Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1851-08-09
THE DAILY SPY.
From the Green Mountain Freen,an)
Slavery and the Capture Of Washington
City in 1914.
SINGULAR REVELATION.

SINGULAR REVELATION.
Those who have attentiveIy read the history of
our last with Great Britain, may have noted
that when the British in the Chesapeake evinced
their intention OF making descent on either Bati-
more or Washington, the President and his Cabinet
ordered the regular force TO be stationed at the Pa
tuxent for the protection of the former, and made
reqpIson on Pennsy lyania, Maryland and Virginia
for 10000 militia for the defence of the latter the
number apportioned to Maryland being 5000, and
to virginia, for some reason other, but 2, 0OO men,
And they may have further observed that when the
American forces made, near Badensburgh their
stand against the British, who had now shown their
destination to be the National Capitol, the Virginia
militia, though known, many days previous, 10 have
been on their way, and within fifty miles of the
scene OF action, were still unaccountably absent,
and so continued until our army, being unable. for
want OF numbers, to cope with the enemy fell back
towards Georgetown, when one Virginia regiment,
not numbering, probably, over one-fourth Of the res
CURED 1000. for the first time, reached the ground
but constituted both too small and too late an Access
sion to be of any service in saving the Capitol from
the vanda conaagration that followed.
In reading the history of this humiliating event,
we used to wonder, have doubtless many others.
where were the militia of the once gallant old Do
mInion, that they did not fly, the first alarm, to
the defence of the menaced Capitol, which stood so
directly on her borders; and were never able to
Ind any solution to the mystery till we subsequently
became temporary resident of the northern part Of
Virginia, the section upon which the requsition for
the aforementioned number of militia had been
made. Here we learned from the current testimony
OF the best informed, the following fact, which, as
nothing of the kind has ever been published, we
must be content TO state own responsibility:
When the requlsitlon on Virginia reached, through
her Governor, General Madison, who was brother
of President Madison, and who was, at the time.
the commandant of that division of the militia
whose services were required, he promptly issued
his orders, collected his quota, and commenced his
march for the scene of action. Scarcely, however.
had bis force passed from Orange, CuIpepper. Mad
lson, and other adjoining counties, from which il had
been Principally raised, before the slaves in all that
section were seen to be in commoton. A rumor il
appeared, the source of which nobody knew, had
suddenly spread everywhere among them, that some
powerful foreign prince, from Africa, we believe
they mad IT. with sufficient force to accomplish his
purpose, had arrived the coast to give freedom TO
the slaves of Virginia. This rumor soon becoming
confirmed news with them, they simultaneously
quilted work, and without manestng the least dis
position to inJure the whites began in their joyful
excitement, TO run from plantation TO plantation.
collect In bodies, and prepare to go off TO meet their
expected deliverers
The white inhabitants, in the meantime, who, as
has ever been the case with the whole South were
sensitlvely alive to the fear of slave insurrecton.
and were now thoroughly alarmed by this movement
among the blacks, as harmless was the shape il
had taken, sent off express after express to General
Madison whose force had made temporary halt in
the vicinity of the Potomac, from which it was upon
he point of moving on 10 Washington, and begred
nm to return with his troops to que the app5e-
lended lnsurrection of the slaves This at once
completely paralyzed the movements Of General
Madison.
tie Immediately marched back with the PRINCIPAL
'art OF his force leaving the rest we believe. TO re-
nam on the spotto await the event. and be in readi
less to return also, if wanted. Finding, however!
few days, that the forces with which he had rel
urned, We're sufficient to overawe the slaves, though
he dare not again withdraw them from the infected
strlct, he finally sent orders to the remnant hehad
ell on the Potomac to move on to Washington. as
hey then did, but reached the place. as before
lated, too late to be of any service.
II the opinions Of the military men Of the day. in
eemng The battle of Bladensburg to be of an indie
lsve character, and in considering that small adj
ltional force would have enabled the Americans 70
ave there made successful stand, were well
Dunded, who need doubt that had the Virginia Brig
de, which had thus been recalled and kept TO take
are OF the slaves, been on the ground in season.
ne fortunes of the day had been with US, and the
National Capitol saved from destruction?
70 Southern men who talk of disunion, and
Northern men who believe that it will ever be seri-
usy attempted by the former, the fact we have
ust stated should be alike significant and instructive.
Let them ponder upon it.