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


high.
DO YOU know the historic signifi-
canoe of this place." he is asked. The
man looks dazed. Then the traveller
asks: DO you know what happened
her long ago?" And he answers: "No
sir, not 'zactly, but has heahed tell
dat de President of England shot his
sef heah."
1t is a country of wonderful interest
1t is still fertile and must have been
exceedingly SO hundred years ago. 1t
is in the black belt" of Maryland, the
negroes largely outnumbering the
whites. Most of them are illiterate but
rather kindly disposed, polite, and of a
fair grade Of intelligence. The whites
are of two classes: The first class
are the real Southern people. They are
lavish in their hospitality. courteous
and intensely proud of their ancestry
and of the history of the State of
Maryland. Nearly all Of them have
been to college or academies. The
other class of whites. are dcnsely ig-
norant suspicious Of strangers, vicious
in their habits and apparently live only
for whiskey and seven-up.
The capture of Washington is a
tragic story. There is no doubt that
some historians and other writer's have
done injustice to the force that failed
to save Washington from the invader.
Other historians have treated the ques-
tion fairly and have fixed the blame
not upon the soldiers and officers in
the field, but upon others higher up.
1t has been long apparent that the
national capitol was defenseless and
in imminent danger of being sacked.
For fifteen months before the attack
on Washington the British had been
in possession of the Chesapeake Bay
and had made incursions into the Po-
tonac, Patuxent and Susquehanna
country. Marauding parties had at
tackled Havre de Grace, Frenchtown,
Frederickstown and Georgetown in
Maryland and had made raids into Vir-
ginia.
On May -, 1914, the brig Ida from
Rochelle arrived ut Boston and brought
news that the Allies had entered Paris.
The ship Fair American from Liver
pool reached Sandy Hook May Is, with
the same intelligence. The French Min
lister at Washington also received the
news. American representative.
abroad advised the State Department
that several of England's veteran reg
iments had embarked on troop ships
and under convoy of Admiral Coch-
rane had sailed for Chesapeake Bay.
Still the administration slept 1t was
not until July l, 1914, that the Presi-
dent called meeting of the Cabinet
to discuss plans for the defense of
Washington.
Twenty-Five British sails were sight
ed in the Chesapeake on the morning
of August 1s, 1914 Joining the fleet
of Cockburn, already in the Fatuxent
River, the combined fleets sailed on
until abreast of the village of Bene-
dict. The troops began to disembark
on August 10. Sir Peter Parker was
dispatched with a squadron to make
a demonstration against Baltimore and
Captain Gordon was sent with another
squadron into the Potomac River to
make a demonstration against Alex
andria and Washington. By this time
troops We're mobilizing at Washington.
The American authorities could not tell
whether the expedition landed at Bene-
dict would move against Baltimore,
Annapolis or Washington, and If
against Washington, whether the ene-
my would move across the country to
Piscataway, take Fort Warburton in
reverse and cooperate with Gordons
squadron, or whether he would march
on Washington by direct route. The
British moved northward from Bene-
dict on August 20 and the district
troops and regulars marched out OF
Washington on the same day.
The British had advanced fifteen
miles by the evening Of August 21 and
encamped that night at the village OF
Nottingham. The enemy vas harass-