Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-08-26

which had so long been cramped and
confined on board ship" According
TO their own account they rested al
night between Benedict and Noting
ham, all night at Nottingham, allnight
at Upper Marlborough, and all night
at their bivouac near the Long Old
Fields, with nothing to disturb their re-
pose or self-complacency. They seemed
rather ON Q picnicing excursion than on
march to seize . nations capital By
force. After the night spent ID Upper
Marlborough, "The Subaltern" says -
"Fresh aud in excellent spirits, we rose
next morning, and, having stood the us
ual time with our men, began to con-
slider how we should most profitably
and agreeably spend the day." A
pleasant subject of consideration sure
" for officers of an invading army -
He soon tells US the result Of these
councils. ''The attacks, he says, (which
they from time otime made upon farm
yards and pig-styes were, to certain
degree at least, allowable enough. 1t
would have been unreasonable to expect
that hungry soldiers, in an enemy's
country" (and evidently unprotected)
''would sit down to digest their hum
ger, while focks of poultry and herds
of swine were within their reach. And
then, with regard to tobacco, that prin-
cipal delicacy of soldiers upon active
service, there was no reasonable cause
for scarcity or complaint" Truly the
enjoyment of the British may be i'm
agined better even than described
Stuffing themselves with pigs and poul-
try, rolling about in the grass, and So
lacing the plethora with whiting the
best Maryland tobacco. They were in
the seventh heaven; but even to British
soldiers, feasting literally on 'the fat of
the land" there was an eighth; for
"The Subaltern" adds "To sum up all,
the quartermaster arriving soon after
the halt with stores of bread apd rum,
an additional allowance of both was
served out, as well to the men as to the
officers" From this account we can
well see why British maidens should
love the British soldiers for "the dam
gers they had passed" on the march to
Bladensburg. We can also see why the
same soldiers, if they had not gorged
too much, ought to have been by the
morning of the oath of August in rath-
er good condition, full Of pig and spirit,
as well as "rum and true religion"
The President and some members of
the cabinet were at Winder's headquar-
ters near the Eastern Branch Bridge ON
the morning of the 24th. Ascertain.
ing and observing the approach of the
festive British troops under Ross and
the President went in per-
son to meet them, attended by some
eight thousand raw and undisciplined
people to the heights of Bladensburg.
This ''army of defence" was, as before
stated, under the actual command of
Brigadier- general Winder. Commodore
Barney, after giving orders for the de-
struction of his fiotllla, joined the army
with four hundred seamen and some
ld-pieces.
At about one o'clock in the afternoon
the British opened fire upon the Ameri-
can lines, which was replied to by des-
tructive fire from Barney's guns, prompt
ly checking any advance, and complete
ly clearing the road.
1t is stated in explanation of the dis
graceful conduct Of the "army that
General Winder was 10th to expose the
citizens of Washington and Baltimore
who composed the ranks, to destruction
by British regulars,-and the militia
men, partaking naturally of the same
spirit, took to their heels and fled into
the woods without waiting for their pru-
dent general to sound the retreat. -
The bard above quoted describes the
battle and the retreat, ''the time that
tried mems soles," with the following
sly satirical touch:
AT length. along the turnpike road,
The Redcoats came, indeed;
They reached the little bridge, but there
We checked their daring sped.
Whene'er they tried, we swept aside
I heir ranks with cannon ball.
Till pity spread throughout our troops
To see somany fall
In mercy. we resolved to run,
Yet were we not afraid;
And lest our noble action should
Unkindly he repaid,
We efi the bloody field. and sought
The deep and tangled wood,
Where every man in such course ran
As to himself seemed good"
A very simple and suggestive COM
mentary on the discussion relating to
the battle, and the merits or dement's
of those who distinguished themselves
in the fight or fight, supplied by the
following contemporaneous lines, which
were found written with charcoal on
the four-mile stone leading to Bladens-
burgh, near the position occupied by
Barney and his men. The hands point
ed in the direction where the men fought
or fled.
cs- Here fought Commodore Barney, 4.
So nobly and so gallansiy,
Against Britain's sons and slavery,
For fighting man was he.
) - There did General winder fee,
His infantry and cavalry,
Disgraeing the cause Of liberty.
For writing man was he.
General Ross led the third British
brigade into the City of Washington,
and as he approached the Capitol bis
horse was shot under him by one OF
Barney's sailors, who had taken posi-.
tion in . house for that purpose. The
inmates of the house were put to the
sword ut once. and the house set in
flames. The troops being marshalled
in front Of the Capitol, a volley was fred
in through the windows, after which
the soldiers entered, and set to wori
preparing it's destruction.
Mounting the speakers chair, Admi
ral Coekhurn facetiously assumed th.