neighborhood of Cook's Mills, at Lyon's Creek, a branch of the Chippewa, for the purpose of destroying the enemy's stores in that quarter. Having driven in the picket guard, and captured its officers, Bissell encamped for the night. The next morning, he was attacked by the Marquis of Tweedale, with not less than twelve hundred men; but the enemy was repulsed and driven back again to their entrenchments, leaving their killed and wounded behind. Bissell having accomplished his design, returned to Black Rock with a loss of twelve killed and fifty-five wounded. The weather growing cold, and the season for military operations drawing to a closc, it was determined to destroy Fort Erie, and evacuate Upper Canada. This was accordingly effected; and early in November, the troops were transported to the American side, and distributed in winter quarters at Buffalo, Black Rock, and Batavia.* During the summer of this year, an expedition was undertaken for the purpose of recovering Mackinaw. A part of the squadron on Lake Erie, had for this object been extended into Lake Huron, under the command of Commodore Sinclair. Colonel Croghan, accompanied by Major Holmes, left Detroit on the 5th of July. Co-operating with Commodore Sinclair, they succeeded in destroying the British establishments at St. Joseph's 1814. * Ingersoll (vol. ii., pp. 109-14) has some reflections on the "moral effect" of the war as carried on in the north. The reader will find them worthy his attention. 245 and the Sault de St. Marie, and then proceeded to Mackinaw. Croghan landed his troops on the 4th of August, but his force was not sufficient to reduce the fortress. The attempt was attended with the loss of many brave officers, among whom was Major Holmes. Two vessels, which were left by the Americans to prevent supplies arriving at the fort, were blown up by the British. Commodore Sinclair, however, succeeded in capturing the last of their vessels on the upper lakes.* General Harrison, vexed at the conduct of the secretary of war, who was no friend of his, and who violated the usual military etiquette on various occasions, sent in his resignation of the post of major-general in the army. His letter was written from Cincinnati, under date of May 11th, and he retired to private life. On the 22d of October, General M'Arthur, who took the command after General Harrison's resignation, left Detroit, with about seven hundred men, and marched in the direction of the River Thames. Having dispersed the British detachments in the vicinity of the Thames, destroyed all their stores, and taken one hundred and fifty prisoners, M'Arthur's detachment, on the 7th of November, returned to Detroit in good order, and with the loss of only one man. The troops were then discharged and returned home. CHAPTER XII. 1814. THE INVASION OF WASHINGTON. The British in the Chesapeake-Barney's flotilla A heavy blow contemplated by the enemy-Views and plans of the administration for the defence of Washington - General Winder appointed commander - His trials and perplexities Cochrane's fleet enters the Chesapeake―The force under General Ross landed at Benedict Advance into the interior - Winder's force and conduct-Stansbury's brigade- Post taken at Bladensburg - The president and secretaries in the camp - Their presence and plans-The battle of Bladensburg. — Retreat to the capitol - Thence to Georgetown Heights, and fifteen miles further - Destruction at the navy yard-General Ross enters Washington - The city devoted to destruction The next morning's work- The British anxious to get away-Their retreat at night — Effect of this invasion Gordon's success at Alexandria - Parker's misfortune - Attempt on Baltimore-Death of General Ross - Battle at North Point-The British advance but do not attack-Bombardment of Fort M'Henry Cochrane and the troops retreat The return of the president to Washington-Congress meet The message of the president- Measures entered upon - Mr. Jefferson offers his library to Congress Changes in the cabinet-The measures of this session The measures of this session - Finances, taxation, bank scheme, etc. Monroe's plan for augmenting the army - Death of the vice-president — APPENDIX TO CHAPTER XII. The British account of the invasion of Washington. 1814. THE British squadron on the coast | times, silencing them by his superior continued their system of petty plun- skill and accuracy in firing. dering and devastating, wherever they found opportunity. Especially was this plan pursued on the waters of the Chesapeake, where Cockburn was in command; and numerous and disgraceful inroads were made under his direction, or with his entire sanction. A flotilla for the defence of the inlets and smaller rivers of the bay, consisting of a cutter, two gunboats, and nine barges, was placed under command of Commodore Barney, who, during the month of June, performed a number of gallant exploits in the discharge of his responsible duties. Every attempt of the enemy to capture the flotilla failed, Barney at times running up small creeks out of reach of the British guns; at other Cockburn had menaced Washington during the preceding year; but the secretary of war and others never believed that any attack was seriously contemplated. The defences appeared to be all that was necessary, and it was thought that the British would not dare, with any force at their command, to attempt so hazardous an expedition as that of assaulting the capital of the United States. But England, now that Napoleon was subdued, having abundance of ships and men unoccupied, (see p. 228) determined to strike a blow or two which should tell with tremendous effect, and compel the Americans to sue for peace on any terms. The president of the United States, CH. XII.] PLANS FOR DEFENDING THE CAPITAL. not unaware of the threatened invasion, by news which reached him at the end or June, called a council of the heads of the departments, and suggested the propriety of collecting all the regulars within reach, of forming a camp of at least three thousand men at some point between the Patuxent and the Eastern Branch of the Potomac, and of embodying ten thousand militia at Washington. These views appeared to meet the approbation of all; and there seems no reason to doubt, that could they have been carried into execution, both the cities of Baltimore and Washington might safely have bid defiance to the British arms. Steps were immediately taken in furtherance of the plan suggested. Requisitions were made on the District of Columbia, for her whole quota of militia, amounting to two thousand men; on Maryland for the same, six thousand men; on Pennsylvania, for five thousand men; and on Virginia, for two thousand men; making in the whole, fifteen thousand men; of which, ten thousand, it was confidently thought, would not fail to take the field. It was ascertained, that about a thousand regulars could be depended on; besides a squadron of horse then in Pennsylvania, some additional regulars which were ordered from North Carolina, and Commodore Barney's men, in case it should be found necessary to abandon the flotilla. On paper, this was certainly a highly respectable force; but, it is to be remembered, that the ten or fifteen thousand militia were yet to be called together, and when assembled, they were to be disciplined, and put in some sort of preparation to meet 247 a veteran force like that which was about to invade the country. 1814. The District of Columbia, Maryland, and part of Virginia, was formed into a new military district, and on the 5th of July, the command was bestowed upon General Winder. He entered upon his difficult command with alacrity, but every thing nearly was to be done, fortifications to be erected, troops collected, plans matured, etc. Difficulties of various kinds sprang up in his path. The governor of Maryland called for three thousand militia, but his call brought out about as many hundred. The governor of Pennsylvania had no authority at all to draft men, and could only appeal to the patriotism of the people, with very indifferent success, as may be supposed. Thus Maryland and Pennsylvania failing, nearly half of the fifteen thousand were cut off at once, and of the balance, not more than one third could be relied on. At the beginning of August, Winder had only a thousand regulars collected, and less than two thousand militia. Some troops embodied at Annapolis, and a brigade of Maryland militia from Baltimore, under General Stansbury, were placed at the disposal of the American commander; and it was hoped, that volunteers would flock in and repel the insulting and haughty enemy. But, as is at once evident, with such miserably insufficient preparation, the British general would meet with very little to hinder him from accomplishing his purpose.* * Ingersoll (vol. ii., p. 164) gives a graphic account of the position of things at Washington, in view of On the 16th of August, twenty-one sail of the line, under Admiral Cochrane, arrived in Chesapeake Bay, and effected a junction with Cockburn's squadron. The enemy's force was divided into three parts. One division was sent up the Potomac, under Captain Gordon, for the purpose of bombarding Fort Warburton, and opening the way to the city of Washington; and another, under Sir Peter Parker, was dispatched to threaten Baltimore. The main body ascended the Patuxent, apparently with the intention of destroying Commodore Barney's flotilla, which had taken refuge at the head of that river, but with the real intention, as it was soon discovered, of attacking Washington. In prosecution of this plan, the expedition proceeded to Benedict, the head of frigate navigation, and about forty miles southeast of the capital. Benedict, on the west bank of the Patuxent, was reached on the 19th of August; and on the next day, the debarkation of the land forces, under General Ross, was completed. On the 21st, pur the expected incursion of the British. suing the course of the river, the troops 1814. The force under General Ross numbered not more than four thousand five hundred men, although rumor and sudden fright expanded his army into at least ten thousand men. The advance was slow; for not only did the total absence of resistance suggest the need of precaution against ambuscades, but the soldiers, long cooped up in the ships, were too much fatigued, by the weight of their accoutrements and provisions, to proceed rapidly. Occasionally, a few of the famous riflemen of the backwoods showed themselves to the invading force; who also caught "There were sight of bodies of American soldiery,— now posted strongly on some rising ground, whence they hastily withdrew as the British advanced,—now rapidly evacuating some town, as the British entered,—and now envelopped in clouds of dust, as they crossed the line of the British march. Later still, at night, the outposts were conscious of the near approach of small parties of Americans, apparently intent on the capture or death of stragglers; and these casual no funds; though the city banks proffered a few hundred thousand dollars of their depreciated, and in a very few days unconvertible paper,-as, with the fall of Washington, all banks south of New England stopped payments in coin. There were no rifles; not flints enough; American gunpowder was inferior to English; there was not a cannon mounted for the defence of the seat of government; not a regular soldier there; not a fortress, breastwork, or military fortification of any kind, within twelve miles. The neighbor ing militia of Maryland and Virginia were worn down by disastrous and mortifying service, routed and disheartened. The proportion of regular troops, all of them mere recruits, never tried in fire, was like that of coin to paper, in the wretched currency; so small an infusion of precious metal, that there was scarcely ties were so frequent, in consequence any substance to rely upon." of the heat of the weather, and the pe |