The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1880-09-16
CAPTURE OF WASHINGTON


CAPTURE OF WASHINGTON
An Event that Occurred sixty-six Yenr- Ago
"A superior Force Of HiIitin KeIrenting
Before the Advance Of the Brifi-b-How the
Portrait Of Gen. Washington wns saved.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25-Sixty-six years ago
yesterday, the city of " Washington was captured
by British troops, and the Capitol and other
public buildings were burned The capture of
the city was preceded by the hattie of Bladens-
burg. Accounts of this battle differ. Mr.. Los
sing says that hot engagement occurred he
tween a superior force of the enemy and the
American troops, before the latter retreated and
that 800 Englshmen were killed and wounded.
Mr.. Nicholas Callan, old resident of Wash
ington, who, although boy when the battle
occurred, remembers it very distinctly, says that
very little fighting was done, and that a superb
or force of militia rctreated pell nell before the
advance of the British As Mr.. Callan's father
was one of the militia, his sons version is likely
to be correct. Much nonsense has been written
about the capture of Washington. The fact is,
that the catastrophe was mainly due to the
fears of Gen. Armstrong, then Secretary of
War, and the cowarlice of a large force of
poorly drilled militia. Both Gen. Armstrong
and the militia We're afterward censured by a
committee of Congress, which was appointed to
investigate.
In July, 1sl4 it was rumcred that n large
force of British soldiers had sailed from the
the shores Of Chesapeake Bay, and destroying
| Baltimore and Washington. No particular fears
| seem to have been entertained for the safety of
| the capital by President Madison and his Cabi-
net Gen. Winder was i'll command of the
| Fourth Military District, which embraced the
District of Columbia, and he had 1900 men,
scattered over quite large of country, I'M
der him. As as the British, under command
| of Gen. Ross, who was afterward killed at the
battle of North Point landed al Benedict ON the
Ishn nt he 'htsSa Infiar
impressed with the fact that Washington would
| he assaulted. He communicated his fears to
| Mr.. Madison, and Is, 900 militia from Maryland,
| Virginia, and the District of Columbia, were
| placed at his disposal. Commodore Barney
| came up the Potomac to the PatuXcnt River
| with a schooner and thirteen armed barges, and
| sailed up that stream to its head waters, where
| he thought he was safe from pursuit, and joined
| his forces to those of Gen. Winder. Gen. Ross
/ marched through Marlborough directly upon
| Washington. Mr.. LOSING says that Gen. Win
der had 5000 effective men. He probably had
| 1000 ineffective militiamen besides. The num-
| her of Commodore Barney's men is not given.
On the night of the 2;a of August, lsI4, il was
known in Washington that the British were ap-
preaching. The American troops were stationed
| on the old Baltimore and Washington turnpike,
a short distance west of Biadensburg, village
about six miles from this city. Gen. Ross was
| marching his troops down the pike toward
Washington.
| At about o'clock on the morning of the oath,
| the Cabinet met AT the Executive Mansion, pre-
| paratory to a visit to the battlefield. About an
hour later, the party set out ON horseback, at
| tended by Il small escort for the scene of the
| fight Upon their arrival the camp was found
| to he in great confusion and disorder. panic
| seemed tn prevail among the militiamen. The
marines and sailors under Commodore Barney
| preserved better order. Mr.. Madison became
| convinced that the fight would end disastrously
for the American troops. He dsmounted from
his horse and ordered messenger TO ride as rap
| idly as possible to the Executive Mansion and ill.,
| form Mrs Madison To leave the city with all pos
sible speed. She packed what articles of value
could he conveniently carried in a carriage, and
| started for Mr. Madison's place, ut Montpelier,
| Va. Before her departure she directed two
| servants, John Lowri and Thomas McGratll, Ia
remain i'll the building, and, in ease it was
fired by the troops to save the famous portrait
of Washington, by Stuart. These domestics,
| finding that they cond not save the picture
| with its frame, cut il out and sccreted it. II
| now hangs in the White House. A vast amount
of gush has been written about the preservation
of this picture. Even Mr.. LOSING, in one of his
| hooks describes Mrs. Madison saying to a
couple of gentlemen who Informed her Of the
victory of the British: Save that picture; save
or destroy it, hut do not let it fall into the hands
of the British"
The battle began at about noon, and Commo
dore Barney's men stood the brunt of il for some
time. He was finally wounded. The militia
proved worthless, and Gen. Armstrong ordered
a retreat. The Iaen fled in all directions, throw
| in. away their arms and equipments, and dash
ing their coats tn the ground the better TO facii
tate flight. Most of them came through Wash
ington, and dispersed toward different points il
Maryland and Virginia. Mr.. Madison followed
his wife. Every able-botied man in Washing
ton, excepting the Romano atholic priest, had
gone to the front. When they returned, most %
them found that their families had already FLED
from the city. The British entered the city al
about ; y. M. While marching down Maryland
.l...t e..
from private house owned by gentleman
named Sewall, at Gen. Ross. He was not hurt
His horse was killed, however, and the troops
surrounded the house and burned it to tn
ground. Who fired the shot has never been dis
covered. The troops encamped at the foot a
Capitol Hill, where the Botanical Gardens ar,
| now located. That night they fired the Capito
and the Executive Mansion. The light of tn,
confagTation seen, it is said, MS far as Bal
timore, forty miles distant. Only the walls u
the buildings were left standing.
On the following morning the British set fir
| to the Treasury, Il two-story brick building q
modest dimensions, which stood where the pres
ent Treasury building is located, an the eorne
| of Fifteenth street and Pennsylvania avenue
The War and Navy Department buildings, whcl
We're built where the present imposing structure
now nearly completed, stands, On the corner q
Seventeenth street and Pennsylvania avenue
were next fired. The affairs of State and tn
| postal business of the young Republic were con
Quoted from offices in private residences. The.
f Were not harmed after firing the War and Nav.
Departments. Gen. Ross marched his troops 4
the corner of Fifteenth and + streets, and drew
them up before building occupied by the Banl
of the Metropolis, now the National metropolitan
! | Bank. This institution had loaned the Govern
ment $500, 900, and the plate from which its note
were printed bore the words, "a depository o
| the Government" Some of these notes had fall
en- into the possession of the British, and Gen
, Ross believed it to he a Government bank. ii
was preparing to fire it, when a citizen infnrine
, him that it private institution, and ha
t no connection with the Government, beyon
, making the loan above referred to- ''Besides,
+ said this honest citizen, the story goes, 81
you burn this property, you will destroy tn
sole support of a poor Irish widow, connir
woman of yours"
''She must he a - poor Irish widow, to ow
such valuable property in Washington, sal
Gen. Ross. savagely, but he did not destroy III
building.
! The British remained in camp here about forty
eight hours and then left the city by the sam
route they had entered it. No demonstration
were made against them, hut they appeared
2 fear the return of the American troops in large
numbers, and animated with more courage tina
they had shown before.