The National Register.
London, England, 1814-10-02 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL Ii_EGISTEII_

:being embarked in them, nailer the command of Captain Roftyna
(the senior officer of that corps in the fieet)anti the marine artillery,
*miler Captain Itarrison, in their two tenders; the Severn and lic-
hrtni frierites, and the Manly sloop, being ditected to follow us up
the river, as far as might prove practicable.
lit boats and tenders I placed in three diviaions: the first under
the imetethate commaiel of Captain, Sullivan (the senior commander
employed on the eccaaion) and Badeock ; the second, under Cap.
tante Money null Smaerville ; the third, under Captain Itentsay ;—..
the whole 'wider the superintendance anti immediate matinzemeut
of Captain Wainwright, of the Tennant, Lieut. James Scott (Ist of
the Albion) attending as my Aide-decamp.
I endeavoured to keep with the boats and tenders ns nearly ae pen.
slide abreast of the army under Major-General Rosa, that I might
communicate with him as occasion offered, according to the plan
pica inusly arranged ; and about mid-day yesterday I accordingly
anchored at the krryltouse opposite Lower Marlborough, where I
met the Geneve', and where the army halted for some hours, after
which he mat.clicil tor Nottingham, and I proceeded on for the same
place wilt+ 11w boats. On cur approaching that town, a few shots
were exchanged le tweet' the leadieg boats and some of the C11(111'1
C:viary Ina the •appeartwee of our army advancing caused them to
retire with precipitation. Cipteins Notnee and Palmer, of the
Severn and Helm's, joieed me this day with their Imats, having
foned it impraetivable to get their ships higher than Benedict.
The Majer-Ccneral remained et•ith the arms. at Nettilezham, and
the 6:mrs tvliderA continntA aechored etf it during, the ;
and soen encl. thy lit:lit this moiling, the whole moved again ter-
ward het the wind wowing during the tiiOrl:hip; deeXtt the river.
and the channel being excessivpi. narrow, :eel the advance of oar
tenders conserpleetly slow, I judged it advisable to pinli on with
the boats only, leaving the tenders to posh on as they could.
011 approachine Pitt Point (where the enemy's flotilla wag said to
be), 1 landed the Mat inf'S ender Captliti ye, On the lift bank
of the river, and tilt.: eted into to march rented aid attack, on the
land side, the town sitteited en the point, to draw ft um us the nt.
tention or ,och troop.. a might lie flu rep for I:4 th•retiee, and the dee-
feeee the : I then preeeeded lift wi!hi the boats, and, as
:se opened the rrewh shove I'ig Peint. I plaiely diaeov teed Comm°.
dove Barite\ bread pendeet in the heieimost vessel, ala reeedoop.
and the remainder the addle extele!iret in a kite line a ,tern of
her. Oer boat: now advanced towards them as rapidly as.. possible ;
lint, on hearing them, we observed the sloop bearing the In cad
pendent to be mi tire, and she very coon afterwerds blew np, I Haw
saw (dearly that they were all abataloned, anti on Ire, with trains to
their toitgaziees; and oat of the 17 vessels svhiell composed this for-
midable awl so illitt.ll vaunted flotilla, 16 were in qiiiek sue ee'sion
blown to moms, and the seventeenth (in which the fire had out taken)
we captnred. The Coremodore's sloe') was a large armed vessel;
the (eh. te were ginnboat all having a love gun in the bow, and a
earronede in the stern ; the calibre of the gnus and saintlier of the
crew of each differed in proportion to the size of the boat, varying,
from 32-peenders and en men, tell U-pounder; and an men. 1 foetid
lure, lying above the tietillo' tinder its protection, 13 merchant
sehooners, some +'f which not bring worth bringing away, I calmed
to he Vntait ; such as w etc in good condition 1 directed to he moved
to Pie Point. Whil.t employed in tal:ing these vessels, a few shot
were fired at nit by some of the men of the flotilla from the bushes
ma the show near us but tient. Scott, whom I bad landed for that
purpose, anon got hold of tlit in, and made them prisoners. Some
horsemen lii:ewise showed theee,elv es on the neighbouring heights,
but a rocket or tau dispersed them : and Captein Rohyns, who had
got possession of Pie Point without resistance, now spreading his
men throtigh the country, the enemy retreated to a distance, and
lett us in quiet possession of the town, the neighbourhood, and our
prizes.

.1% hrze quantity of tobaceo having been found in the town at
P.int, I have lett Captain llobytis, with the marines, and Cap-
tain Nfnme, with two divisions of the boats, to bold the place, and
ship the tot-Jeco into the Pilzes ; and I have moved back with the
third di vkion to this point. to enable me to confer on our tnture
°pc; t with the Major-Grueral, %vim has been good enough to
Nem, his A ide-iie.taitip to In me Id' his safe arrival, with the
,Iruly under his command, at Upper Ahiriinirmigh.
Iu congratutAting von. gir, which I do most sincerely. ort the COM'
n plete destructio of this flotilla of the enemy, hay lately oe-
copied lunch of our ut'eution, I must beg to be permitted to Rs-
Ante you, that the Owe) fill and indefati:•able exertions on this oc-
casion. of Captoins Wainwright, No-lupe, and Painter, and of Cap-
, twin Stillivau, the other Commanders, officers and wen, in the boats

:tots placed under my order., most justly entitle them to my
vrarn,est aeknow;edgments and my earnest recommendation to your
favourable notice.

I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed) G. COCKBURN, Rear-Admiral.
Vies-, dmiral the Hon. Sir Alexander
Cochrane, K.B. &c. &c. &c.

H. Majesty's sloop ITotlly, off Nottingham,
Patuxent, 27th Ang.lBl4.

have the honour to inform yon, that, agreeahly to the in.
tentions I notified to von in my letter of the Vol instant, I proceed.
ed by land on the' morning' of the -2n.1 to Uoper Marlborough, to
meet and confer Major-Gencral Ross as to our further opera-
tionb against the enemy ; and we were not lent; in agreeing on the
propriety of making an immediate attempt ou the city of Wash-
ington.
hi conformity, therefore, with the wishes of the General, I in-
xtaotly sent orders for our marine and naval forces at Pig Point, to
be forthwith sieved over to Mount Calvert, and for the marines,
iwitine artillery, and a proportion of the seamen to be there landed,
and %%MI the utmost possible expedition to join the army, which I
also most readily agreed to accompany.

The Major• General then made his dispositions, and arranged that
Captain Robyns, with the marines of the ships, should retain pos-
session of Upper Marlborough, and that the marine artillery and
seamen should follow the army to the ground it was to occupy for
the nizht. The army then moved on, and bivouaked before dark,
about five miles neater Washington.

In the night Captain Paltrier of the Hehrita, and Captain Money
of the 'f rave, joined us with the seamen and with the ma rine nrtiikmy,
under Captain Harrison. Captain IVainwright, of the Tonnant,
had accompanied roe the day before, as had also Lieut. James Scott,.
(Acting lit Lieutenant) °Effie Albion.
At t 1.13 light the morning of the 24th, the Major-General again put
the army in motion, directing his march upon Bladensburg; on
reaching- which place, with the advanced brigade, the enemy was
discovered drawn up in force on a rising ,round beyond the town;
and by the tire he soon opened on us as we entered the place. gave
tis to meterstaed he we, well protected with artillery. General
Ross, however, did not hesitate in immediately advancing to attack
him, although our troops %vela• ahnost exhausted with the fatigue of
the march they had just niade, and bat a small proportion of our
little army had yet got tqb: Ca, dashing measure was, however, I
am happy- to add crowned with the success it merited ; for, in spite
of the galliag file of the enemy, our troops advanced steadily on
both his flasks and in his trnat; and as soon as he arrived on even
ground 'aid, him, he fkA in every direction, leaving behind him
ten pieces of cannon, and a considerable number of killed and
wounded : amongst the latter Commodore Barney, and several
other officers ; sonic other prisnuers wet e also taken, though not
many, owing to the swiftness with which the enemy went oli, and
the fatigues our :only had previmuly undergone.
It would, Sir, be deemed presumption in inc to attempt to give
you particular details respectieg the natore of this bettle; i shall
theretore only remark general:y, that ;Ile tnemy, eight thousand
strong, on eround he had chosen as best adapted for him to defend,
adhere iie had had time to erect his batteries, and concert all hip
measures. was dislodged as soon as reached, and a victory gained
over hira by a di% i.oi of .he British army, not amounthig to more
than 15 hundred men: head( d by our Geiterai, whose. brilliant
achievement of this day it is beyond my power to dojw,tice to) and
inzieed no possible romaient could enhance.
rri:v ocamen, with the guns, were, to their great mortification.
with the rear-division during this short but decisive action ; those,
however, attached to the rocket brigade were in the battle, and I
remarked with mord' pleasure the precision with which the rockets
vere thrown by than, under the direction of Fit st Lieutenant
Lewrence of the marne artillery ; Mr. Jeremiah 11I'Danirl, master's
mate of die Toomel, a very fine young_man, who mo a% attached tot
this party, l eingsev. rely ,rotinded, I lieg permissiou to iecotismrnd
him to your 4'l%oi:table conAderation. e"nipany of matioes I
have on so ot•easiiies had can e to niciit;on to yoe, commanded
by rirst Lieutenant Stephens, «nom also in tire action, as were the
colonial marines, the temporery command of Capt Reed,
of the Oh West India regiment (these companies being .tJ,lciteti to
the 11,i4ade) amid Ciey resio etively behaved with their accus-
tomed zusl and bravery. None other of the nasal departaimuts

OCT. Q.

were fortunate enough to arrive up in time to take their she- re in
this battle, excepting Capt. Palmer, of the Hebrus, with his Aisle-de
Camp; Mr. Ai thur Wakefield, Midshipmen of that ship, and Dent,
James Scott, first of the Albion, who acted as my Aide-de-Camp, and
remained with me during the whole time.
The contest being completely ended, and the enemy having retired
from the field, the General gave the army about two hour's rest,
when he again moved forward on Washiigtou : it was, however,
dark before we reached the city, and on the General, myself, and
some officers ldvancing a short way past the first houses of the town,
without being accompanied by the troops, the enemy opened upon
us a very heavy tire of mnsketry, from die capitol and two other
houses : these were therefore almost immediately stormed by eur
people, taken posse4ion of, and set on fire, after which the town
submitted without further resistance.

The enemy himself, on our entering the town, set fire to the navy
yard tfille l with naval stores), a frigate of the largest class, almost
ready for launching, and a sloop of war laying off it, as he also did
to the tort which protected the sea approach to Washington.
On taking possession of the city, we also set fire.to the Presi-
dent's palae-", the treasury, and the war office; anti in the morning
Captain Wainwright went with a party to see that the destruCtion
in the navy-yard was complete, when he destroyed whatever stores
and buildings had escaped the flames of the preceding night ; a large
quantity of ammunition and ordnance stores were likewise destroyed
by us in the arsenal, as were about 200 pieces of artillery of dif-
ferent calibres, as well as a vast quantity of small arms. Two rope-
walks of a very extensive nature, full of tar rope, acc. sitmAte at a
considerable distance from the yard, were likewise set fire to and
consumed : in short, Sir, I do not believe a vestige of punfie pro-
perty, or a store of any kind, which could be converted to the use
•f the Government, escaped destruction ; the bridges across the
eastern branch and the Potowmack were likewise destroyed.
This general devastation being completed during the day of the
25th, we marched again at nine that night on our return, by Madens-
burr to Upper Mailborough.
We arrived yesterday evening at the latter without molestation of
any sort, indeed without a single musket having been fired ; and this
morning we moved on to this place, where I have found his Majesty's
sloop Mardy, the tenders, and the boats, and I have hoisted my flags
pro tempere, in the former. The troops will probably march to mor-
row, or the nest day at farthest, to Benedict for re-embarkation, and
this flotilla will of course join you at the same time.
In closing, Sir, my statement to you of the arduous and highly
important operations of this last week, I have been particularly in-
debted, whilst on this service, to Capt. Wainwright, of the Tonnant,
for the assistance he has invariably afforded me ; and to Capts Pal-
mer and Money, tOr their exertions during the march to and from
Washington. To Capt. Nourse, who has commanded the flotilla
during my absence, my acknowledgments are also most justly due, as
well as to Capts. Sullivan, Badcoek, Somerville, Ramsay, anti Bruce,
who have acted in it under him,

Lieut. J. Scott, now first Lieutenant of the Albion, has on this oc-
casion rendered me essential services ; and I have had reason so
often of late to mention to you the eallant and mei itorions conduct
of this wilco., I trust you dill permit me to seize opportunity of
recommending him particularly to your favourable notice and con-
sideration. _ _

Captain Robyns (the senior officer of the marines with the fleet) •
who has had, during these operations, the marines of the ships
united tinder his orders has executed ably and zealously the several
services with which he has been entrusted, and is entitled to my
best acknowledgments accordingly; as is also Capt. Harrison. of the
marine artillery, will, with the officers andoien attached to him, awes
comp :tried the army to and from ‘Vashington.
Mr. Dobie, Surgeon of the Melpomene, volunteered his proles-
siouxl !ler vices on this occasion, aid rendered much assistance to the
wounde.l on the field of battle, as well as to many of the men taken
•
ill on the !iue of march.

One colonial marine killed, en• master's mate, two serjeants, and
three colonial marines wounded, are the ra••nalties sustained by the.
naval department; a general-list of the b•'led and wounded of• the
la hole army n id, of course, accompany tne report of the Major-Ge.
neral. I have the honour to be, &c.

(Signed) G. COCKBURN, Re2r-Admiral.
Vice Admiral the Hon. Sir A. Cochrane, K. B. &c. &c. &c.
P. S. Two long mix-panty:lcr guns, fo.r,n.hattcry at Not-
tingham, were taken off' niid put on hoard the Brune, and one taken
at Upp°r Marlborough was destroyed. •