Which British general led the burning of Washington, D.C.?

Major-General Robert Ross led the British army that burned Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812.

After the American defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814, Ross marched roughly 4,500 British troops into the American capital. President James Madison and much of the government had already fled. British forces set fire to major public buildings, including the Capitol, the White House, and the Treasury.

Ross shared overall responsibility for the operation with Rear Admiral George Cockburn, who commanded the naval forces and strongly advocated harsher destruction. This sometimes causes confusion over the answer. Cockburn was the senior naval commander and helped plan the campaign, but Ross was the British Army general who led the troops into Washington and directed the land occupation.

The British occupation lasted only about 26 hours. Ross was killed several weeks later, on September 12, 1814, while leading troops at the Battle of North Point near Baltimore. A powerful storm soon extinguished many of the fires in Washington.