How God Saved America

The year was 1814.  The United States was once again at war with Great Britain.  While the early years of the war had gone fairly well for the US, they had not gotten a victory over the British.  Most of Britians focus had been on the war with Napoleon at the beginning, but with Napoleon’s defeat, thousands of troops, already battle hardened, were coming ashore in the States and things had taken a turn for the worse for the fledgling nation.


By August, British forces had landed 5,000 strong and were making their way towards the capital.  On the 24^th of August they met up with the American forces that were 7000 strong.  Despite being outnumbered, the Americans were not very well organized and were quickly defeated and the road to the capital lay uncontested.    


By august 25^th, 1814, the British had set out to make an example of the city and was burning all the government buildings.  The capital, library of congress, treasury, state department, etc, were all set ablaze. The fires began burning out of control, and threatened to burn the entire city to the ground.  With the capital gone and the British in control, the new nation would once again be subjects of the King of Britian.  But, God had other plans.


Unknown to everyone around, and well in advance of the conquering troops even arriving, God was preparing a storm;  a Hurricane to be precise.  While the British had stormed in from the north, God was about to hit them with a real storm from the south, on the very same day, August 25^th, 1814.


As described by http://historicaldigression.com



The driving rain put out most of the fires threatening the city.  The storm was so fierce that it tore buildings apart, literally lifting them off their foundations. The winds uprooted trees and knocked men to the ground. A number of houses collapsed, killing the British soldiers taking shelter therein. One British officer reported seeing cannons lifted off the ground and thrown through the air. Redcoats out on the streets of Washington, trying to enforce a curfew, were forced to lie prostrate in the mud.


Based on the first hand accounts, weather historians generally agree that the storm that struck Washington on August 25, 1814 sparked one or more tornadoes. I can’t possibly imagine being one of these soldiers, completely exposed, with no choice but to cling to mother earth in the midst of a tornado.


As the storm began to subside, one of the British officers in command of the invasion emerged from his shelter and said to one of the inhabitants of Washington, “Great God, Madam, is this the kind of storm to which you are accustomed in this infernal country?!”


She responded, “No, sir, this is a special interposition of Providence to drive our enemies from the city.”

Three tornadoes struck near Washington that day. It was later reported that one landed to the northwest, another in the high country [which is now called Georgetown], and the one that struck the Capitol Hill area. Whether there was a single tornado taking a southeasterly course or a tornado swarm, it will never be known. What can be said for certain is that a powerful tornado with destructive winds did hit downtown Washington at a crucial time; forcing the British out of the city, and saving what was left of our Capitol.

And drive them from the city it did.  Troops had been scattered, injured, and killed.  Their equipment scattered to the winds like children’s toys rendered unusable.  Many British had already fled and what remained scampered off utterly demoralized and defeated without an American shot being fired.  The next day when American troops arrived in DC to fight for their city, they found no British to fight and simply walked back in unabated.  This was the true story of how God saved our nation.