Existing comment:
The Battle of Bladensburg:
British:
On August 24th, the British broke camp and moved northwest to the town of Bladensburg where they knew they could easily ford the Eastern Branch of the Anacostia River and cross into Washington. Here, the 4,000 seasoned English forces easily routed the American defenses led by General Winder and his larger but mostly raw force of 6,000 militia, 1,000 regulars, 400 men under Commodore Barney, and 114 marines. The defeat at Bladensburg allowed the British to continue unopposed into Washington DC where they sacked and burned many of the public buildings, including the Capitol, the President's House and the Treasury Building.
Ross and Winder both reached Bladensburg around noon. Ross' main force waited outside of the town while a small group of soldiers scouted ahead for snipers. There were none, but the maneuver resulted in an hour long delay that gave Winder time to position his men.
Around 1:00pm, Ross ordered his First Brigade across the bridge. The British advanced in neat, orderly ranks and as the American artillery opened fire, Ross answered with a battery of newly invented Congreve rockets. The rockets were terribly inaccurate, but were terrorizing to the inexperienced American militia.
For a short time the American front line not only held steady, but subjected the enemy to a surprisingly high and accurate volume of fire. For a moment it appeared as though the British advance might crumble as its forward ranks broke and ran for the cover of nearby buildings. A cheer went up from the American side, but it soon subsided as Ross' First Brigade regained its composure and stormed across the bridge. It was too much for the defenders. The tip of Stansbury's wedge broke and ran for the apple orchard.
Ross' Second Brigade advanced. Consisting of some 1,400 men formed into two regiments, Ross took personal command of one and moved to flank the Americans on the right. The second regiment advanced on the left while Cockburn moved his rockets to within 140 yards of the defending line.
General Ross, who had lost nearly three hundred men before getting across the river, gave great attention and care to the wounded Commodore; he so admired the bravery of the "blue-jackets" that he paroled all the flotilla men, including the Commodore, on the spot. Ross ordered that Barney be taken at once into the city and his wounds treated.
The Battle of Bladensburg, at times referred to as "The Battle for Washington" was over, and Ross had yet to even deploy his third Brigade.
Major General Robert Ross (1766-1814)
The Irish-born Robert Ross joined the British Army in 1789. He was a veteran of many campaigns and had risen rapidly in the ranks being promoted to a full Colonel in 1810 as well as aide-de-camp to the king.
Ross was wounded in France in February 1814 and had just returned to service when he was given command of an expeditionary force to the United States. Ross sailed to North America as a Major General to take charge of all British troops off the east coast of the United States. He personally led the British troops ashore at Benedict.
American:
The first of the battle's players to reach Bladensburg on August 24 was American Brigadier General Stansbury in command of 2,200 Baltimore militiamen, which he placed in a wedge shaped formation on the western side of the Eastern Branch. Three hundred and fifty yards to the formation's front was the Bladensburg Bridge, with the town itself just across the river. On the wedge's left flank was the road to Georgetown, on the right, the road to Washington.
Stansbury's forward defensive line consisted of a small series of earthworks. Here he placed two battalions of riflemen and his battery of small 6 pounders. Behind them an open field extended for 50 yards ending in an apple orchard where Stansbury positioned his second echelon troops.
Winder used the bulk of his force to establish a third line, well behind the "Monroe line." The line's right flank was positioned atop a small grassy knoll; the remainder simply stood in ranks in the center of a broad open field. There were two small detachments sent forward; a battery of three cannons placed on Stansburg's left flank, positioned to rake the orchard so as to cover any retreat of the forward line; and an additional battery of two cannons placed well forward on the Washington road to impede enemy movement down in. Barney arrived shortly after Winder's main body and positioned his men directly in the center of the third line.
Observing this, General Winder, who was with Stansbury in the Baltimore militia's second line, ordered two thirds of the line, a total of some 1,300 men, forward into the orchard. They never reached it. Cockburn had been quick to raise his rocket fire and it was now falling on the slowly advancing American second line. Between the rockets and the sight of the routed first line, these men too fled for cover.
General Winder and Brigadier General Stansburg repositioned themselves with the third American line. Once again the British advanced. The British took three volleys of heavy fire and then turned off the road and charged Winder's flank on the right over an open field. The American artillery fire became more intense and the charge slowed. Seizing the opportunity, Barney led his 500 sailors and marines in a rush against the center of Ross' force. The British were driven back to a wooded ravine, leaving several of their wounded officers in the hands of the Americans. Colonel William Thornton, who had led the British column was severely wounded, and General Ross had his horse shot from under him.
Barney and his men were the only remaining resistance to the British advance and General Winder ordered a retreat. This order never reached Commodore Barney but with no ammunition, flanked on the right and deserted on the left, Barney ordered his own men to retreat. Captain Miller had been wounded and Commodore Barney had received a musket ball in the thigh. They were taken prisoner by Major General Ross.
General William Henry Winder (1775-1824)
William Henry Winder was born in Somerset County, Maryland, in 1775. He studied law and in 1789 settled in Baltimore. By 1812, he was appointed a Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Infantry and by the following year became a Brigadier-Genearl. In May 1814, he was appointed Adjutant-General and placed in command of the newly created 10th Military District.
General Wilder was court-martialed for his part in the defeat at Bladensburg, but the trial resulted in a report of "commendation" for having heroically done his duty under circumstances beyond his control. The court found that Winder showed great zeal but lacked the skill and ability to handle troops properly. In June 1815, he retired a somewhat broken man but resumed the practice of law in Baltimore, where he died in 1824.
General W.H. Winder was promoted for political rather than military reasons. He owed his appointment as Brigadier-General to his kinship with the governor of Maryland.
Fort Lincoln Cemetery:
Fort Lincoln Cemetery encompasses the site of the right flank of the American third line during the Battle of Bladensburg. The Georgetown Artillery, under the command of Major George Peter, were located on the north side of Blandensburg Road while Commodore Joshua Barney and 400 or so of his flotillamen accompanied by Captain Samuel Miller and his 114 marines formed the only effective line of defense against the British during the Battle.
L. Minear, former owner of Fort Lincoln Cemetery, erected a marker in honor of Commodore Barney on the grounds. |