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War Comes to Mount Welby
On August 24, British troops fought a battle with American soldiers near Bladensburg, Maryland. The battleground was about ten miles from Mount Welby, which was then just east of Washington DC.
The DeButts family could see the city in flames from this bluff. Could the English-born Mrs. DeButts have feeling of loyalty for the enemy, the British?
After the British routed the American defenders at Bladensburg, they marched into the capital city. By 9:00 pm, the US Capitol was ablaze and the residents of Mount Welby watched from their hilltop home. Two hours later, British soldiers reached the White House and set it afire, along with the the Treasury Building next door.
Even closer to Mount Welby was the Navy Yard in southwest Washington. It was put to the torch about 8:00 pm by the Americans to keep ships, ammunition, sails, rope, and other supplies from the British.
President James Madison, First Lady Dolly Madison, and many Washingtonians had fled the city only a few hours before.
Rear Admiral Sir James Alexander Gordon painted by Andrew Morton in 1839
Mrs. DeButts was a prolific letter writer and many of her original letters can be found in the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, Virginia. A letter written by Mrs. DeButts in 1815 to her sister, Milly, gives us some insight into how frightful the situation was for the family. |