The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-09-22
By JAMES E. HANCOCK,
In the Baltimore Sunday Sun, Sept ]

In the Baltimore Sunday Sun, Sept II
August Is to September Is, 1914,
was a fateful month for the United
States of America. For over two
years this country had been at war
with Great Britain in an effort to
break away from her economic and
maritime domination. 1t was our Sec
ond War for Independence from that
powerful nation and we had almost
exhausted the Federal Treasury by
the wastage of several unsuccessful
campaigns against Canada.
The British feet had been blockad-
ing the Chesapeake from the very be-
ginning of the conflict, hoping to keep
the Baltimore privateers from sail
ing, and their activity had compelled
the merchants of this city to build a
feet of gunboats that was placed I'M
der the command of Commodore JOSH
VA Barney for counterattack against
the British ships that were in the bay.
This fiotilla was manned by Baltimore
seamen and had done effective work
in the spring and summer of 1914.
But in early August the British
were heavily reinforced by an addi-
.tional squadron with Nelson's Marines
and division of Wellington's Invin-
cibles, that had just been released
from the War against Napoleon. This
greatly superior force drove Barney
into the Patuxent and followed him up
the river until he was compelled to
abandon and burn his vessels to save
them from capture. The British. then
landed their troops at Benedict and
followed Barney's Sea Fencibles to
Blandensburg, where they met and
defeated the American Army that
had been hastily assembled to protect
the city of Washington. The next
day tn eenemy captured Washington
and burned the public buildings, in
Guiding the Capitol, the White House
and the Treasury and forced Presi-
dent Madison and the Cabinet to flee
into Virginia. Returning to their
ships, Admiral Cockburn announced
that they would next take and burn
Baltimore.
Not only had Baltimore built and
sent to sea more privateers than any
other city in America, but some of
these privately armed vessels had
gone to the British Coast and had de-
veloped the particular anger of the
British Government by taking a num-
Der Of British prizes in the English
and the Irish Channels.
With no hope of aid from an ex-
hausted Federal Treasury and with
less than 500 Federal troops in the
Chesapeake district, the State OF
Maryland appropriated half million
dollars and the people of Baltimore
subscribed another million dollars for
local defense, and every able-bodied
citizen was ordered out to serve either
in the army or build Notifications
around the town.
***
Picture a quiet Sunday morning
September II, 1914. Baltimore had
been anxiously awaiting the news OF
the enemy's approach for over two
weeks. The churches were filled and
groups of men gathered here and
there to discuss the various rumors OF
the day. Suddenly cannon roared
on the Court House green. 1t was the
signal that had been agreed upon to
let the people know that the British
feet of nearly one hundred ships was
coming up the bay, and the troops
began to assemble at their appointed
places.
That afternoon, General Stricken
commanding the Third Maryland Bri'
gade, composed of the Fifth, Sixth
Twenty-seventh, Thirty-ninth and
Fifty-frst Regiments of Infantry, 15(
rifiemen, 140 cavalrymen and rs ar
tillerymen, with six four-pound guns