Evening star., 1916-05-28
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Born May 1s. 1884, Died september 20.
1884" The other is inscribed Baby
Casserly.'
The picturesque house with its hon
eysuckle. its lilac bushes. its shrubs of
bridal wreath and SNOWFALL and the
large acreage around 1t. was given the
name "Grovehurst' in the long ago.
Generally through that part of the
country "Grovehurst" is known as the
''old Suit place" Josiah Suit lived at
Grovehurst for many years. He at
tanned a ripe age and then was laid
away in the little cemetery on the
ridge near the barn. His son. Osborne
Suit, lived there until he was an old
man and he died about two years ago.
He was not, however. the owner of
Grovehurst when he died. For ten
years the place has been the home of
0. c. Strawn and family, prosperous
and pious people who lead a very
happy life in the house around which
the lilacs and the honeysuckle grow.
The Rambler has been told that Josiah
Suit was a brother of S. T. Suit, whom a
great number Of Washington people and
nearly everybody in southern Maryland
knew. They all knew him as Col. Suit.
The Rambler does not know how he at
tanned the military title. though it prob
ably was conferred because he was born
in southern Maryland and became very
prosperous. S. T. Suit was born in Up
Per Marlborough. a son of Fielder Suit.
In early life he left Prince Georges coun-
ty and took up his home in New York
(if ~ q hoo ol< IN tiHyn 0fo To
and built what was perhaps the finest
house in southern Maryland. He called
the place Suitland. and Suitland survives
today. 1t is pleasant and prosperous
village. but the great house OF the colonel
was destroyed by fire nearly fifty years
ago. S. T. Suit tried to give southern
Maryland adequate railroad facilities In
the early 70's he exerted himself toward
the promotion of a line which was to run
to Point Lookout and was called the
Southern Maryland Railroad. Much work
was done on this road, but it was never
finished.
The Suit family in Maryland is
very old one and it's members are
numerous throughout the state and
the District Of columbia. The house
appears old enough to have been
that road.
The British column which passed
over this road, under the joint comma nd
of Gen. Ross and Vice Admiral Cock
L,
Kings Own. under Col. Brooke; the
44th Regiment. the 21st Regiment. or
the Royal Scots Fusileers. under Col.
Patterson; I'd Battalion. Royal Marines,
Light Infantry, under Col Thornton:
one company of marine skirmishers
under Lieut. Stevens; Colonial Marines
under Capt. Read. and three-pounder
Capt. Carmicail. Royal Artillery. The
strength of this force has been vari-
ously estimated. The usual estimate
places the strength of the British at
$500. Mr.. Law estimated the enemy
on the march at 5000: Col Monroe,
who viewed the enemy on the march,
estimated the number at 5000. and
Gen. Winder. the American commander.
reported that The best opinion at the
Wood-Yar made the enemy from 5000
to 1000. Gleig, the author of the cam
paign at Washington tEnglishJ puts
the number at $500. and the .'Subaltern
in America 'English) at 1000.
DR.. Catlett, the American surgeon
who was admitted to the British lines
to attend the enemy's wounded placed
the strength of his force at $500. and
he reported that the British loss in
killed a Bladensburg and in Washing
ton was 1870, and the British wounded
requiring hospital attention, $50 DR..
Catlett estimated the American killed
at ten or twelve and the wounded.
some OF whom dieu, at about thirty.
Gen. Winders official report estimates
the American loss at about thirty killed
and fifty wounded.
The American regular troops engaged
were the 36th Regiment of infantry,
one battalion Of the 3sth Infantry and
one company of the 18th Infantry, es-
timated at 500 men: marines and sea
men to the number of 500 and a
SQUADRON Of the I'd Dragons. about
l40 men. under Lieut.. Col Laval. The
regulars" numbered about 1850 and
the militia about 5000.
IT is worth recalling here that Ross
commander of the land troops in the
expedition was rewarded by the Eng
lish king by being allowed to add of
bladensburs to the family name and
ne was given sepulcher in Westminster
Abbey. Vice Admiral Cockburn, who
was in command of the marines and
seamen, and who had carried on a pred
atory warfare against the plantations
and settlements along the Chesapeake
during the years 1913 and 1914, was
chosen for the honor of conveying Ma
poleon to st. Helena. The Rambler
takes the following from the Invasion
ard Capture of Washington by John
s. Williams, IS5D, brigade ma ior and