Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-08-07
THE REAL lNCENDlARY.

In the very Interesting letter of tho bright
correspondent Ot the Independent, writing
from Washington, which appeared In its
issue ot May Goth, is tho following para.
graph
Tho British made little raid upon us In
lSli aud ono iiuo morning walked into
Washington at ono end, while Mrs Madison,
tho wife Of the president rushed out at tue
other, with the portrait of cen. Washington,
torn hastily from its frame, under her arm.
The British took things ioisuroly, aud were
incltped to he Kind to their adVersaries aud
whilom brothers. General Russ, IN command
OF their forces, took up his quarters In the
corner house oi the block, which makes the
southeast corner ot Capitol square. one day
he was riding along ON Maryland avenue,
which runs over the crest OF the hill, when
shot wa~ tired from the house of MIR. Danger
teld, aud Il killed his horse. lie was very
angry aud vowed vengeance, and the Capitol
and the W hltC House we're burned
This bt Ot " romance of history seems
to be the truit Ui mtS,uiOruatiun. | ask the
readers OF the IjfrUr.frms tu listen u few
minutes tO what | claim to hn q truthful ac.
count of the " little raid un Washington IN
l>lL | rest this Claim upon tho foundation
OF documentary oNideucc aud the ultoIauces
Of living participants IN the event. which
were made 10 mo quarter ui century
ago:
1 ne hllllSu ala Hhf enter W N~I1'UElUu
" one hne marUugg,' but AT eight O'clock ~
the creluHr nor did Mrs. Madison rush
out at the other end - Ot the city when the
British entered; nor did she carry tho
portrait ot General Washington, torn hastily
from its frame, under her arm " at iS a fulI
leugth, hie-slEe portrait nor did the BTlt-
| i~h take things " leiSurely ~ out fled In
| haste i'll less than thirty hours after they
| entered the town nor did General kuSS
| riding along Maryland avenue " " one
I AZ FfHaFNHH NJ al
| in his anger because his horse had been shot,
| "Now vengeance and as a consequence
" the Capitol and the " Aito House were
| burned. "
| Let Us lnok Al the record
The hattie near BladousUUrg, village
| about four miles from Washington, had been
| fought, and won by the British, early IN the
| afternoon oi August - lNlL Tho British
| forces were commanded Toy General Ross,
| one OF Wollingtou's veterans, an Irish soldier
| Of high character and most humane dlSpuSt
| ton the Americans were commanded 10y
| General W iuder, then governor ut Mary land.
| Tho Americans had retreatUd beyond George
| town and when Ross WAS assured that IN.
| victory WAS complete he crossed bridge
| over the eastern branch ut the Potomac with
| fresh brigade which htu NOT upru IN the
Nattle, amt pressed ON t'wA5d W Washington
| IhAt city hat been In a IUiuUlj OF alarm since
twilight the evening before, when it wa
learned that the foe was eucamTud only tor
miles from the town.
| Ross Crraud was only tO destroy munitions
OF War, So a. to cripple the military strength
| of the Americans ; also tO gain the moral al
| vantage OF possessing their national capital
| Il was not Tor the destruction Of pubic build
ings used Tor civil purposes, nor of Privat,
| property, for which he came lie had beer
urged to Il the measure OF revenge for tn,
uuwarrantA table destruction, Ivy the Amerl
cans, of the government house at York jro
| rontol, and tue village OF Newark, in an
ada, which the desolatlOu OF the Magyar
ff.4V4 l.aH4
was urged to " harm and destroy every
thing in his way hut he declined 10 sane
ton such barbarous proceedings. But
titled lnCendiary accom- panied Ross, eve
ready to do what the generals more sens
l | tive, honorable and humane nature recOile
| from. That amateur inCeudiary was Adm
! | raj Sir George Go, hburn, OF the British navy
who had wantonly desoiated villages an
, | plantations on the coast OF Delaware an
| Chesapeake bay the previous year.
The bulk ot the british brigade halted upO
the plain letween the capitol and the cot
: gressional burying ground, when, lust a
70 | night closed IL, General Ross, arCOmpaniG
| 10y COCkburn and escorted by two hUndrG
soldiers, rode into the city. \ solitary -h,
| fired from the rear OF Robert Sewalls hOu-,
near the capitol, killed the generals hOr.
' The soldiers, melted by Cock burn, immed
: | ately destroyed Sewalps house Such ".
n the tate of the materials in the Office OF II
NHftDRu IHicNETrHrrr, the generals OTgal
= whose structures ON the brutality OF CUCl
: | turn had fired the marauder's maliguaI
i, Spirit with flaming anger lie was about
: apply the torch to the building with his ox
n | hands, when he was prevailed upon TO de-i
T by the women OF adjoining residences, as
I would eudanger their dwellings. With b
1 own hands, assisted by soldiers and -iilOl
T under his charge, he cast the printing mat,
D rials Of the in'cNlv0Wccr into the stree
3 broke up the printing presses and burne
i the library containing several hundred yO
Q | umes.
! Thanks 10 the restraining influence ,
| General Ross, the fury of Cock burns pe
g | sOnal spite, in its attack upon private proI
4 | erty, was confined to the actions named an
( the destruction Of some houses on Capt.,
Hin, a rOpewalk and tavern. Sever.
houses and stores were plundered. COCI
burn then proceeded to burn the arsenal an
the barracks tor three thousand troops, ais
the unfinished capitol, with the library
Congress, the presidents house and th
| treasury building, These produced a col
tagratiOn which was plainly seen at Bait
4 more, forty miles distant In tho course I
a few hours nothing OF the superb capitol an
the presidential mansion was lefE but the
| smOk e. blackened walls. Ofthe public builr
| lDgs nothing but the patent office was spared
In letter written to me from London /
ls6l, by Sir Duncan McDOugall, a descenC
ant Of " the Lord OF the Isles" who WI
Ross favorite aide, and who was also M
aide of General Pakenham when he tell 4
| New Orleans, "A few months afterward, h
said " II was not until he (ROssl wa
warmly pressed that he consented to destro
the capitol and presidents house for the puI
pose OF preventing repetition OF tho unclN
| lli2ed proceedings of the troops of the Unite
States Cockburn was literally Ross tore
| bearer.
Whilst the public buildings in Washingto
were in fiames the public property at Ou
navy yard was all abaZe also the lon
bridge across the Potomac between Wasl
ington and the Virginia shore. Before tn
battle OF Bladensburg, Commodore Tiniey
commandant OF the navy yard, received OF
ders to fire the vessels, buildings and store
there in case the British should win the vi,
tory, and there was prospect that Washing
ton and the naval station might fall into thei
hands. When he was informed that the in
: vaders were within the city limits of the car
itol, he applied the torch. Property to TIA
amount OF sl,OO0,O0O was destroyed. Tn
, | long bridge was fired at both ends immed
| ately by the Americans on the Virginia end
, | who supposed a large body of the Britis
were about to pass over, and by the Britis
! at the city end, who supposed large bod
: | ofAmerican troops were about TO cross.
| The president with General Armstron
! | (the secretary Of war;, Colonel Monroe, Ia
secretary OF state, and other civil officers q
the government, rode out toward Bladens
l burg to watch the conflict and to render sue
, assistance as they might give. They re
! manned on the field until Commodore Bar
ney, who with his sailors and mariners ha,
Joined Winder, fell, badly wounded, whel
, they fled toward theCity as fast as lleet horse
could carry them. The Government" thu
! became one of the first messengers to tn
anxiousy-waiting people, OF the STARTLING
news OF the defeat OF their troops and th
tVEaE.a a ltNN., a. II