Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-12-18

with Indignation the charge that we were died.
Gent In personal courage, candor compels me 20
COME: hat when our backs were turned upon
Of Ses fad Of and
Kept 1t up until we reached the city. Some
continued on TO Montgomery county. and few
did not stop until they reached the Allegheny
mountains"
CHARCOAL SKETCH.
The following lines were found, written with
charcoal on the four milestone leading to Bla-
densburg, near to the place where Commodore
Barney made his gallant defence:
THE hands point In the direction ,chere the men
fought or ted.l
H Here fought Commodore Barney,
So nobly and so gallantly;
Against Britan's sons and slavery,
For nghtlng man was he.
-ea There did General WInder flee,
His infantry and cavalry,
Disgracing the cause OF liberty
For Writing man was he!
THE BRITISH IN WASHINGTON.
What was left of the army under General
Winder made no halt In Washington. but con-
tinued The retreat under his orIer across RICK
Greek and behind Georgetown. On The night OF
the oath, the British camped on Capitol HILL
The next day Cockourn spent In riding round
the City On mare, followed By her colt, and
superintending the work or firing the public
buildings. Mr. Gales, one OF the editors OF the
Ndti01dt InteHigrHcel', was an EngliShman by
birth and this circumstance, with MS loyalty
TO his adopted country, aroused the wrath Of
Cockburn. SO he gratified himself by destroy
Ing the presses. type, furniture aud fixtures OF
the Office and throwing them out or che win
dows, and In burning the library. Among the
private houses burned was the house Of Nj.
Robert SeWall; the houses built by General
Washington on Capitol Hill; Daniel Carroil's
large hotel, and Mr.. FrOst's house on Capitol
Hill and the rope walks OF Tench King
gold, Heath & Co., aud John Chalmers
Assisted by negroes they plundered the houses
OF Mr.. A. Mccormick. Mr.. D. Rapine and Mr..
w. Elliot. They also defaced the monument
which stood west OF the Capitol, erected to
commemorate the heroes who fell In the war
with TripolL They burned down the Senate
Hoase ana 1ne HOUSE House. OF h the
departments. and the Post O1ice. The Patent
Ofice alone escaped destruction, through the
interceSsion OF Mr.. VIM. f. Thornton an Egg
lshman by birth and superintendent OF patents
who by the way seems to have found moro
favor In Cockburn's eyes than his brother Eng
lshman Gales The library OF Congress was
uon OF the workshops at the navy
yard. the public stores, Fort Washing
ton ahs and ndder tho sIIoop o. Of war S was just
ton OF the public buildings was an act worthy
only OF barbarians, but was sanctioned by the
British government. The estimated value of
property destroy ed was over one million OF dol
lars The British boosted that collation. had
been spread at the Presidents house TO enter.
tain the victorious Americans returning from
pie decamped so precipitately that they left the
viands On the table and wine In the coolers
II is fact that President Madison, Mr.. Jones,
Secretary of the Navy: Gen. Mason OF Analos
tan Island; Charles Carroll, OF Bellevue: Tench
Ringgold and Benjamin Rush had crossed the
POTOMAC To the Virginia side. whence they wit
neSSSd the grand spectacle of the conf 3gration;
put the story OF the British eating the banquet
which these gentlemen were to grace Is q eX-
aggeration: They found some cold vlctuals for
the servants.
The following anecdote will cory, IN cbo,p tha
complete suojugation OF the city The first
CODY or the enemy that entered Washington
was 2co men; These retired to their camp that
night two miles distant, and sentry who had
been posted on Capitol hill, near the Intelligent
cel' ONCE, was, through accident, not relieved,
and had to remain. lie held undisturbed pos,
session or the city until next morning. The
british silently ard stealthily evacuated the
city on the evening of the Goth, and reached
their shipping in safety.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION.
The following from Mr.. Snms, the gentle
man before alluded 10, is a graphic description:
with several Of my comrades remained In
the city all night, hiding in the woods, north of
the Presidents house, and we witnessed from
our place OF concealment, with poWerless in
dlgnat1on, the vandalism which the enemy was
enacting In the city. The Presidents house
was fired, and, almost simultaneously, the navy
yard. the Capitol and all the other public build
lngS, with the exception OF the Patent ONCE.
The glare from the burning buildings lighted
up nearly the whole expanse or the city, and,
fearing the light would penetrate our hiding
place, We laid on the ground, face downward,
IL which uncomfortable position we remained
until near the next morning.
While we were looking with sad feeling upon
What we apprehended was the forerunner OF
the destruction or the whole city, our attention
was arrested by the explosion OF powder at the
arsenal, winch shook the ground upon which
we were lying, and turning our eyes In the dt.
recilon OF the sound, We beheld the most aWf IL.
and yet the most brilliant spectacle which the
Imagination can conceive. The heavens were
1ltd with living fire, while tine kegs OF powder
when had been thrown out o. the we'll by the
explosion OF the loose powder at the DEPOT
which had been with the kegs hastily thrown
INTO IL, upon the evacuation of the post, and
which the British had not discovered and care
ledSly ignited, as they reached an altitu lie of
Two or three hundred feet, exploded with a
concuss1on that seemed loud enough to vibrate
through the whole state of Maryland We
remained for hours mot1onless and almost
oTeathlesS under the influence OF the scene hut
knowing II we were caught having arms 10 our
hands we would be held as prisoners of war.
AS tne dawn was beginning TO appear we got up.
and gliding silently through the woods on Kalo.
rama Heights, passed through Georgetown to
IeAnalytoWn where We were Joined by several
members OF our company, and, proceeding on to
Rockville, were again united with our com
mahd. We remained at Rockville about ten
days. waiting ORDERS and while there our cap
tain was relieved from duty, and we elected
captain MoulLOn to I'LL the vacancy We re-
celved orders to march to Baltimore early In
ouu Opou Mills
we heard the news OF the battle of North Point
and the repulse of the British. Then we were
ordered back to Washington and encamped on
the hill now occupied by the National Observa-
tory, where we remained until late In the fall.
and then were discharged from service, and
thus ended my active military life.
Whatever taunts and jeerS have heretofore
been eyeled at the citizen soldiers at the battle
or Bladensburg, they are now silenced by the
action OF Congress, which, after sixty years Of
injustice, has recognized their services nv
granting pensions to the survivors. / receive
mine every three months, and just In time for
mai ket money"
History Of Zero.
zero on the common thermometer like the
ianciful names OF the consultations is a curious
instance OF the way wise mems errors are made