The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1912-02-21
OUR WAR
WITH ENGLAND
How Mistress Dolly Madison,
Heroine of the Occasion,
Played a Mans Part.

wounded and made prisoner.
There is no question of the fact that
If Barney, instead of Winder, had
been in command Of the American
forces the foe would never have got
anywhere near Washington. He knew
his business. But, as 1t was. the Brit
ish entered the city after nightfall on
the Odd and camped a quarter Of a
mile east Of the capitol.
Panic In Washington.
Meanwhile in Washington alarm had
turned into panic. The American
troops, after the fight at Bladensburg.
were in disorderly retreat. Crowds Of
flying fugitives We're passing over the
| Long bridge across the Potomac, and
when the British entered the popula-
ton had dwindled to a few stragglers
and the slaves of absent residents. All
private houses were shut up and there
were few signs of life.
During the previous tw%enty-four
hours clerks at the presidents house
had been busy packing and aiding in
the removal Of valuables. Coarse linen
bags. hastily made for the purpose. were
hung around the walls to receive port
able stuff and particularly documents.
Among the latter were the Declaration
of Independence. the constitution Of
the United States and Washington's
commission as commander in chief of
| the American forces. The records of
the Continental congress are said to
have been carried away by Mrs. Madi-
son In a small red trunk. which is pre-
served to this day as a historical relic
in the department Of state.
History relates that General Ross
was in favor Of attacking Baltimore
rather than Washington, because of
the larger loot there to be obtained,
but Cockburn thought it would be
more spectacular to raid the Capital
City, and his plan prevailed, one notion
Of his being that it would be a fine
scheme to take the president and his
wife and exhibit them as captives in
England.
Cockburn had a strong sense of the
picturesque. and it Is related that on
the evening Of his arrival in Washing
ton he entered the capitol and. seat
ing himself in the chair Of the speaker
of the house of representatives, put the
question, "Shall this harbor of Yankee
democracy be burned?" The mock reso-
luton was carried unanimously, and
%thereupon the furniture and whatever
other combustibles CHANGED to be at
hand were gathered in heaps, the torch
being applied. The temporary wooden
structure at that time connecting the
senate and house wings burned read
lily, and everything in1ammable went
up in smoke, including the library of
congress, then housed on the second
floor at the north end.
Delighted with this exploit, the adj
miral and General Ross led their men
up the avenue to the presidents house.
After ordering and eating supper at
the home of an old lady named Suter,
living close by. they proceeded at about
II p. m. to break into the mansion, the
doors Of which were found locked.
John Siousa, a porter, seems to have
been the last person to leave the place.
When he had carried Dolly's pet par
rot to the house of Colonel Taylor, two
blocks away, he returned, locked up
and took the keys to Philadelphia.
The Capitol Ransacked.
Having broken open the doors they
ransacked the place from top to bot
<pvn on1 thop ch+Cipir~ Epo frnro q
beer shop opposite the treasury col
lected the furniture together in heaps
and set it alight.
Meanwhile the American commo
dore, Tingey, had set fire to the navy
yard and the vessels in the neighbor
hood, and before midnight three con
tlagrations made the whole country al
most as light as day, while from tn
distant hills of Virginia, beyond thu
Potomac, the fleeing president ant
members Of his cabinet caught glimpse,
of the ruin their incompetence caused.
All this while the British We're al
most in panic themselves. They wer
, afraid Of being surprised by a superio
force, and were in a hurry to ge
away. This state Of mind was nue.
intensified by a frightful hurrican
which struck the city at l p. m. on tn
day after the capitol and White Hous
were burned. It rained as If the Dol
tom Of the sky had fallen out, and tn
wind blew down many building
which the British had spared. Th
! invading soldiery were nearly drown
ed, and thirty Of them lost their live
e walls falling upon them. A British O.
q fcer wrote, "Our column was as con
J. pletely dispersed as If it had exper
enced total defeat"
The storm saved the war departmer
n and the %postofice, which the enem
u had meant to burn. They left the cit
NJ twenty-nine hours after they had el
II tered it. When Mrs. Madison returne
she found the Long bridge burned an
u was ferried across the river in hi
+ carriage on a raft. Her home being
Il ruins. she was received by her siste
II Mrs. Cults. Later the president rem