WASHINGTON (D. C.), Campaign Against and Burning of, in the War of 1812. In the early summer of 1814 the British determined to make a diversion somewhere on the southern coast. in favor of the army on the Canadian frontier. Having decided in favor of Chesa peake Bay, Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane conducted thither the troops under command of Maj.-Gen. Robert Ross, the landing at the mouth of the Potomac being made on 15 Aug. 1814. At this time Washington was absolutely unprotected save by old Fort Washington and the little flotilla under Joshua Barney (q.v.). Despite Madison's insistence that defensive measures be taken and the appointment 2 July of Brig.-Gen. William H. Winder (q.v.) to command the district, by the time the British began their march inland practically nothing had been done save to gather together about 1,000 regulars and to enroll about 4,000 militia, of which the larger portion was yet to be col lected. On reaching Benedict on the Patuxent River, the British army of 4,500 troops was divided into three brigades. On the 20th Coch rane went up the river in search of Barney's flotilla (which was blown up by order of the Secretary of War to prevent capture) while Ross marched by land toward Washington; Capt. John A. Gordon was sent up the Potomac to attacic Fort Washington (which was blown up by its commander) and Sir Peter Parker was dispatched to make a demonstration in the Patapsco (Parker being killed on the night of 30-31 August at Mooresfield). Probably never in history has such a march been made. With out cavalry, with hardly a piece of cannon, Ross was allowed to advance unmolested through a well-settled country, abounding in defiles, ravines, streams and the like, whereas 100 men with axes and spades could have de layed him for days; but Ross encountered noth ing more serious than a thunderstorm on the road to Upper Marlboro, where he arrived 22 August. The next day he met and dispersed a small American force and that night en aunped within nine miles of the capital. On the night of 22 August a brigade of Maryland militia under Gen. Tobias E. Stansbury arrived at Bladensburg, followed the next day by the Fifth Baltimore regiment under Col. Joseph Sterett and a rifle battalion under Maj. Wil liam Pinlcney (q.v.). Winder had 3,200 men at Old Fields, but instead of sending them to oppose the British at Bladensburg, whither he knew the latter was marching, he ordered them back to Washington, thus leaving the road to Bladensburg open to the British, at which place they arrived about noon of the 24th.
The eastern branch of the Pot6mac was narrow and shallow at Bladensburg and vras spanned by a bridge over wftich passed the road to Washington. In a ravine near the eastern bank was the village but the western bank was hilly,. and in these hills Stansbury had drawn up his troops, flanked on one side by a battery of six guns. Winder then arrived and posted more troops and two batteries in the rear of Stansbury about a mile from the Bladensburg bridge. Shortly after noon the British light brigade, 1,500 strong, crossed the bridge and, cleartng the thickets of skirmishers, quickly put the first American line to flight but was checked by the second line. A second brigade of British then charged and turned the left flank of the Americans, who, with the exception of several strong corps, broke and rushed in disorderly flight from the field. Meanwhile Barney, having destroyed his fleet, took his 400 sailors and two 18 pounders toward Bla densburg and on beholding the rout of the Americans established his men and guns on a hillside about a mile from Bladensburg. His first discharge completely cleared the road of the enemy who made several attempts to crush the little band. Finally they divided their forces, attacked Barney on both flanks and the rear, and through sheer weight of numbers soon compelled the sailors to flee, leaving Barney a prisoner in British hands. By 4 o'clocic not a vestige of the American army was in sight; it had lost 26 lcilled and 51 wounded, while Ross officially reported his loss at 64 killed and 18 wounded, though probably he lost nearer 500. About dark the British entered Washington and in retaliation for real and alleged American depredations in Upper Can ada, set afire and destroyed the Capitol building, wlaich then contained the library of Congress. Ross then fired the President's house and the Treasury building, and the next day continued the work, so that by noon the departments of State and War, the printing office of the NaIlona' Inteilignicer,. the bridge over the Po tomac, several ships m the navy yard and a few small houses were in ruins. A terrific tornado passed over the city shortly after noon, whereupon, leaving the other buildings marked out for destruction and abandoning his wounded, Ross withdrew from the scene of devastation and marched to Upper Marlboro, where he re embarked his troops to naake the attack on Baltimore (q.v.).