The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-08-30
Incendiary Torch Was Piled in Accordance
With Orders Issued From the
English Ministry.
Doors of the White House Battered Down
and Furniture Destroyed by
the Kings Troops

Grated many of hcr wHrships, and the
result was felt all along o,r coast.
EnElnndS purpose to conquer terri
tory which might he retained after
the war; apparent enough before, was
now definitely proclaimed.
In July, Sir Thomas Hardy, COM
manlcr Of the British fleet before
New London. received orders to cap-
ture Moose Island. On July IL, after
no resistance, the fort was surrender
ed by Major Putnam. The English
commander took formal possession,
not only of the town of Eastport but
of the whole island, and issued n
proclamation in which ,llc declared
that all the islands in the bay had
been surrendered and were thence
forth British territory He gave the
| inhabitants one week in which to
swear allegiance to the British crown,
On Sept. ! another British force
entered the PenobscM River. The
small American garrison at Castine
blew up the fort and retrcatcd, and
the enemy took possession and soon
issued a proclamation declaring all
that part of Maine east of the Pen
obscot to be conquered territory This
English garrison made frequent incur
sions among the towns of the neigh
borhood and freely robbed the inhabi-
tants of what little property they had
that was worth taking.
The next orders issued to the Brit
ish commodore, Sir Thomas Hardy,
| We're to destroy the town Of Stoning-
tom Conn. which he found a very
different task from the capture of
Moose Island. On August 8 he sent
word that he should begin lombard
ment in one hour. Towards evening
the English began the attack, which
! lasted for three days, but finally Sir
Thomas was forced to sail away. The
enemy had thrown in more than sixty
| tons of metal.
There were smaller afIailtS of the
same nature at various points along
| the New England Coast. At Ware
, ham tlrr enemy landed in safety by
| means of Il flag of truce. and then
burned a large colt III factory and the
vessels nj their moorinss. At Scituatc
| also they burned the shipping. But at
Hooth1ay the militia rallied ard drove
them off with considerable loss
But these little affairs along the
, coast were of small consequence in
comparison with what bcfell the capi-
tai of the country. Relieved by the
peace in EUROPE, England resolved to
prosecute the American war with
greater vigor, and fixed upon the
policy of striking at the cities. Balti-
more, Washington. Charleston. Savan-
nah and New Orleans were all marked
for capture or destruction. A power.
! ful British fleet WAS sent to the Ber-
mudas. and Il large number of veteran
troops transported thither. and the
Endlisl commanders We're directed to
! draw thence such forces us they might
need for their expeditions.
| Gen. Ross. who had served in sew
eral campaigns under Wellington, was
selected by the Duke to command the
expedition against Washington. In
July, 1914, with $500 men, the finest
regiments of England's army, he sailed
from England for the Chesapeake,
where he arrived in August. and was
at once reinforced by loo marines
from Cockburn's blockading squadron.
This expedition asceIded the Patux-
ent and on August 10 was deblrked at
Benedict, forty miles from Washing
ton. So intent were the English to
reach the city, says an eyewitness,
that their officers were ordering
them forward with swcrds''
On August 1S, Cockburn addressed
letter to Secretary Monroe. informing
him that he had received instructions
from his government "to destroy and
lay waste such towns and districts on
| the coast as ma he found assaiiable."
After a victory from small body