The Unsung Hero of Washington's Defense

Imagine the chaos as the British marched on Washington in 1814. Amid fire and fear,

one unsung hero emerged: Stephen Pleasonton. While others fled, he charged into

the State Department, rescuing the core of America’s identity—the original Declaration of Independence,

Constitution, and George Washington's own letters. Stuffing them into bags,

Pleasonton escaped the flames and hid these treasures in a friend's barn. There they lay untouched

for three years until the British left. As the smoke cleared, Pleasonton stood

as the savior of the documents that define a nation.