New-York tribune., 1911-12-31
Dolly Madison Tarried to Res
cue Precious Documents
While Government
Officials Fled.

k-RattE XNCN ltoi iiitAA No 1li1 ieiPSN VI 81
century since the outbreak Of our
4 last war with England. BY AL
odds the most spectacular incident of
that conflict was the capture of Wash
mgton by the British. which was fol-
lowed by the burning Of the Capitol ana
the White House, the President and his
Cabinet being driven to ignominious
flight
one hundred years ago, in 1Sl2. the
United States declared war against Great
Britain by a bill which. after passing the
Senate and House, was formally signed
by Mr.. Madison.
The struggle which thercupOn ensucd
was marked by some very heroic deeds
and many blunders on ouf side, but the
most inexcusable and inglorious happen
ing of all was the taking of Washington.
which could easily have been prevented
Truth to tell, the President ard his adj
visers availed themselves of this precious
opportunity 10 behave like lot of Old
women, and General NNinder who COM
manded the American troops in the
vicinity of the capital lost his head en-
tirely, and did nothing until it was too
late to do anything effectively
Nevertheless. the occasion had its hero
and its heroine. The latter was Dolly
Madison. who played her part like a
man, holding the fort al thc White
House until the last possible moment
and then rctrcating in good order with
everything in the way of official docu-
ments and yaluo blcs that could possibly
be carried away.
At the moment Of what seemed c>
trerest peril she coclly sat down ami
wrote 10 her sister. Mrs. Stcptoc Wash
ington
'WiH YOU believe il. my dear sister,
W. have had battle near El1d1nS'o'E.
And ! am still here within sound "t the
cannon. Mr. Madison comes not; may
God protect him, TWO messengers, coy
cred with dust come to- hid m" fly hU, ]
wait for him. At this latc hour wagon
has been procured. . huv" had il filled
with the late and most valuable po!tah'"
articles. Whcther it viii reach i,s d'
tiuation, the Bank ot Maryland, "i ''I'
into the hands of the British events must
determine. our kind friend. Mi Carroll
has come 10 hasten my departure. and Is
in q very. bad humor with m" because
insist IN waiting untT the large picture
of General Washington is secured Il
required to bc ,mscrcwcd from ih" walt
and this process was found too tedious
for these pcrilous moments. so ] have
ordered the frame broken and the can
vas taken out II IS done. and ihe
precious portrait placed in the hands "I
two gentlemen from New York for safe
keeping And now my dear sister |
must leave the house or the rc'rcatng
army will make nc % prisoner in it hE
hlling up the Io.,d ana 60 t'Eo.
THE WASHINGTON PORTRAIT.
The portrait of WASHINGTON WIS nv
stuart. and huns in the state dining
room Somebody at Mrs. M@disons or
dcrs. broke with IN axe IN" heavy goll
frame that protected the inner ON" "f
wood. on which 'bc canvas was
stretched. and thus 1T was removed uu-
injured The ott Published statement
that the picture was cut from TN" frame
by Dolly herself is incorrect
But TO 60 back . little Tho British
forces on land and sea had orders to "G--
stroy and lay waste such towns and dis
tricts on the coast as might hc assall-
able" The enemy's feet and transports
arrived off the mouth Of the PatuX"ut
Cnfty miles north Of Annapolis ON Nu-
gust Is, 1911. The troops. under General
Robert Ross. were disembarked on the
following day and formed into three
brigades. numbering i1~0 men ON Au-
gust 90 the 'oats of the feet, led BY