Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-09-15
CAPTURE OF WASHINGTON,
HOW THE BRITISH TOOK THE Ma.
TT0NAL CAPITAL.
An Unfattering TaIe-study of the
Ffeld-Tbe Forces and Their
Movements.

n W dobAiiSCon correspondent OF tn
New York EUe'aing Posi-, writing unde
date Of august oath, says; 1t is Just sever
iy-four years, as | write, since the occu,
renee Of a somewhat exciting event, reco]
lection Of which can by no means iatte
our national pride or soothe that mil
complacency with which the most modes
Of US are wont to contemplate the glor
and power OF our country, nevertheless i
may have some lessons even for those VIII
think, or say, that all the world tremble
when our fierce eagle screams. 1t is quit
true that we are much bigger people now
and that our resources are immenseI,
greater. But in war, wealth, numbers
resources, count for nothing except as the,
are organized, systematized, and intelli
gently directed to given end. The after
noon Of August "a, 1914, saw a hast,
packing OF carpet-bags and panic-strickeT
flight OF the Government from its CAPITAL
The evening sky was red with the flame O.
the ruined buildings. A week before ev
erybody would have laughed derisiyel,
at the suggestion that the capital was II
danger.
For year the British had rayaged ths
chesapeake, meeting no resistance. 1t wa,
ia their power to set down Il land foroe
within days march of Washington
which was without troops or defense of any
kind, except on the Potomac river, against
naval force only. The coming of the
expedition was known long enough before
its arrival to permit some preparations fol-
its reception, but none seem to have beer
made. More than month before General
Winder urged upon the Secretary of war
that it must be destined to strike Wash.
ington, annapolis, or Baltimore. and that
he had nothing with which to oppose its
progress. Then, as now, the Government
relied on the patriotism of its citizens y
These were without arms, ammunition
experience, discipline, or leaders. There
was no law which authorized calling ont
the Maryland militia (which formed the
army with which the battle was fouohtl
until the State was invaded. There was
indeed, a single regiment of trocps AT
Washington, and handful of marines nm.
der Commodore Barney, who might have
been counted as disciplined troops. The
latter were there and engaged in the fight
only because the British had driven them
mp the Pawtuxent as far as they could get
when Barney had destroyed his little
tiotllla, and had fastened across the coun-
try with his men to join General Winder.
As things turned out, they did about all
the fighting on the American side.
1t was four days from the time of their
landing before the British forces encount-
cred any opposition whatever. Until the
last day it seems that their destination was
still in doubt. Gleig, the historian of the
movement, from the British side. seems to
think that the principal object was the
destruction of Barney's hotilla. He thinks
that General Ross hesitated al his next
movement. On the contrary, the reports
OF Lord Cockburn show clearly that the
capture Of Washington was the chief OBJ
lect of the expedition. Nor was there anv
hesitation on the part of General Ross. SO
tar as appears in the accounts, except that
he took four days to cover distance that
by direct march would have required lit
tie more than one. His movements. how
ever, were well calculated to leave the
mind OF the American General in a state
OF uncertainty as to where he should de-
liver his blow. This was ended on the
morning of the oath, when from dis
lance of about twenty miles, his whole force
took the road to Washington by way of
Bladensburg. There was a more direct
road by which the distance was not more
than sixteen or seventeen miles, but the
only means of crossing the east branch of
the Potomac was by bridge which they
could not hope would be left standing.
Above Bladensburg the river was ford
able-at present it is merely creek-and
1T was also crossed by a short bridge at the
village
AS soon as General Windsor learned of
the movement, he began concentrating his
troops at Bladensburg. How many of
them succeeded in reaching the field is not
quite clear, but it is certain that great
proportion of them took no part in the
hight. The army was nominally composed
of about $500 men. The British force
according to Gleig, consisted of 1920 in.
fantry, 100 artillery, and 100 drivers
They mad no cavalry, and their guns,
dragged all the way by hand, were one six
FOUNDER and two three-pounders. In this
respect the advantage was greatly on the
American side. On both sides there had
been much suffering from the heat. The
Americans, collected from all directions
had some Of them marched twenty miles
and had barely reached the field to be
hustled into line almost at random. The
enemy had also made a march of sixteen
miles from Upper Marlboro, and, being
inst landed after a long voyage, were
greatly affected by the broiling sun. Thus
at about noon, these two insignificant
forces began the contest whose prize was
the capital of a nation, 1t has been often
the fate Of brave and powerful nations to
lose their capitals. [ do not know Of
any other instance where this has hap
pened with so little show of resistance
or where the attacking army was barely a
decent brigade of infantry.
But what of the battle of Bladensburg
THAT no man knoweth," more than the
word which Odin spoke in his sons ear
The local traditions do not fix with any
certainty the battlefield. One gentleman
who was born in the village few months
after the battle, and who has lived there
all his life, pointed out to me the position
of the American lines as being across the
main street of the town, on the east side
of the river, being the direction from
which the British came. The artillery
was on the other side, on a little elevation
near an old mill. Another man said thai
the first position Of the American troop.
was about halfway up the hill, on the east
side, and that they afterwards removed
their line to the west bank of the stream
Going to the old mill l found the owner
who is not an old resident, at work in {
little truck patch above the mill, and here
it was, according to his story, that the bat
tie was fought. But the principal fighting
was about Barrey's battery, according t.
all accounts, which was back some three
quarters of a mile further on the Wash
ington turnpike. The positions noted OF
the east side are obviously impossible ones
The British doubtless occupied the frs
one mentioned at the beginning o
the attack, and were temperate,
driven from it by the fire of BealI'
Baltimore battery, correctly locate,
near the old mill The Washington ant
Georgetown turnpikes meet near the oil
bridge, not now standing, on The west sid
of the river, forming an acute angle
Stretched across from one road to th,
other, at distance of perhaps 400 fee
from their junction, was Colonel Pinck
ney's battalion, of Maryland militia. Elk
cept as portion OF the line may have bee
behind large barn then standing, the