The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-09-04
OF Most Humiliating Event
In American History
When The British Took The
City Of Washington
philadelphia Record)

Washington almost without a struggle
! by the British.
While we look on today as armies
of million men are struggling to seize
the capitals of their foes, it may sur
prise you that $500 English troops
could have overwhelmed the capital of
the United States on August "a, 1914,
while nation greater than Belgium OF
today sat in amazed stupefaction.
The little army of red coats"--the
British are no longer red coats in the
field but are grayish brown-had land
ed FIVE days before on the Patuxent
River, 40 miles from Washington. The
advance was leisurely, yet nothing was
done to hinder the enemy's approach.
Nor was anything done to put the CAPT
tai city, then a small, unkempt, coun-
try town with dirt roads, in state of
defense.
James Monroe, Secretary of State,
did little scouting, but it was not of
valuable or thrilling character. At
Bladensburg, some six miles from the
capital, hastily gathered American
force made brief stand
This motley band numbered 1000,
almost all of whom were militia or citi-
zens without uniforms. 1t was not an
army, but a collection of men with
modore Joshua Barney, who had burn
ed his gunboats on the Potomac to save
, them from capture, brought up 400
! sailors with some artillery.
President Madison had been on
horseback all day galloping about in a
vain atempt to do something, but he
very properly rode away before the
shooting began. That spurred the wits
Of the opposition newspapers to hurl
! ridicule upon the President, and l find
: in one paper of that day this parody
on "Marmion," which was then the
rage:
] Fly Armstrong, fly; run Monroe,
5 run! Were the last words of Madison. -
: Monroe and Armstrong were Cabi-
r net officers who had been with the
1 President. A shy, scholarly man, SO
2 years old, with neither taste no apti-
! tude for war, James Madison was at
/. that moment undergoing the toughest
2 personal experience ever handed to an
9 American President.
There was only the shadow of bat.
I I tie between those 4,500 red coats and
:. 1000 undisciplined Americans. A few
volleys were exchanged and then the
\ whole United States force melted away
Y in general retreat But not quite all
: because Barney and his sailors made
= a stout resistance.
S The Commodore was wounded and
Y fell into the hands of the enemy, who
s in recognition of his gallant behavior
t treated him with the utmost generosi
/ ty.
The British loss was $50 and the
American Ia slight punishment to
4 cause 1000 men to yield the field and
their country's capital. But those meI
We're not towards, they only lacked the
Il training of a soldier. With an Old
II Hickory in command of them things
II would have been different.
II The British hurried forward, camp
: ing that night short distance east ol
the Capitol Building. Several hundred
Englishmen, with General Ross and
e Admiral Cockburn at their head
= marched into the town, set fire to the
{ noble Capitol and then rushed up Penn
a and burned it.
The dinner that Dolly Madison had
$ prepared for her august husband and
his friends was eaten by the invaders
The President and his Cabinet saw
l. from a distance the night sky Redeemed
Il by the destruction of the seat of Gov
d ernment.
While this was humiliating night
3 for the Americans, it was also one ol
which Englishmen are now heartily
= ashamed. The vandalism and burninl
t. disgraced the British army A heavy
?, rain next day put out the flames, the
II incendiary army fed back to it's fee
in the river, and three days afterwart
s Madison and his scattered Government
Il returned to the ruins.
3 AS one recalls the fearful maulinf
given to the British by the "embattlet
g. farmers" at Concord and Lexington
k one is amazed that a generation later ;
e paltry foreign army could leisurell
seize our Capitol and go away agaI
d unpunished, The spirit of '76 hat
ebbed by 1914
In helping to frame the Constitution
g. Madison rendered monumental service
but as war President he was sac
!; mistit His administration in the Wa
OF 1912 failed utterly to arouse or or
eanlze the national strength.
IS With population of 100000 the
g country never mustered at any one
Y. place a well drilled army of over 10 ,00(