Show J incident of 1814 special correspondence the anniversary of the capture of washington by the british fell on wednesday aug 24 in that month and the year 1814 a british force landed at benedict md and march ing through the villages of netting ham and marlboro advanced to blad ensa rg six miles northeast of wash inston and there defeated an ameri can army on the night following the battle the invaders camped on a common of which is now the east plaza of the capitol they were reckless with the torch the sky was red with flames from the capitol white house treasury war office and private build ings fired by the english and from the navy yard warships moored or building there and bridges over the potomac and eastern branch which had been flied by the american fhe capture of washington by the british is a long story b it it may be briefly told the british threatened washington for a year and a halt be fobe making a direct effort to capture the city despite this long warning the american authorities made no preparation for defense the british maintained a fleet of warships in chesapeake bay and had made foray a on havre de grace fred enck town trench town and other places in maryland and on hampton va president madison and his cabinet thought the british bild not attack the capital in washington there was not a piece of artillery a regular sol dier or a properly armed company of militia there was not a redoubt on any approach to the city fifteen miles down the potomac was fort washington then called fort barour ton a frail structure mounting a few small guns with one of ar tillery to serve them the brig ida from rochelle landed at boston may 12 1814 and brought news that the allied troops had en pans and early in june 1814 official washington knew that several of wellington s veteran regiments re leased from european service had embarked on troopships and con voyed by a war fleet under vice ad miral cochrane had set sail for the chesapeake president madison july 1 1814 called the cabinet together to consider a plan for the defense of washing ton A report of the army on that date showed the force of dis brict no 5 of which the district of columbia was a part to be 2 boffl cers and men one thousand and eighty three were at norfolk at baltimore in st mary s county md 40 at annapolis and 79 at fort VI ashington not one soldier in the di ct of columbia on aily 4 1814 a draft was made on the governors of maryland vir ginia and pennsylvania for militia depredations by the british in south ern maryland were increasing and alarm was growing in washington on the morning of aug 16 1814 22 sail entered the chesapeake and joined the fleet already in the ent river the combined fleet sailed up that river and dropped anchor off benedict the debarkation of troops began aug 19 capt sir peter parker in the frigate menelaus with some small ships was dispatched toward balta more and capt gordon in the frigate seahorse with another frigate rocket ships and armed schooners was sent around point 1001 out and up the potomac to take alexandria which he did the americans were gathering troops at washington there were two brigades of district of clumbia olum bia militia and volunteers numbering 1 men then there were three regiments from baltimore and two volunteer batteries there were two other regiments of maryland militia and one virginia regiment there were abo t volunteer cavalry from the district of columbia mary land and virginia commanded by aleut col tighlman regular army of the united states represented by detach ments from the and antan arv cumbering men under col will an scott one company of the regiment capt morgan and i sq cadron of dragoons under col laal barney was ready to lend assistance with sa lors the american arav for the defense of washington was 7 men all of these were raw recruits excepting enlisted soldiers and sailors the men were to oppose about 8 anglish veterans the americans had 26 pieces of artillery of which 20 were six the english column moved out of bene 1 ct A e 0 and was at netting old house near bladensburg where adm ral cockburn and gen rass ate breakfast the morn ng of the battle ham 15 miles from benedict on the evening of the the squadron of american dragoons was sent to harass the enemy s flanks and the ameri cans moved doa into maryland to meet the invaders after getting in touch with the english at nottingham an order came from washington to gen winder to retire he fell back to a country place called long old fields eight miles from washington the british advanced to marlboro they left that village on the morning of aufa 23 and soon reached long old fields aiom which place the had th on the morning of aug 24 the americans wearied by their in arches and retreats were drawn up near with their backs to washington six miles away between them and the village of bladensburg ran the eastern branch fordable but yet brosee 1 by a bridge at noon the enemy appeared in blakenburg bladenburg Bla denburg threw rockets at the americans and started to cross the bridge the american artillery spoke and the retired with a loss of one killed and two wounded again the enemy advanced in two col ians one crossing the bridge and one fording old M II 11 at bladensburg from beh nd wh ch american riflemen annoyed the advance ng engish the stream beaching Pe aching the washing ton side of the stream the british moved to the attack the main part of the american line after firing a few rounds left the field the troops rail ed quickly and formed a line of battle one mile farther back barney s men being in the center the fighting continued for half an hour barney was wounded col hamilton and aleut codd of the eng lish irmy were killed the sailors aide I 1 by peter s battery and ma gruder s regiment were fighting well but the american line gave way it rallied again and reformed three miles gaithor back when it was ordered to retire through washington and georgetown the troops were enraged at this order and mutiny impended but at length the little volunteer army left the field at 8 clock on the evening of abig 24 the british entered washington turning from the bladensburg road into maryland avenue and marching to the east front of the capitol corn set fire to the navy yard and the new frigate columbia ind the sloop of war argus w ere burned A party of american soldiers in virg nia fired the great bridge over the potomac and two bridges over the eastern branch were set fire to by ajr troops the british entered the capitol and applied the torch using the 1000 books composing the library of con gress for kindling the capitol of 1814 was a tar different building to the capitol of 1904 only the two lit tie sandstone and stone wings were standing the central structure on which the dome rests had not been built A wooden passage connected the two walls were not much damaged by fire the english went to the white house madison expecting a victory had prepared a feist tor the american officers madi son and his cabinet fled but left the feast the english ate this and set fire to the building they also burned the of the treasury and the war office on the morning ot aug 25 the in withdrew from washington marched back to benedict over the road chev had come embarked on their ships and sailed to point near baltimore where they ere bad ly beaten where gen ross was killed and where during the course of the fighting the star spangled banner nas written |