Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1814-09-15

tore my arrival in the city, a committee of
the inhabitants of Georgetown, of whom
Alexander Z. Hanson, editor Of the FEEDER.
al Republican was one. had waited on the
President, by deputdtion. and had obtain
ed from him a promise, that | should no
longer direct the military d~efences of the
District On this fact, all commentary is
unnecessary.
III but remains to exhibit and to answer
the several charges raised against me and
winch form the groundwork of that excite.
ment, to which the president has deemed
prudent to sacrifice his authority, in de-
elinlng to support mine. They are as fol.
LIST. That from i'll will to the p;str;c,
of Columbia, and a design to remove rho
seat OF government) gave orders for the
retreat OF the army, in the affair of the
Gath ult. under circumstances not MAKING
retreat necessary or proper.
This charge has not for its support the
shadow of truth. The commandine oener.
al will do me the justice to say. that gave
him no such order, and that he was ard "a
under the impression, that the retreat was
made earlier than ] believed il to he nro.
per. To the President appeal, whether /
dld not point out the disorder and retreat
OF a part OF the first line, soon after the
action began, and stigmatise it as base and
infamous.
ed. That in despite ofthe remonstran ces
of Gen. Winder, and by the inlerposi,ion
of my authority, l had prevented him from
defending the Capital.
rms charge contains in it a total perver.
sion of the truth. When the head of the
retiring column reached the Capital. it was
halted for a moment. Gen. Winder here
took occasion to state to Mr.. Monroe and
myself, that he was not in condition to
maintain another conflict and that his force
was broken down by fatigue and dispersi.
on. Under this representation. we united
IN opinion, that he should proceed to oc-
cupy the heights of Georgetown.
ID. That | had withdrawn the covering
party from the rear of Fort Washington
and had ordered Capt. Dyson to blow up
the fort without firing a gun.
This charge is utterly devoid of truth
The covering party was withdrawn by an
order from Gen. Winder, and Capt. Dy-
sons official report shews, that the orders
under which he acted, we're derived from
the same source, though, no doubt, mis-.
taken or misrepresented.
4th. That by my orders, the NAVY Yard
had been burned. This, like its predeces.
sors, is a postige falsehood.
perceiving that no order was taken for
apprisIng Commodore Tingcy of the re-
treat OF the army, l sent Major Bell to
communicate the fact and to say, that the
Navy Yard could no longer be covered
The commodore was of course left to fol-
low the suggestions of his own mind. or
70 obey the orders, if orders had been
given, of the navy department.
9Th. And lastly, that means had not
been taken to collect a force sufficient for
the occasion.
AS the subject Of this charge may very
soon become one Of congressional enqui-
ry. l shall at present make but a few re-
marks:
list. That no means within reach of the
war department had been omitted or with
held, that a separate military district, en-
bracing the seat of government, had been
created that an officer Of high rank and
character had been placed in charge OF il,
that to him was given full authority to cali
for supplies and for a militia force Of fifteen
. thai W tHlS IOECB was EGu-
ed the 36th regiment of the line, a bat.
talon of the 38th, attachments ofthe 18th.
of the artillery, and of the dragons, the
marine corps and the crews of the Aorilla,
under the special command of Commodore
Barney making a total of $1,000 men.
Gen. Winder's official report of the en-
gagement of the Gath ult. shews, how
much of this force had been assembled,
and the causes why a greater portion of it
had not been got together. These will be
found to have been altogether extraneous
from the government, and entirely beyond
its controul: and
I'd. That from what is now known of
the enemy's force, of the loss he sustained
in the enterprise, of the marks of panic un-
der which he retreated &c. &c. it is OBJ
vious, that if all the troops assembled at
Bladensburgh, had been faithful to them
selves and to their country, the enemy
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