The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1861-05-08
The Invasion and Capture of Washingto
in 1914.

cnmStanceS attending the capture vi
Washington, by the British forces,
under Admirals Cockburn and Coch-
rane, will not be inappropriate.
During the early portion of the
summer of 1914, Cockburn's fleet lay
along the coast of Virginia, Mary
land, and the Chesapeake, when they
were joined, on the third of August,
by Cochrane's fleet. direct from Ber-
muda, both numbering together TWEEN
ty sail. Our Government was appri-
sed of hostile intentions upon the cap
ital, but General Armstrong, then
Secretary of War, protested disbe-
lief in the rumorS, and the National
Mteliigencer, proverbially cautions
then, as now, in its conclusions,
doubted the probability of hostile in
tenlions upon the capital.
President Madison, however, had
taken some precautionary steps, by
oruering a militia organization, which
he deemed sufficient for the occasion,
in addition to to hotilia of barges,
bearing guns placed un Ter the com
mand Of Capt Joshua Barney, and
intended to check fleets in advancing
toward the capital But after sailing
up the bay, the troops disembarked at
Benedict, on the banks of the PatuXent
river, on the Goth of August. On
the following day the army, consis-
ting of four thousand men, took up
their march towards the infant city.
They were without artillery or taVal-
~. and marched under the heat of
midsummer sun to Blade>burg. which
they reached on the oath. BY adop-
ting this route, the hotilla afforded no
prot lection to the city, and, to prevent
the guns or boats from being taken
and used against the capital, they
were blown up on the morning of the
22d, by order of VIM Jones, the Sec
rotary of the Navy.
The approach of the troops under
Mai. Gen. Robert Ross and Admiral
Cockbnrn, was watched by President
Madison in person. who directed eight
thousand inexperienced ard undiscip-
lined militia to Bladensburg, under the
command of Gen Winder, to oppose
TIE four thousand British soldiers
Capt. Barney, having destroyed the
flotilla, joined the military force OF
Gen. Winder, with one hundred sea-
men and his ield-pieces. On the at
ternoon of the oath, the British opened
fire, Which was successfully returned
by Barney's sailors, who maintained
their position nobly, while the raw re-
cruits, under Winder, kept at re-
spectful distance, who, rendering little
or no service with their muskets, soon
broke ranks and turned their backs
upon the enemy. Barney's seamen
fought bravelv, and their guns proved
terribly destructive to the enemy. He
was overcome, however, after three
hours bard fighting, flanked by su-
perior numbers, and finally fell woun-
ded by Il e side of eleven of his men
who were killed at their guns. He
ordered retrea', and gave himself up.
The militia, without waiting for
their commander to sound retreat,
took sudden leave of the battle field,
and made direct line for the woods.
The British experienced a severe loss
in their ranks, stated by the historian
Glcig, of the S5th Royal regiment, as
high as five hundred men killed,
wounded, and missing. Colonel Thorn
ton, commander of the Ligh! Brig AIDE;
Lieutenant Colonel Wood, comman-
der of the S5th regiment and Major
Brown, who led on the advance troops
were severely wounded, while General
Ross had horse killed under him
The loss was small on the part of Bar
ney's men and the English author re-
ferred to above admits that if the
militia had done their duty the vic
tory wonld undoubtedly have been on
the American side. OF Barney's hun
dred sailors he speaks in the highest
terms, remarking that " not only did
they serve their guns with a quick
ness and precision which astonished
their assailants, but they stood till
some Of them were actually bayonetted
with fuses in their hands; nor was it
till their leader was wounded and
taken, and they saw themselves deser-
ted on all sides by the soldiers, that
they quilted the field"
Gen. Ross led the Third British
Brigade into the city, and up to the
Capitol, on approaching which his
horse was shot from under him by one
of Barney's men, who had concealed
himself in a house for that object =
The honse was Immediately entered,
the inmates put to the sword, and the
building and contents burned. A volley
was fred into the windows OF the
Canitol. when the troops entered -