The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-03-26
CHAPTER MI.
DEFENCES FOR THE PROTECTION OF BAL
TIMORE.

AS there still remained some hours
of daylight, my friend and myself hav-
ing partaken of such slight provision
as our commissary could furnish,
amused ourselves by wandering over
the scene of the last contest, and ex-
amining, at our leisure. both thenature
of the ground occupied by the Ameri-
cans, and the dispositions made to dis
lodge them. We found the enemy's
position not, indeed so commanding
in many respects, as that which they
had occupied above Bladensburg, but
sufficiently so, in all conscience, to
have enabled troops better disciplined,
and more habituated to danger, to keep
their ground for many hours, even
against superior numbers. The left OF
the line, in particular, struck us as be-
ing more strongly posted than fire.
quently falls to the lot of small armies.
Not only was the lake which covered
it perfectly unfordable, but its banks,
steep, prccipitous and woody, furnished
the very best species of cover for light
troops, by the use Of which, an hun
dred rcsolute men might have checked
the approach of a whole army for half
a day. On the right, again, all at
telnpts at turning were rendered hope
less, by the intervention of the head of
a creek, which in this direction
stretched considerably inland; whilst
a close aud tangled thickct, intersected
here I'd there by narrow pathways,
absolutely invited the American Gen
eral to push forward corps, which,
making circuit, might have fallen
upon the rear of our army at any mo-
ment most convenient for themselves,
an most injurious to us. Besides all
which, the troops themselves stood at
the summit ola gentle slope, and in the
heart of a belt of oaks, regular rs row
of palisades; whilst the house, now con-
verted by us to the uses detailed above,
were, from their situation, admirably
adapted to cover the reformation of a.
most any part of the line which might
by accident have been broken But
all these advantages were of no avail.
There was wanting that, without which
any other superiority will be found
| useless, Il confidence in the troops
themselves, which nothing, except re-
peated successes, and long arquaint
ance with warfare, bestows
| In passing from one extremity Of the
field to another, it unavoidabIy hap
pcncd, that on more than one occasion
we were compelled to pick our steps
among the dead; and it was then that
the great disparity between the lo S.
sustained by us. and that on the side
Of the enemy. struck us. On the main
road, indeed. the number of British
bodies was considerable; the scamel
and 2lst regiment, which occupied that
post, had been exposed to a sweeping
fire of artillery, and had suffered: bu,
in other directions, for one body cloth
ed in scarlet uniform. five corpscs O
slaughtered republicans might b,
counted. Nor did it appear to us 4.
being the least remarkable feature il
the case, that not one of all the slal
was stripped. They had lain aread,
some hours exposed, yet such was tn,
paucity of our camp-followcrs, or thei
unskillfulness in their vocation, tina
they still lay as they had fallen.
Having in this manner gratitied ou
curiosity. We returned to the spo
which we had previously selected as
convenient one for passing the night