The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-09-03
nitely proclaimed.


Ross, who had served in several
campaigns under Wellington, was Sc
lected by the Duke to command the
expedition against Washington. In
July, 1914, with four thousand men
the finest regiment Of England's army
he sailed from England for the Ches-
az cake, where he arrived in August
and was at once reinforced by one
thousand marines from Cockburn's
blockading squadron. This expedition
assembled the PatuXent and on August
10 were debarkcd at Benedict forty
miles from Washington. so intent
were the British to reach the city,
says an eye witness. that their Off
GERS ordered them forward with theil
swords" On August is, Cockburn adj
dressed a letter to Secretary Monroe
informing him that "he had received
instructions from his Government tc
destroy and lay waste such towns and
districts on the coast as may be found
assailable."
After a victory from a small body OF
Americans at Bladenburgh on the aft
ernoon of the Gath, the British set out
for Washington. At s O'Clock in the
evening the British entered Washing
ton, which then contained about nine
hundred buildings. The British ex-
pected to be attacked by a more for
midable force than that which they
had met and, as Ross wrote to the
Earl of Bathurst, Judging it Of con-
sequence to complete the destruction
of the public buildings with the least
possible delay, so that the army might
retire without loss of time AS they
entered the city a solitary musket bal
was fired from behind a house, which
killed the horse of Ross. The house
was Immediately besieged and the
work of vandalism commenced in ear
nest Coming to the office of the Ma
noxious to British vengeance" on ac-
count of the bold denunciation of the
British barbarities in the destruction
and pillage Of private property on the
coast and elsewhere, the incendiary
torch was about to he piled.
But Cocl1burn was prevailed upon by
some women not to do so. as 1t would
endanger their homes. Cockburn de-
sisted from this, but he caused the
editors library. presses and other
printing materials to be thrown into
the street BE sure" said Cockburn,
that all the C's are destroyed. SO that
the rascals can have no further means
of abusing my name as they have
done" Cockburn assisted in this work
with his own hands. The invaders
followed the lead of the admiral and
rushed toward the capitol. This I'M
posing pile. standing upon the brow OF
a hill overlooking the city In every
of it's construction building Of UNI
usual n1agnificence. Discharging their
firearms at the windows. the soldiers
burst in the doors and with shout
of triumph carried their leader to the
sneakers chair, from which, with mock
gravity. he put the question:: Shall
this harbor of the Yankee democracy
he burned?"
A yell OF affirmation rang through
the hall, and without further prelm-
inaries the papers and combustibles
were piled under the desks and set
on fire. Now thoroughly aroused to
their work they hurried to the White
House In the hope. perchance. of oap-
turing the President and his wife.
Finding the house locked, they bat
tered down the doors and consoled
themselves by ruthless destruction
of the furniture. Ransacking the
house, they concluded their visit by
SetCl1S IRE 10 Tie VI tiiC A0'A~
dent.
Meanwhile the torch had been APP
piled to other public buildings, besides
several business establishments and
private residences. TO capture the
stores in the navy yard and arsenal
was ,ne of Cockhurn's chief objects,
hut his plan was forestalled by Com
modore Timgey, who had set fire to
all the magazines and storehouses
when the British We're burning the
various buildings. Famed by the gust
of a storm, the fires that the British
had kindled in all directions burned
and spread with increasing fury, light
ing up the streets with a glare more
brilliant than that of day. and reveal
ing in CHASTITY, ll,rid distinctness the
forms OF the vandals reveling amid