The National Register. — London, England, 1814-10-16 00:00:00

OCT. 16. were abandoned by the Government, and left entirely defenceless The Mgyer of that city has informed the tllayt r of this town, Volt the enemy would, no doubt proteed up the Fotomac, and make the samellemands %inch he Will forced to accede to. The enemy is n.w Coining up, and is in full view sil miles off. TEDNI THE NATIONAL INIET,T.IOENefiItt ATTO. St. Mr. Secretary Monroe has, in pursuance of tfe uric- d requests of the commanders of the various desaription of troops asseinhlA in this acccpted the command of the military force now in the vicinity. General Armstrong having, yesterday, retired from the execution of the dnvies of tiecretary at War in this district, in consequence, pro blbly, of the prejudice which has been excited against him among the tr,ops; the duties of his office al.o have been temporarily cu4,igned to the S cretary of State, who immediately enterel on the discharge of them. Many nreasares will, forthwith, he put in a train of execu !kit which it may Lot now be proper to announce, and time effect of which will be seen in due time., The enemy continued hist night still at Alexandria, emptying the warehouses, as agrecd On ni time capitulation. The night before last, we learn, nine trans..orfs of the largest class entered Patuxent fiber. Their destination is, for . the preach!, only matter of cmijecture. Troops are every hour arriving in the city, in larger or smaller corps, which it would be difficult, if we ui-hed, to enumerate. Among those arrived, or expected, are 3 number of seamen, ender their gallunt contra enders. When we remade:l, in onr Paper of yesterday, that private pro perty had in .enermi heen scroptikmAy respected by the enen:y during his late ircorsion. we spoke what rte believed, from a hasty serves', and 'mil al), wallow sufficient inquiry. Greater respect wits certainly paid to private property than has usually been exhibited by the chewy in hie u.araudi:ig parties No boost's were half as much pluudered by the entlny a, by the knnyi;lt wretches about the t.iwn, who ptufitt:d of the general distress. 'Lime were, however, sever..l private buildings wantonly desteoveti, lid sutue of tir.se persons who remained in the we.e sca-dah us y iltteatt d, Among tk.• piiva . • buildings destroyer!, was the dweliing.-hou , e owned a..d occte i ne,t by Mr. ltehert Sewall (lin mealy reroed by Mr. from behind which a gun was tired at Qviter:d Ross, v hick ht leet the horse he ; the house bulk for General NV,I-Itiegton the the bilge hotel hz-lote.;itio to Daniel Cairoll •adn, and reliefs, and reci 1. occupied by Ir. Tondin.no ; the r:pe• walks of leoch, Ringold, Leath, and Co. aid John Clndmers, were destroyed by tire, without any pretence being assigned therefore that to e k ,ow ot. The W'4 contbiated tbrotp-li the city by a former resident' wit?, milli tither detziclictl IvaitoN, i, 110% , in euofinrmeut. _ rockLurn ii as quite a inutintenoul, in the city, exhihitinfr, in the streets a grwis levity of iniouler, sundry articles of trifling value of winch he had r, tined the Presiee.it's house, and repeating ninny or the coarse jets and vulgar shnig of the Federal BATA !can re-p- en:nz the CHO' illagistratc and fohcr , , in a drain ot el.lococe %lock c,,tild only have been accriireti by a constant perusal{ of that di - e to the etointry. The mtigazine at Greenleaf . * Point was destroyed (partially nn!y), nn i the giins spiked on Tlkursday. In a dry well belonging to the har tacit- our s..doleis had thrown many bisrrels of powthr for concealment, Alter explorinitt the magazine, the 11,iCsIt soldiers ikrew casually in'o this wt.il ohe or two i.f their matches, which communicated to the powder deposited there. The effect was terrific. Every one of the soldiers tit ar wa. blown into cteinity, mans , at a greater distance wounded, and the excavation remains an evidence of the grout force of this explosion. The enemy retreated from the city with so great precipitation, as to leave half h i s wounded behind him. am , outing to more than a bun died, auto itr whom are a Colonel and a Malin. The force of the enemy is differently repo seined by deserters mid prisoners; hut the best in toithed ttar:e the force destined for the city to have het froot four to five thousand well appointed and active men, hamar.), artillery, rocketeer., &e. 'Die enemy did not bury their dead, except those in the vicinity of is camp. The rest, iii number net two hundred, were buried by a Ctamotee of our own etizeits sent out for the purpose. After the action, on tile retreat, Major Montan, of Winchester, fainted from fatigue, mid expired in a tew hours afterwards. We again caution our readers against giving too much credit to all the rumours which are widely and industri.msly circulated, generally trout erro..teous intUrtnatiou, but some - ones we are chtwinced from lust pard , nable causes, in metal in to the battle at Bladensburg. Justi.e, however, requires us to say, that tinich vhs.atistaction prevsultel among the truops• who were en g aged, at having been led so soon and so lar fram the fi eld of action. lt is a general opinion among them, how Just we lay not, that the enemy rui b ht have bc.eu tuceess!uilly resisted to the 659 et:d by the fo rce we h;iii to the field. This is a questtuo, the 54 , 1011011 of which inateridlly dertitts MI the ituather of troops tip. etienty bouoght lido the field, as to which, its me before obses vet!, me are out act:mutely itifui wed, and much ditiert.tict. of opinion prevails. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. GENERAL WINDER'S OFFICIAL LETTER. COPY OF A LETTER F110:11 lIRIGADIER•GENERAL WINDER TO THE SECRETARY AT WAR, D %TN) ifaltinioui : Aug. '27, 1814. SlR—When ex enemy arrived at the mouth of the Potomac, of all the militia which I had been authorised to as*emble, tiieve about 1703 in the fiehl—from thirteen to f.airtecii hundred mulct. General'Strukdritry, near this place ; about v.:O at Illaden.burg, wier Lieutenant-Colonel KrillWl% The slow prO4ECSS of di alt. an d the imperfect oraaniz:ition, with the ineffectiveness Of the taus to compel them to turn cut, rendered it impos.ible to have procured more. The mi!itia of tills state, and of the coutignoms parts'of Viraisda and Pensylvania, were called on en masse Wit the t'ortner militia law of Pennsylvania had expire d the Ist of June or Jolv, and the mie adopted in its place is not to 'ake a fleet iii organizing the militia before October. No aid, t. eret r has been received fi-om that State _ _ _ After all the force that could be put at my disposal ;V* ."" time had an iva, and making such dispositions as I deemed best cal• enhted to present the must respeetanie etree at galas ... • I* , :s a enemy might strike, I. was enabled, by the most active and harassing movement of the troops, to interpose ()wore the enemy at Itiadens burg, about 59(10 men, including 3 regulars, and Commodore Barney'3 committal. INlnch the largest portion of this force arrived on the ground when the enemy were in sight, and wee disposed of to support, in the best manner, the position which belieral bury had taken. They had barely reached the , round before the action commenced, .which was about one o'clock p. in.rt:id, and continued about an hour. Tile contest was not as obstietately.maintained as eraild have been clasired ; but was, by parts of the troops, sit t eitied win* great Npirit and prodigious effect ; anti had the whole of 0 a to ce been equally firm. I am induced to believe the enemy wind I !rive been repel-e withstanding all the eltsadvantaf , es under hich we tOnglit. The artillery from Ba!timare, supported ley Major Pieek t aya ri:le battalion, and a part of Captaiu Daughty's the Nay.• yard, were in advance to command the Inver of the bridge at Bla den-bm.g., and played upon the enemy, as I have since leareed, with very destructive eifeet. Btu the rift& troops were onliged tutee smite time to retire, and 4 f conrst• the artillery. Superior numbe:s rosiled upon them, and made their retreat necessary' ; hot, however, with out great loss on the part of the enemy. illainr i'inkocy received a severe wound in Iris right aim, after he had retired to the left Bank of Stansbury's brigade. The right and centte 01)titanbury's brigale, eousisting of Lieutenant-Colonels Ragan and ; Stititer's reg anew., generally gave way very MIMI afterwaids, with the exception of about fiaty, rallied by Colonel Ragan, after having lost his It, rse. and the vc hole or a part of Captain Shower's company, both of whom General Stanshury represeuts to have made, even thus deserted, A gallant stand. . 'non fall which Lieutenant-Colonel Ragan reeeivrd from his horse, together with his great (-flails to snstain Ills pesit Om, tendered bun unable to fol!aw the ; we have therefore to lament that this gallant and excellent otlicer has bet n tal.en pi isuner ; be has, how ever, been paroled, and I met him here recovering from the hi nisei occasioned uy his fall. The lusts ut has Servi: es at this monteett ii serious. The sth Baltimore reoiment, under Lieutenant Colonel Sterrett, being the left ot lirigadier-General Stausiair.)'s brigath., stilt, 110'. 1 ever, stood their graudd, :end except tor a m o a ß ait, % .i.a a part a 'them recoiled a few r tops, remained firm, al .1 stood wail t retreat, with a view to prevent them limn not•ilviked. . The reserve, motet . licit adier General 'nail to, of the t;is tr: o of CO" Innthia, with the militia ot the city anti Ge-rguittwa, wchtVe reale lars anti some detachments of MArvl•oid alliked on the right by Cooli*tlore Barney awl his brave fe;l44‘vs and Lien: cyan t -Celoy gel Real, Trails , were•to the rivltt on the fors ame thpe ‘‘ th great effect. bill, and maintained the contest It is not with me to report the eNnalnet ot Comntralore Carney and his command ) , nor can 1 speak Isom observation. being too re mote ; but the eoneturent testinmay of al: that did onserke them, d es rest.,iaure and the destruct %c e n free h t ig t i l l i e c s y t i i tr l e l , s e l l ice t7er ou t t h l e tt i • r ei t:,4 ::3 ,? ...A— in' host his horse, took post mar one t•t hoc :ant there tree: Ittl a severe wo h n s t i t , the thi , m, and he also into the hawk of 11.0 Captain at; marine., tewt wunnced in the tw o fighting britve; ir o n' the hot intell•i;coce ) there mita= but