Evening star., 1951-03-25


1914. The steel engraving, mad.
shington, the Capital of the Uni
hen we burnt and destroyed the
ce, War Office, Treasury and the
S designate: A-Gen. Ross and hi
ed; E-Dockyard and arsenal b
alace; ISenate House; M-Trs
into the Patuxent River as far as
St. Leonards Bay. the citizens
lof Washington received no advice
from Federal Government officials
Madison and his small officia.
family made no attempt to answer
the question thousands of persons
were asking: Do we remain ir
the town or do we move out?"
Dispersal Of Federal workers
didn't seem important. There
were less than 500 employed II,
the executive departments. Four
teen years before, when the Fed
eral Government moved to Wash
|ington from Philadelphia, the
total number of employees brought
from the Quaker City was 1871
|Of these. So had jobs in the Treas
ury Department. Is in the Navy
AS a matter of fact, the number
Iof ble-bodied men remaining in
Washington was small; only the
wives, the children and the Older
men and women were left after
the militia companies were called
out. Two months before the Battle
'of Bladensburg, DR.. James H
Blake. the Mayor of Washington
and a committee composed of Elias
B. Caldwell, Daniel Carroll of
Duddington. Butler Cooke, Walter
Jones, jr., and Thomas Munroe
called upon President Madison
and urged him to take measures
to correct the defenseless condi-
ton of the town.
The Mayor of Alexandria and a
town committee also paid visit
to the mansion on Pennsylvania
avenue. Capt. John Peter. Mayor
Iof Georgetown, who commanded
ia military company. joined with
Mayor Blake in acquainting Mr.
Madison with the deplorable state
Iof affairs in the entire District
Iof Columbia. The President
listened and did nothing. Mean
while, the towns residents were
nervous and frightened. There
wasn't a single line of defense
upon which they could depend ir
the event of a British attack. A
month before the invasion three
militia companies left the towr
and marched to woodward, east o1
Upper Marlboro. Md. IL miles
from Washington. The British
were reported moving up to thai
point. They didn't appear. sc
the militia troops returned tt
Washington.
IScurry for Safety
Then a most astounding event
took place: The three companie!
were. discharged and the mer
went home. They had served nint
days.
BY August 20 the District militia
was back in camp 4 miles from
the Eastern Branch Bridge. The.
slept in the open. Gen. Armstrong
had not supplied tents. Militia
companies from adjoining State.
were few and inadequately trained
What troops from the States die
appear on the scene as the Battle
of Bladensburg seemed inevitable
were worn out from long marche!
from their respective homes
Further, the weather was swell.
tering and the army food ane
shelter just plain bad.
In the town itself, the hurry ane
scurry on Sunday, August 81. wa!
heightened by fright. The las
few men in Washington able tt
work were sent to Bladensburg tt
throw up breastworks. By Sunday
night "dispersal' was in full
swing. Federal employees bega1
tossing documents and papers ane
pens into crates to be sent out O.
town to places of safety. Tht
State Department used linen bag
in lieu of boxes. These they hur.
ried off to Leesburg, Va, where
they were stacked in vacan
house. BY Monday morning, resi-.
dents of both Washington ane
lGeorgetoWn were on the move
Carts and wagons and wheelbar.
rows ratified through Washington
streets and lanes. Friends in tht
country were imposed upon b,
Washingtonians seeking havens o.
security. British soldiers ar,
ruthless" citizens exclaimed, "ant
they will grant no quarter wher
they get here" All day long tn.
cavalcades spoked out toward tht
West and the South, to Maryland
and Virginia. BY Tuesday morn
ling, Washington and Georgetown
contained a scant few women ane
children. the former being stub
born females who refused to b.
scared out of house and home"
Almost 5000 persons acted tt
"disperse" themselves by Angus
|23. All Federal Offices were closed
hotels were deserted, bushes
houses had locked doors, ant
Pennsylvania avenue was a high
way of silence. Mr.. Madison wa
out with the troops. He was tn
Commander in Chief and he rod
"a horsA roy,oracc hod fod III