East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-05-30
The Invasion and Capture of
Washington in 1874.
From the Philadelphia Press.

Washington by the British forces under
Admirals Cockburn and Cockrane, viii
not be inappropriate; and as many o.
those strangers now at the capital may
feel interested To mark the localities
where the first general encounter occurr
ed and subsequent events took place
these will be noted briefly in the order
. in which they transpired.
During the early portion Of the sum
mer of 1914, Cockburn's feet lay along
the coast of Virginia. Maryland and the
Chesapeake, when they were joined, on
the Sd Of August, by Cochrano's fleet,
direct fran Bermuda, both together mum.
boring twenty sail.
Our Government was apprised of hos
tile intentions upon the Capital, but Gen.
Armstrong, then Secretary of War, pro-
iesscd disbelief in the rumors, and the
National hteMgeaeer, proverbialy eau.
tious then, a now, in its conclusions,
doubted the probability Of hostile inten.
tions upon the Capital.
President Madison, however, had taken
some precautionary steps by organizing
a militia organization, which he deemed
sufficient for the occasion, in addition to
fotilla of barges, bearing guns, placed
under the command of Captsin Joshua
Barney, aud intended to check fleets in
advancing towards the Capitol. But after
sailing up the bay, the troops disembark-
ed at Benedict, on the banks of the Pa
tuxent 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 aud
marched under the heat of midsummer
sun TO Bladensburg, which they reached
on the oath. BY adopting this route,
the flotila formed no protection to the
city, and, to prevent the guns and boats
from being taken and used against the
capital, they were blown up, on the morn
ing of the ODD, by order of VIM. Jones,
Secretary OF the Navy.
The approach of the troops under Ma
Robert Ross and Admiral
Cockburn, was watched by President
Madison in person, who directed eight
inexperienced aud undisciplin-
ed militia to Bladensburg, under the
command of Gen. Winder. to oppose the
four thousand British soldiers. Capt.
Barney, having destroyed the hotilla,
joined the militia under Gen. Winder,
with one hundred seamen aud his field
pieces. On the afternoon OF the 24th,
the British opened fire, which was sue
cessfully returned by Barney's sailors,
who maintained their position boldly,
while the raw recruits under Windcr,
kept respectful distance, who, rendering
little or no assistance with their muskets,
soon broke ranks aud turned their backs
upon the enemy. Barney s seamen fought
bravely, and their guns proved terribly
destructive To the enemy. He was over
come however, after three hours hard
lighting, tianked by superior numbers,
aud finally fell wounded by the side of
eleven of his men who we're killed at
their guns He ordered retreat and
gave himself up.
His bravery contrasted nobly with the
cowardice of the militia
Ca large portion Of the men were from
and if their sons to day, poss-
ess 10 moro of the elements essential to
successful warfare, they will do well to
make terms of peace with the northern
lads who propose to march through their
city on their way to Washington.) The
militia, without waiting for their COM
mander to sound a retreat, took sudden
leave of the battlefield, and made direct
line for the woods.
The British experienced severe loss
in their ranks, stated by the historian
Glcig, of the S5th Royal regiment, as high
as i've hundred killed, wounded and miss
ing. Col. Thorton, Commander of the
Light Brigade; Lieutenant Colonel Wood
Commander of the S5th Regiment, and
Major Brown, who led on the advance
troops, were severely wounded, while
Gen. Rose had horse killed under him.
The loss was small on the part Of Bar
ney's men; and the English author refer
ed to above, admits that il they had done
their duty the victory must certainly
have been on the American side. O(
Barney's hundred sailors he speaks in the
highest terms, remarkiug that mot only
did they serve their guns with quick
ness aud precision that astonished their
assailants, but they stood till some of
them were actually bayoneted with fuses
in their hands, nor was it till their leader
was woudded and taken, and they saw
themselves deserted on all sides by the
soldiers, that they Quilted the field"
Gen. Ross led the Third British Brig
ade into the city, and up to the Capitol,
on approaching which his horse was shot
from under him by one of Barncy's men
who had concealed himself in house for
that object. The house was Immediate
ly entered, the inmates put the sword
and the building and contents burned
A volley was then fred into the windows
Of the Capitol, when the troops entered.
Cockburn took the Speakers chair and
asked the following question: '''.''
"Shall this harbor of Yankee deinocra.
cy be burned All for it says aye"
He reversed the question, declared it
carried, and ordered the torch to be put
to the building. 1t was soon in flames.
As prudential step, the Secretary Of
the Navy ordered Commodore Tingcy to
fire the navy.yard, which, with the sloop
of war Argus, (ten guns) FIVE armed bar
yes, two gun boats and all the naval
storoe vyo,a consioned 10 the flamea