A Nova Scotian Observer at the Burning of Washington, August 1814

Letter from Dr. John Fox, Assistant Surgeon, HMS Majestic, Chesapeake Bay, to his father, Cornelius Fox.  5 September 1814. — Page 1 of 4: 30 x 38 cm.   Nova Scotia Archvies MG 100 vol. 35 no. 105 (accession no. 1983-279).

Dr. John Fox, a native of Cornwallis Township, Nova Scotia, was Assistant Surgeon on HMS Majestic. The Majestic joined the squadron of Admiral Sir Alexander Cochran in Chesapeake Bay for the attack on Washington, D.C., by British forces commanded by Major-General Robert Ross. A large part of the city was burned on 24 August 1814.