Final answer:
The Bonus Army was forcibly removed from Washington, D.C. by military intervention on orders from President Hoover, resulting in the destruction of their camps, numerous injuries, and the death of an infant which led to public outrage and political consequences for Hoover.
Step-by-step explanation:
The withdrawal of the Bonus Army from Washington, D.C. was a grievous episode at the height of the Great Depression. In July 1932, 15,000 World War I veterans known as the Bonus Army had occupied the city for nearly two months, pressing for the early payout of their war bonuses. Despite their peaceful protest, the Senate rejected their appeal. President Hoover, uneasy about the potential for an armed uprising and keen to disperse the veterans, commanded the local police to vacate the federal buildings and clear out the encampments.
This escalation led to a tragic confrontation where police shot into the crowd, killing two veterans. Unsettled by the event, Hoover then deployed General Douglas MacArthur and his aides, Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton, to forcibly evict the veterans. The military action that followed was marked by excessive force as troops used tear gas and fixed bayonets against the protesters. The Bonus Army's Hooverville in Anacostia Flats was set ablaze, resulting in numerous injuries and the death of an infant from tear gas exposure, which heightened public criticism of Hoover and contributed to his political downfall.