"To be prepared for war, is one of the most effective ways of preserving peace." George Washington said it in his address to Congress in 1790, and the assembled legislators applauded and nodded in complete agreement, and then promptly forgot the President's words in the press of more ordinary business. It would be twenty four years before Congress would remember them again, and on that day they would be reminded by an unforgettable sight - the smoking ruins of the capital itself.