Arizona republican., 1903-07-05
HISTORIC BLADENSBURG
A Village Near Washington and the
 Story of Its Duels.

Of all the environs of Washington, so
 rich in historical association, none can
 boast a more ancient or honorable ped
 igree or throw more interesting side
 lights on national history than the lit
 tie village of Bladensburg, about five
 miles from the capital. It is now q
 rambling collection of old houses, for
 the most part in the last stage of de
 crepitude, but was in it's palmy days
 the home of the flower of Maryland
 aristocracy and also, before George
 town began to supersede it, an import
 ant shipping station for the surround
 ing country. Incorporated as a town
 in 1142, it rapidly developed, and dur
 ing the French and Indian wars easily
 supported the division of Braddock's
 troops quartered upon it.
 It was not until the war of 1872 that
 Bladensburg become the stage for scenes of large import. Toward the
 close of the war alarming rumors be- came current that the British intended
 to descend upon the capital, but the government, dilatory from false sense
 of security, made TO preparations for defense until it was definitely ascer- tained that Admiral Cockburn and General Ross, with d strong column of British regulars, were moving on Washington from the Chesapeake.
 Hastily a body of troops, mostly un- disciplined militiamen, were got to- gether, and General Winder, acting up- on advice Of Secretary of War Arm
 strong, massed his forces in front of Bladensburg. There seemed to have been no centralization of authority, and orders emanating from the president, who for the only time in American history was present on a field of battle, and the various cabinet officers and the different generals continually conflict
 ed and effectually destroyed all sys- | tenn of defense, so that when the Brit ish at last appeared the American army was completely demoraliZed. Af- ] ter a trifling resistance the militiamen l broke and fled precipitately, forcing back in the general retreat the meager leavening of regulars, with the excep- tion of Admiral Barneys 400 sailors. who stood bravely to their guns until they were forced to surrender at the points of the bayOnets. The way once
 opened the English marched rapidly
 down the old Baltimore turnpike, burn ed the Capitol and White House and ] llfNji ItllIcu DtlOIt illCkluS upon Idlll- more. To this day the battle-ground in | front of the bridge which the British crossed is called, in memory of the | brave admiral. "Barney's ground, 1 and a spring near where the little band ! oi sailors stood is pointed out as Bar ney's spring"
 Probably, however, Bladensburg has ! attained more prominence for its ia 6t1alino nf 1 it's other features. A short distance 1 out of the town little ravine 1 leads down from the road and opens in- to a sort of miniature amphitheater, ad- mirably suited to the purpose which for many years it served. A slender stream wanders the length of it's level grass covered bottom, while hills rise prOtectingly on each side, and two ! great trees. q bout eighty yards apart, mark the ends of the grounds. It is here so many affairs of honor" most
 of them cruel and entirely unnecessary and all unfortunate. have been settled The initiation of the spot into it's
 grewsome usage occurred in the early part Of the year 1874. when Edward Hopkins, an ensign of infantry, was shot by an unknown antagonist. The next duel followed soon after, when Randall naval cadet, settling a dispute at eight paces with pistols. killed Fox, a clerk in the treasury department.
 Of the many duels that have been fought here none have been more typi- cal as examples of what is known as
 fire eating than that between Cen | eraI Armstead T. Mason. United States senator frorp Virginia, and John M. McCarty. During d political debate in-