Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-20

~ ODAY is close upon the anniversary
OF a great though bitter day in the
lfe-story of the capital of the
II United States. Ninety-one years
2 ago today the troops of the District
of Columbia marched down into Maryland
to stay the advance of the British column
Of invasion commanded by Cen Ross and
Admiral Cockburn. Ninety-one years ago
the invading force marched out of the old
town of Benedict, on the PatuXent. on
August "A ninety-one years will have
elapsed since the battle Of Bladensburg
and the capture of Washington. There is
no doubt that some historians and many
other writers have done injustice to the
force which failed to save Washington from
the invader. Other historians have treated
the question fairly, and have fixed the
blame not upon the soldiers and the officers
in the field but upon others higher up
In The History of the Invasion and Cap
ture of Washington written by John S.
Williams in 1851, the author says:
The primary motive by which the au-
thor of this work was actuated in getting
together the material from which 1t has
been composed was the hope of being able
to do something 10 remove the obloquy
which in his opinion has been undeservedly
cast upon the American troops engaged IN
the battle of Bladensburg.
1T Is true that this obloquy, being shared
among so many. was never very severely
felt by any individual among them. This,
indeed. Is the reason why IL easily
thrown upon them in the first instance, and
why II has been suffered so long to con
tinue. II was not the business of any one
of the crowd more than another. to expose
the injustice of the imputation cast upon
them. and what is evcrybody's business
Is nobody's business the duty has never
been discharged
Different persons will draw different
moral from the same story. The moral
that we are disposed to draw is not that
the American tTOOuG 'uIISill3ni-
nous TO defend their seat of government.
and that therefore IL would be safer to
have an army of foreign mercenaries to de-
lend II for us. nor that militia troops are
not to be depended on, and therefore a large
standing army OF regular troops is neces-
s3ry; but that politicians of the fairest
fame require watching. and will not hest
tate TO sacrifice or leopard the interests and
honor of their country in order to advance
themselves or ruin rival
+
1t had long been apparent that the ma
tional capital was defenseless and in immi-
nent danger of being sacked For fifteen
months before the attack on Washington
the British had been in possession of Ches-
apeake bay and had made incursions into
the Potomac. Patuxent and Susquehanna
country. Marauding parties had attacked
HaVre de Grace, FrenChtown. GEORGETOWN
and Fredericktown. on the eastern shore
OF Maryland, and had made raids into Viz
GlnIa.
Gen. Philip Stuart. a revolutionary sol
der, and 4 member of Congress from
Maryland. introduced in the Thirteenth
Congress, July 10. 1913. preamble and
resolution providing arms for the able
bodied men in the District.
The House of Representatives voted to
consider the preamble and resolution in
Fecret session \ motion TO lay upon the
table was defeated by narrow majority
~ TO 6i-the preamble was stricken out and
tie resolution was referred to the commit