The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1861-05-29
The Invasion and Capture
of Washington in 1914,

reference to the invasion and the ercum,
stances attending the capture of Wash
ington, by the British forces. under .Ad-
mirals Cockburn and Cochrane, will not
be Inappropriate; and as many OF those
strangers now at the Capitol may feel in
terested to mark the localities where the
FIST general encounter occurred and sub.
sequent events took place, these will be
noted briefly in the order in which they
transpired.
During the early portion of the summer
of 1914, Cockburn's fleet lay along the
coast of Virgins, Maryland and the,
Chesapeake, when they were Joined, on
the Sd of August. by Cochraps's fleet,
direct from Bermuda, both numbering to-
getherl twenty sail. Our Government,
was app:ised of hostile intentions upon
the capital, but General Armstrong, then
Secretary of War, professed to disbelieve
in the rumors, and the National Intelli-;
gencer, proverbially cautious then, as now,
in its conclusions, doubted the probability
of hostile intentions upon the capital. !,
President Madison, however. had Ia
ken some precautionary steps, by order.
ing militia organization, which he
deemed sufficient for the occasion, in ad
dition to a fotilla of barges, bearing
guns, placed under the command of Capt.
Joshua Barney, and intended to check
the fleets in advancing towards the capt
tai. But after sailing up the bay, the
troops disembarked at Benedict, on the
haoks of the Patuxent river, on the Goth
of August. On the following day the.
army, consisting of four thousand men,
took up their march toward the infant
city They were without artillery or
cavalry, and marched under the heat. Of
midsummer sun to Bladensburg. which
they reached on the Oath By adopting
this route, the fotilla afforded no protec-
tion to the city. and, TO prevent the guns
or boats from being nsed against the cap
tal, they were blown up the morning of
the 22d, by order of William Jones, the
Secretary of the Navy: 3S Ea-fi s.~
The approach of the troops under Ma.
;or General Robert Ross and admiral
Cockburn, was watched by Presiden,
Madison in person, who. directed eight
thousand inexperienced and undisciplinee
militia to Bladensburg, under the com
Emand Of Gen. Widder, to oppose the foul
thousand British soldiers. Capt. Barney
having destroyed the fotills, joined the
military force of Gen. Winder, with on,
hundred seamen and his field pieces. o,
the afternoon of the oath, the British
opened Ere, which was successfully re
turned by Barney's sailors, who maintain
ed their position nobIy, while the raw re
cruits under Winder kept at a respectful
distance, who, rendering little or no ser
: vice with their muskets, soon broken rank
and turned their backs upon the enemy
, Barney's seamen fought bravely, and thei
guns proved terribly destructive to th
enemy. He was overcome, however sfte
three hours hard sighting, fanked b
: superior numbers, and finally fell wounde
by the side of eleven of his men who wer
{ killed at their guns. He ordered retrea
i and gave himself up. His bravery cor
trasted molly with the disgrsceful coward
: ice, of the militia ca large portion {
: the men were from Baltimore; and If the
9 sons Of to-day possess no more of th
elements essential to successful warfar
j. they will do welit make terms of peae
With the Northern lads who propose
march. through their city on their way
thecapitol.) The militia, without waitiu
o for their comniande. to sound q retrea
r, took sudden leave of the battle Held, an
made d direct line for the woods. 81
British experienced severe loss In the
g ranks, stated by the historian Gleig, of Il
s5th Royal Regiment. as high as g.
hundred men killed, wounded and missin
ID Colonel Thornton, commander of Il
is Light Brigade; Lieutenant Colonel Woo
9, commander of the 85th Regiment; al
t, Major Brown, who led on the adyan
Ill troops, were severely wounded, while Ge
b. Ross had horse killed under him. II
,e loss was small on the part of Barney
70 men, and the English author referred
he above admits that if the militia had dol
ur their duty the victory would undoub;ed
r. have been on the American side.
w Barney rs hundred sailors he speaks in t
al highest terms, remsrking that mot on
It. did they serve their guns with quickne
h. and precisionsthat astonished their sssa
ay hants, but yitheY stood tiEls some of The
were actually bsyoueted with fuses
of their hands; nor was 1t till their lead
an was wounded and taken, and they 81
ce themselves deserted on all sides by
e. soldiers that they Quilted the field. "asa
ne f. Gen. Ross led third British briga
as into the city, and up to the Capitol,
approaching which his horse was 81
from under him BY one of Barney's M
Who had concealed himself in house
Ter that object. The house was immediat
eat entered, the inmates put to the swo
on and the building and contents burn
ley A yolley was fred into the windows of
Capitol when the troops entered. CO.
burn took the Speakers chair, and ash
ore the question, "Shall this harbor Of Y
red kee Democracy be burned! All for
Il the nuouts