What allowed the British to be able to burn Washington D.C. in the war of 1812?

Question

The reason I'm asking is because of Washington D.C.'s location. It wasn't easily accessible by land and it wasn't easily traveled to by waterways. In what battles were the British able to get to Washington D.C. to burn down the White House?

Answer 1

Well what actually happened is that about 40 British officers and troops were invited into the house for a dinner. They feasted and then set the white house on fire, which back then was easier to set on fire because some of the building was still made out of wood. As the fire was set the British army was waiting to burn other buildings such as the department of state, treasury, and war. So in the end a good gesture backfired for the Americans.