Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1879-03-18

''E!Oquenee the soul-sopE moves the sense"
OIiltOn.'
When the British army and marines under
General Ross and Admiral Cockburn, de.
barked from the ships at Benedict, in Au-
gust, 1914, to attack the Capitol of the
United States, they marched inland through
Prince Georges county, Maryland. On the
route to BlsdeDsburg the enemy passed
through the villages of Nottingham and
Upper Marlborough, resting for some time
at the latter place. Upper Marlborough is
the county.sea of Prince Georges, and is q
picturesque place distant about sixteen miles,
in southeasterly direction from Washing
ton. The people have always been noted for
hospitality and intelligence, and many dis.
tinguished men have been born in Upper
Marlborough, the late famous lawyer, Rev
erdy johnson, having been one OF them. aud
at an early dare the iIIus.rious Archbishop
Carroll, tho first Catholic Bishop in the
United States, and the friend of Washington
and Franklin, having been another of Marl-
borough's sons. A. the time of which l
write there lived in this place DIR. Beabes,
a gentleman of high standing, whose capture
by the enemy, strange as it may seem,
afforded the occasion to Francis Scott Key
for the composition OF our majestic national
anthem, the Star Spangled Banner.
The late Roger b Taney, Chief Justice of
the United States in a letter to Chas. How
ard, son in law of Mr.. Key, written on the
18th of March. 1856, speaks of DR.. Beanes
in the following terms:
"Dr, Beanes. as perhaps you know, was
the leading physician in Upper Marlborough
and al accom- plished gentleman and scholar.
He was highly respected by all who knew
him; was the family physician OF MIR. West,
and the intimate friend of Mr.. Key. He oc-
cupied one of the best houses in Upper
Marlborough, and lived very handsomely
and his house was selected for the quarters
of Admiral Coekb burn and some of the prin>
cpal officers of the army. when the British
troops encamped at Marlborough on their
march to Washington. These officers were
of course furnished with everything that the
house could offer; and that in returntreated
him with much courtesy, and placed guards
around his grounds and outhouses to prevent
depredations by their troops"
we'll remember, Mr.. Editor, the dear old
homestead which the renowned Chief JUS
tice thus describes as many years after the
death of Mr. Beanes il came into the pos
session of my father, and l passed my child>
hood in it and lived there for about 10 years.
often spent hours in dcciphering the Curl
Gus and lengthy epitaphs on the old tomb.
stones of DR.. Beaues' aud the various mem-
bers of his family, for it was the custom in
those days to have the graveyard on the pri.
vate premises of the residents; aud the burial
place OF the Beanes family was in the ada
cent grounds, surrounded by a high brick
wall, covered with honeysuckles. and the
cemetery was embowered in the foliage Of
rvpreeI and nfhnr deci6unns
The British forces, after leaving Marlbo-
rough, as is we'll known, engaged the Ameri-
can troops at BIadcnsburg, only six or seven
miles from Washington, and, after sharp
battle, routed the Americans aud put them
to fight. The flight became a panic, in
which the people Of Washington partook
with the army, everybody going off, helter-
skelter. as if the only object in life was to
put the greatest possible distance between
himself or herself and the Red Coats. a
satirical poet of the day depicts President
Madison and James Monroe. then Secretary
of State, as joining the "Bladensburg
Races
away went Madison-away
Monroe vent at his heels
and ali the wGile the lab'ripR back
merry thumping feeIs:
Shot from an hrcher's bow,
So did he fy-se after him
As swiftly did Il Monroe.
He rode expreEs. for he first bore
the news 70 Frederick town,
Nor stopped from where he first got mp
TIL lie again got down"
After burning the Capitol, the Presidents
House, the public buildings and other prop
erty, and committing other barbarous acts,
the Yandals returned hastily to their ships.
on the Patuzent river The main body Of
the British army had passed through Upper
Marlborough on their way back to Noting
ham, when the inhabitans of the former
place were subjected to an irruption BY
stragglers, who had lurked in the rear for
the purpose of pIunder. These frsebooters
committed so many excesses that DR.. Beanes
placed himself at the head of small body OF
the ci,izsps of the neighborhood, and going
out in pursuit of the stragglsrs overlook
them and made them prisoners When the
news of this affair reached the BrItIsh com
| manders, they decided to retaliate on Dr-
Beapes. and sent back a strong body OF sold
| iers to Upper Marlborough. A detachment
entered the Doctors house about midnight,
and hurried him out of bed, hardly allowing