Evening star., 1914-08-23

quickly reached Washington About an
hour after the battle soldiers We're seen
feeillg through the streets In wild dis
order, and as soon as the citizens learned
what had hap pened they hastily pre-
pared. amid intense excitement and con-
fusion. to leave the city. The situation
ing from letter of Mrs. Madison to her
sister. The President had left her AT
sunrise for Gen. Winders head
quarters at the navy yard, and from
there he had gone to Bladensburg. The
letter was written in the White House
and bears the date of Wednesday, Aug
ust "a. 1914. II o'clock:
Since sunrise have been turning my spyga s.
anxiety, hoping to discern the approach OF my
dear husband and his friends: but. alas car
directions as sfp II there WERE lack Of arms o,
spirit to nght for ,i their own frssides ,,,
the eannenfi Mr Madison comes moi, May @ uee
come to bid me fee but wait for him.
At this late hour a wagon has been procured;
portable articles belonging TO the house. WaetneI
1t will reach Its destination. the Bank OF May
land or l ns the naG .. the bTih ans
dear sister. ! must leave this Louise. or the re-
treating army VIII mike me prisoner In IL py
filling up the road l am directed to take.
Where I shall be tomorrow cannot tell.
X
Mrs. Madison was driven to Georgetown,
but on her arrival learning that the
British had not yet reached Washington,
she ordered her coachman to return to
the White House, hoping to find the
President. She was greatly relieved when
she saw him and several men on horse
back, on their way from the White
House. where they had gone to assure
themselves of her safety. They were to-
gether for a short tirle, when Mrs. Mad
ison was ferried across the Potomac into
Virginia and the President, with several
prominent government officials, rode up
the river bank on the Maryland side to
Little Falls. which they forded. During
the evening and night hundreds Of sol
diers and citizens, white and colored, fed
TO Virginia
4 brigads of the British army en-
tered Washington before dark on the
evening of the battle. According to
the narrative of a British officer, Gen.
Ross did not think it possible to oc-
cuny the city for any length OF time.
and not wishing to destroy public
property from which he could derive
no profiD, he planned to levy con-
tribution on the citizens and return at
once to his ships Whether or not this
was true. he halted his troops just
outside the city and sent forward II
dag of truce TO make known his de
lnands. The party bearing the flag
was fired upon from behind one of the
houses in the city and the horse upon
which Gen. Ross was riding was killed.
This act so aroused the Indignation Of
the British general and his men that
they ut once began work of dew
astation and destruction which has
not been equaled in modern warfare.
Marching into the heart of the city,
House, the Treasury building. the
war office and other public buildings.
the patent Office only excepted. Beauti-
full statuary, especially that represent
ing the triumphs of the American
sailors at Tripoli. was ruined and the
large wooden bridge across the Poto-
mac opposite the city was soon in
flames.
The National Intelligencer for Au-
gust 81 gives the following account of
the invaders conduct:
Greater respect certainly paid to private
property than has usually hcen exhibited IS tue
half much plnndcred by the enemy as ny ic
the general distress. There We're. however. sew
eral private buildings wantoniy DESTROYED. and
were srandaloisly ma.treated. The en-
emy conducted through The city by former
N'' now in confinement. f i cockiurn was quit
mountebank in the city, exhibiting In the streets
gross i,rr ,n Of vna manner s asplasns ss aIdy AR ar
the Presidents house. and repeating many OF
the coarse jests and vulgar slang of the federal
republican respecting the chief magisira ID
others, in a strain Of eioiuence which could only
have been acquired by constant perusal of that
disgrace to the country.
The navy yard. several small ships
in the river and the arsenal nearby
had been burned by the Americans be-
fore they abandoned the city, but in
their haste they failed to destroy
large quantity of powder which had
been stored in kegs in dry well near
the arsenal. The British, in conplet-
ing the destruction, accidentally drop
ped some lighted matches into the
well. Says the National Intelligencer:
The effect was terrific. Every one of lis sol
diers (the Brltisll near WAS blown into eternity,
many al Il greater distance wounded. and the ex-
cavat &. remains an evidence of the great force
Of thi .plosion.
Because of its loyalty to the American
cause, the office and type of the National
were destroyed, and for five
days the paper was discontinued. When,
on August 80. it was again issued, 1t was
reduced nearly one-half in size and from
a double to a single sheet and that printed
only on one side In the issue OF Sep
tember | there appears this editorial note:
To MISUNDERSTANDING purchased from one or
our brother printers one small font OF type We
have issued the paper day or two IN us pres
ent shape, which II must retain until We are
enabled TO replace the type so meanly and ma
lignantly destroyed by the enemy. For any