The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-09-01

troops came in touch with the skir-
mishers Of the enemy. but the home
force, acting under orders from Gen.
eral Winder, did not maintain its po-
sition. but fel. back to Long Old Fields.
From Nottingham the British advanced
to Marlboro, and on the morning of
August 90 pressed on to Long Old
Fields. but from that position the
Americans had retired, falling back
toward Washington. The American
force was worn by its marches, and its
nights were disturbed by alarms and
calls to arms. General Winder and
his troops took up position rear Blad-
ensburg on the morning OF the Gath.
Two lines of battle were thrown out
on the side of the Eastern Branch,
nearer Washington, the center of the
line covering the Bladensburg bridge.
1t was noon when the British en-
tered Bladensburg and the advance
guard undertook to cross the bridge
brisk fire from the American bat
teries caused them to retire with some
loss. The enemy after some delay
formed two columns, one fording the
stream above the bridge to flank the
American left, and the other column
crossing the bridge. The passage of
the river was effected in the face of
an energetic fire from the artillery
but the infantry wavered as the Brit
ish veterans approached. and retired
making it necessary to withdraw the
artillery. This weakness in action
was charged against two fastily Or
ganized Baltimore regiments. The
whole line fell back toward Washing
ton after firing a few rounds. A mile
nearer Washington than where the en-
gagement began the Americans re-
formed and here it was THAI whatever
was earnest in the fighting of the bat
tie of Bladensburg took r.ace. The
line was formed across the turnpike
The sailors Of Barney's fiotilla blocked
the road; at the spring. Right there
We're killed Colonel Thornton, Captain
Hamilton and Lieutenant Codd of the
British army.
The American line was tlanked and
gave way. but rallied and reformed OH
IL stretch of high ground just ON the
northeast limits of the city. After the
line had reformed and before the Brit
ish came up, the Americans were Or
dered to retreat through Washington
to Georgetown. and thence out into
Montgomery County, Maryland The
order to retreat was received by the
troops with manifest displeasure and
it is said that mutiny was barely
avoided.
The enemy entered the eastern sec
tion of the city ut o'clock on the
evening Of August "a and proceeded to
the east front of the Capitol grounds,
then big common. and pitched their
camp. The Capitol then comprised the
two little sandstone wings, these being
connected with a wooden passageway,
where now the central structure be-
meath the dome stands. The enemy
applied the torch to all the woodwork
of the building and tore up all the
books Of the library of Congress. There
We're then about 1000 volumes most
of which had been III the library of
Thomas Jefferson. Several private
buildings around the capitol were set
on fire. Among them were the dwell
ing of Robert Sewell. from behind
which u man shot at General Ross and
killed his horse. The Office Of the Ma
tional lntelligencer was demolished un-
der the direct supervision of Admiral
CoclSburn. Parties of British soldiery
advanced to the White House and af-
ter eating a dinner which had been
prepared for the American officers by
President Madison in contamination of
victory, set the building on fire. The
War and Treasury Officers were also
burned.
A detachment of the enemy marched
to the Arsenal. now the War College,
and accidentally exploded number
of kegs of gunpowlcr. which the AM
erican garrison before retiring secre-
ted in an abandoned well. The ex-
plosion of this powder caused the
shell-house to blow up and twelve of
the invaders We're killed and thirty
wounded. The Navy Yard was set on
fire by the commandant, Commodore
Tingey. and the Columbia ynd the Ar
gus went up in smoke. The Great
Bridge over the Potomac, on the site
of the present Long Bridge, and two
other bridges over the eastern branch
were fired by the Americans.
In the meantime, the Americans
were rising and troops Were mobiliz-
ing. and on the morning of August 25
the invaders hastily retired from
Washington. retraced their marcl,
through lower Maryland, boarded their
ships at Benedict and soon after were
disastrously beaten at North Point,
near Baltimore, where General Ross
was killed and where the STAR Span
gled Banner was written.
The accounts Of the losses at Blad-