Thus ended a third campaign in Upper Canada, without a single important conquest being secured. The operations of the army under Brown, however, are not to be considered as worthless and inefficient. They have, in the most complete manner, effaced the stain thrown on the army by the imbecile efforts of its infancy, and have cast a lustre on the American name, by a series of the most brilliant victories, over troops heretofore considered matchless. Nor ought we to lose sight of the effect produced by these events on the country at large, actively engaged as was almost every citizen, in repelling, or in preparing to repel, the invaders of their homes. This effect was without doubt extensively beneficial ; and perhaps it may not be improper to ascribe to Brown and his gallant companions in arms a part of that renown which the arms. of the United States have acquired by the defeat, in almost every instance, of the powerful forces with which it has been assailed.

CHAPTER III.

5 1. British depredations in the Chesapeake. 2. Movements of Bar

ney's fotilla. § 3. Measures for the defence of Baltimore and Washington. 4. Arrival of the expedition under general Ross. $ 5. Landing and movements of the British army. 56. Battle of Bladensburg. $ 7. Capture of Washington, and destruction of the public buildings. $ 8. Retreat of the British. $ 9. Fort Warburton blown up. $ 10. Alexandria plundered. $ 11. Preparations for cutting off the retreat of the plunderers. § 12. Bombardment of the batteries under commodores Porter and Perry. 13 Commodore Rodgers' fire-ships. 14. Defeat and death of sir Peter Parker. $ 1.

THE British squadron in the Chesapeake, under ad. miral Cockburn, still continued their system of plunder and devastation along the coasts of the bay, and the numerous rivers of which it forms the estuary. The principal, if not the only naval protection to this exposed coast, consisted of the flotilla under commodore Barney, but this presented but a very imperfect protection to this extensive line of frontier.

02. On the 1st of June, the flotilla, making sail from the mouth of the Patuxent, with the wind from the northward, discovered two of the enemy's schooners down the bay. The schooners made signals and fired guns; when a large ship was seen getting under way, which dispatched a number of barges to the assistance of the schooners. Unfortunately at this time the wind shifted, which brought the ship to windward, and Barney was thus forced to put back into the Patuxent, whither he was followed by a seventy-four, three schooners, and seven barges with a fresh wind. But the gun-boats being in the rear, particularly one which was laden with provisions, Barney soon found it necessary to hazard an engagement to prevent their capture. Accordingly, bringing his sloop and one of the gun-boats to an anchor, he sent men on board of the provision boat, to assist in bringing her in, and made signals for his barges to return and join him. At this moment his sloop and gun-boat opened a fire on a schooner of the enemy, which was leading in with a number of barges. She immediately bore

got

her boats ahead to tow her off, seeing which the American barges rowed down upon her and the other schooners, and gave them a number of shot at long distance. But

up, and

the chase was soon given up, and the flotilla returned to port. During the firing, a British barge threw a number of rockets, which did no execution.

On the 8th, the enemy being reinforced with a razee and a sloop of war brig, the flotilla moved up the Patuxent to the mouth of St. Leonard's creek, and on being followed by the British squadron, they moved up the creek about two miles, and moored in line, abreast, across the channel, where they prepared for action. The creek not being accessible to ships, , the barges of the enemy, fifteen in number, were dispatched against the flotilla. As they approached, they advanced a rocket barge, at which several shot were fired by the flotilla, but they fell short, as rockets can be thrown a greater distance than shot. Barney, therefore, got his barges, thirteen in number, under weigh, and leaving the sloop and gun-boats at anchor, they rowed down upon the enemy, who precipitately fed from their position. The pursuit was continued till the flotilla came near the enemy's shipping, when, after firing a few shot, the American barges returned to their moorings. In the afternoon, the British barges again came up, again threw rockets, and were again pursued out of the creek.

During these encounters, the British are said to have suffered considerably. The large schooner was nearly destroyed, having several shot through her at the water's edge; her deck torn up, gun dismounted, and mainmast nearly cut off about half way up, and otherwise much cut. They ran her ashore to prevent her sinking. The commodore's boat was cut in two; a shot went through the rocket boat ; one of the small schooners, carrying two thirty-two pounders, had a shot which raked her from aft forward. The boats generally suffered; but their loss was not ascertained.

On the 15th, the enemy having received further reinforce. ments, sent a detachment of boats up the river, which took possession of Benedict and Marlborough, the latter only 18 miles from Washington. After plundering a quantity of stock, and burning the tobacco warehouses, which, according to the British statement, contained 2500 hogsheads of tobacco, they returned to their ships.

Shortly after this affair, in order to extricate the flotilla from its confined situation, a battery was hastily thrown up on a point of land at the junction of St. Leonard's creek and the Patuxent, and a combined attack being made by the flotilla and a small body of infantry and artillery, the British squadron was forced to drop down the Patuxent, which enabled commodore Barney to pass his flotilla up that river. . VOL. IV.

E

93. At this time no apprehensions were entertained of any serious attack being made on any important point by the enemy's forces in the Chesapeake. But towards the end of June, certain intelligence was received of the complete success of the allies in the subjugation of France, and government were led to believe, as well from communications received from our ministers abroad, as from the tone of the British prints, that a.powerful force was about to be sent to the United States. A variety of considerations pointed to Washington City and Baltimore as prominent objects of attack.

Immediate measures of defence had therefore become necessary; and accordingly, a new military district was created, embracing the state of Maryland, the District of Columbia, and that part of Virginia lying between the Rappahannock and Potomack, the command of which was given to general Winder. A requisition was made on certain states for a corps of 93,500 militia, and the executive of each state was requested to detach and hold in readiness for immediate service their respective quotas. Of that requisition, 2000 effectives from the quota of Virginia ; 5000 from that of Pennsylvania ; 6000, the whole quota of Maryland ; and 2000, the estimated number of the militia of the District of Columbia, were put at the disposition of general Winder, making an aggregate of 15,000, exclusive of about 1000 regulars. But this force, which, had it been well organized, and ready to meet the foe at any threatened point, would have been amply sufficient for defence, to-. tally failed in the hour of need. From the tardiness incident to the present imperfect militia system of the United States, the Virginia and Pennsylvania troops could not be organized in time to meet the enemy, although the battle which sealed the fate of Washington did not take place till a month after they were called out. And even of the Maryland militia, nearly one half joined the army but half an hour before the action. A considerable part of this delay was occasioned by general Winder's not receiving the authority to call out the state troops for some time after it was issued, owing to his being constantly, in motion at this period, in order to acquire a complete knowledge of the topography of the district.

$ 4. During the month of July, the enemy's fleet ascended both the Potomack and Patuxent, and committed great depredations, particularly on the former river. Admiral Cochrane arrived in the Chesapeake in the beginning of August, and on the 17th, the ieet, now in great force, was joined by admiral Malcolm, with the expedition from Bermuda, destined against Baltimore and Washington,

a

95. The circumstance of Barney's flotilla having taken shelter at the head of the Patuxent proved extremely favourable to an attack on Washington, as it masked the intention of the enemy: This attack, therefore, being determined on, Cochrane moved his squadron up the river. Previously to his entering the Patuxent, however, he detached captain Gordon, with a number of ships and bombs to the Potomack, to bombard fort Warburton, with a view of destroying that fort, and opening a free communication above, as well as to cover the retreat of the army, should its return by the Bladensburg road be found too hazardous. Sir Peter Parker, with the Menelaus and some small vessels, was sent up the Chesapeake to make a diversion in that quarter. The remainder of the naval force, and the troops, moved up the Patuxent to Benedict, where the army was landed upon

the 19th and 20th. So soon as the necessary provisions and stores could be assembled and arranged, major-general Ross, with his army, moved towards Nottingham, while the British flotilla, consisting of the armed launches, pinnaces, barges, and other boats of the fleet, under admiral Cockburn, passed up the river, keeping on the right flank of the army, for the double

purpose of supplying it with provisions, and, if necessary, of passing it over to the left bank of the river, which secured a safe retreat to the ships, should it be judged necessary: The army reached Nottingham on the 21st, and the following day arrived at Marlborough. The flotilla, keeping pace with the army, arrived within sight of Barney's flotilla on the 22d. It was instantly set on fire by a small party of sailors who had been left for that purpose, the commodore having previously joined general Winder with the greater part of his force. The flotilla soon blew up, excepting one vessel, which fell into the hands of the enemy.

While a large regular army, well disciplined and accoutred, accompanied with a strong naval force, was thus within 16 miles of the American capital, the principal part of the force destined to defend it had not arrived, and a considerable portion still remained at their homes. The actual force under general Winder only amounted to about 3000 men, of whom 1400 were regulars, including the marines and sea-fencibles under commodore Barney ; the remainder were volunteers and militia, principally from the District of Columbia. The force of the enemy at this time was variously estimated: The best opinion made them from 5000 to 7000. They were without cavalry, and had only two small field-pieces and one howitzer,

a

a