. 670+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A501078129/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e3f21269. Accessed 12 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A501078129
Book Review: The Man Who Captured Washington
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BY HISTORYNET STAFF
10/27/2016 • MILITARY HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS
The Man Who Captured Washington: Major General Robert Ross and the War of 1812, by John McCavitt and Christopher T. George, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2016, $29.95
What Americans know as the War of 1812 and the British simply call the American War had other names in its time. Among President James Madison’s detractors, it was “Mr. Madison’s War,” while his supporters called it the “Second War of Independence.” For too many present-day Americans it may as well be called the “Forgotten War.” But this sideshow to the Napoleonic wars had its share of dramatic crises, not least of which was the only time the U.S. capital fell into enemy hands. The commander of the small British expeditionary force that briefly occupied Washington after defeating the U.S. Army at Bladensburg, Md., on Aug. 24, 1814, was Irish-born Maj. Gen. Robert Ross.
World War II-Era Cartoon Private Snafu Outwits Booby Traps
BY HISTORY NET
In Vol. 53 of the University of Oklahoma’s Campaigns and Commanders series, authors McCavitt and George examine the life of this career officer who had performed admirably in service against Napoléon Bonaparte before his reassignment across the Atlantic. Despite his notoriety in American history for burning such notable buildings as the Capitol and the White House, Ross reportedly treated Washington’s citizens with humanitarian regard. Nonetheless, the authors lament his failure to spare the Library of Congress—actually housed in the Capitol at the time—suggesting he could have ordered its 3,000 books transferred elsewhere.
According to the authors, the primary reason for Washington’s fall was the U.S. Army’s complete underestimation of the danger the enemy posed. Secretary of War John Armstrong said the following of the British state of readiness: “Have they artillery? No. Have they cavalry? No. Then don’t tell an old soldier that any regular army will or can come.” One challenge that took the British by surprise was the terrible summer heat the soldiers endured during their rapid march to Bladensburg (similar to the heat that bedeviled Confederates troops as they approached Washington in July 1864).
The capture of Washington put a strain on both the U.S. government and economy. Congress even discussed the possibility of choosing another city as capital. Had Ross heeded his orders and burned Washington to the ground, its days might well have been numbered—and had Ross, marching with equal determination on Baltimore, not fallen mortally wounded just before the September 12 Battle of North Point, the same might have been said of the United States.
An impressive granite obelisk dedicated to Ross’ memory stands in his native village of Rostrevor, Ireland. This biography will also preserve the memory of the dynamic if largely forgotten general of a forgotten war.
—Mike Oppenheim