in the woods on each side of the battery, in such positions as would effectually protect its rear, in the event of the enemy's landing. These positions, it was supposed, would have enabled them to clear the enemy's decks with their musketry, and in a great measure serve to divert his fire from the battery, while the thick woods on the high bank would conceal them from view.

The firing lasted all day without intermission; several shells fell near, and burst over the battery, but this had no other effect than to accustom the militia to the danger. In the afternoon, Porter took an eighteen pounder to a more advanced point, about a mile distant, and commenced a fire on the bombship, which did so much execution as to draw on him the fire

of all the vessels, including a schooner' and an eighteen gun : brig which had dropped down that day.

The following day (August 3) Gordon left Alexandria with his prizes, which he anchored above the battery, out of the reach of the cannon. The bombarding vessels were reinforced by another bomb-ship, and a sloop of war fitted up as a rocket ship. The latter anchoring within reach of the battery, Porter was enabled to play on her with great effect, and compelled her to change her position. All this

day and the succeeding night, the enemy kept up a brisk fire of shot, shells, and rockets.

$13. Within a few hours of the departure of the enemy, commodore Rodgers arrived at Alexandria from above, with three small-fire-vessels, under the protection of four barges or cutters manned with about 60 seamen armed with muskets. He immediately proceeded to attack two frigates and a bombship, which lay about two miles below. The failure of the wind, just as they were within reach of the enemy, prevented any beneficial effect being produced. On their approach, the whole of the enemy's boats were put in motion. Some were employed in towing off the fire-vessels, and the remainder in pursuit of Rodgers' cutters. They did not, however, venture to come within musket shot, though much superior both in force and numbers, but continued at a distance firing their great guns for about half an hour, and then retired to their ships.

The following day another fire-vessel was prepared; but it being calm, Rodgers ordered his lieutenant and the four cutters to proceed with a lighter, carrying an eighteen pounder, to attack a bomb-ship, which, in the anxiety of the enemy to get below the works which Porter and Perry had thrown up, had been left exposed to attack. At sun-set, however, just as he was about to give orders to attack the bomb, Rodgers discovered one of the enemy's frigates behind a point, which obliged

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him to relinquish this determination, and give orders to proceed across to the Virginia shore, to haul up the boats, and place the lighter in a situation to be defended against the barges of the enemy.

About nine o'clock at night, Rodgers again shifted his situation to the opposite shore, owing to a man being seized under suspicious circumstances on the beach, near a small boat, about, a mile above the enemy's headmost ship. The cutters were now hauled up, the lighter placed in an advantageous position, and the seamen on the top of a cliff overlooking the river, Scarcely had this arrangement been completed, when an attack was made by all the enemy's barges. It was met with great intrepidity, the enemy were thrown into confusion, and driven back with loss. The only injury which Rodgers sustained, was one man wounded on board the lighter. The work at Porter's battery continued to go

five light field-pieces, from four to six pounders, arrived and were planted, and hopes were entertained of soon receiving some long thirty-two pounders from Washington ; a furnace was built for hot shot, and time only appeared necessary to make the battery formidable. The whole of the 4th and 5th, an incessant fire was kept up by the enemy night and day. He had once attempted landing at night, it is supposed with an intention of spiking the guns of the battery, but was repulsed by the picket guard. The plan of annoying him

by advancing guns was now adopted with better effect than before. The rocket-ship lying close in shore, was much cut up by a twelve pounder and two sixes carried to a point; scarcely a shot missed its hull, and for one hour the fire of all the enemy's force was drawn to this point.

The want of ammunition now caused a suspension of firing at the battery at a most unfortunate moment, just as commodore Rodgers was approaching with his last fire-ship. The enemy being thus enabled to direct the whole of their attention towards him, Rodgers was forced to fire the vessel prematurely, and order his boats to retire, to prevent their being taken possession of by the numerous barges of the enemy.

Some thirty-two pounders now arrived at the battery, and carpenters were employed to make carriages. Two mortars, a large quantity of ammunition, and an abundance of shot and shells were also received ; two barges were equipping, and every thing promised that the battery would speedily be put in a proper state for annoying the enemy. In the evening two frigates anchored above, making the whole force of the enemy opposed to the battery three frigates, three bomb-ships, a

sloop of war, a brig, a schooner, and two barges, carrying altogether 173 guns. The guns mounted in the battery were three 18 pounders, two 12 pounders, six 9 pounders, and two fours. The two mortars were without carriages, as were all the thirty-twos, for notwithstanding every effort was made, both at Washington and on the spot, they could not be completed in time.

On the morning of the 6th, the enemy showing a disposition to move, intelligence to that effect was sent to general Hungerford, and preparations made to meet them at the battery with hot shot. . About 12 o'clock the two frigates got under way, with a fair wind and tide, and stood down; the rocket-sloop, bomb-vessels, brig, schooner, and prizes followed in succession, the gun-boats endeavouring to flank the battery on the right. Porter immediately dispatched an officer to general Hungerford, to request him to take the position agreed upon in the woods on the heights ; but from the distance of his camp, , and the quick approach of the enemy, he was unable to march before the firing commenced, and, after that period, it was rendered impossible, from the vast quantities of shot, shells, and rockets which were showered over the hills and fell among his troops.

As the enemy approached, a well-directed fire was kept up from the battery with hot and cold shot. The officers and men stood the broadsides of the ships with unparalleled firmness. But from the militia not making their appearance, the whole of the enemy's fire was directed at the battery. Porter, therefore, finding that in a few minutes all the enemy's force would be brought to bear on him, and entertaining no hopes of preventing his passing, as some of his men had already been killed and wounded, he determined not to make a useless sacrifice. When the enemy was on the point of anchoring abreast the battery, therefore, after sustaining his fire an hour and a quarter, the commodore directed the officers and men to retire behind a hill on the left, and be in readiness to charge the enemy if he should land to spike the guns. The two frigates anchored abreast, the bombs, sloops, and smaller vessels passed outside them, all pouring into the battery and neighbouring woods a tremendous fire of every description of missive. In the woods on the left, a company of riflemen from Jefferson county, Virginia, under captain George W. Humphreys, greatly distinguished themselves by a well-directed fire on the enemy's decks, as did

of militia under the command of captain Gena, who was posted on the right. The first lost one man killed, and one sergeant and four privates wounded; the

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latter two privates killed. After the bombs, gun-vessels, and prizes had all passed, the frigates proceeded down and anchored abreast of commodore Perry's battery, where a constant firing was kept up until after sun-set.

But the guns at Perry's battery were of too small calibre to make much impression on the enemy. A single eighteen pounder, which arrived only thirty minutes before the firing began, ill supplied with ammunition, was the only gun that could be of much service. The ammunition of this gun, and that of several of the six-pounders, being expended, and the fire of the enemy being very heavy, it was thought advisable to retire a short distance in the rear. a

This was done in good order, after sustaining their fire for more than an hour.

The advantageous situation of this battery prevented the enemy

from doing much injury. Only one man was wounded. The number of killed and wounded at commodore Porter's battery did not exceed thirty. The loss of the enemy was seven killed, and thirty-five wounded.

9 14. Sir Peter Parker, who was sent up the Chesapeake to make a diversion in favour of this expedition, was the least fortunate of the commanders. He met his death in a conflict with a small body of militia on the eastern shore of Maryland, under the command of colonel Reid.

A force of about 150 men was landed at night from his vessel, at the head of which he placed himself, with the intention of surprising the militia in their camp: The movement of the British barges, however, had been discovered, and every preparation was made to give them a warm reception. The camp and baggage were removed, and the troops posted on a rising ground, flanked on both sides with woods, with the artillery in the centre. The head of the enemy's column soon appeared, and received the fire of the American advance at 70 paces distance. Being pressed by superior numbers, the advance were ordered to retire, and form on the right of the line. The fire now became general, and was sustained by the militia with the most determined valour. The enemy pressed in front; but being foiled, he threw himself on the left flank, where his efforts were equally unavailing.

The fire of the enemy had nearly ceased, when Reid, the commander of the militia, was informed, that the cartridges were entirely expended in some parts of the line, and that none of the men had more than a few rounds, although each had brought twenty into the field. The artillery cartridges were entirely expended. Under these circumstances, the troops were ordered to fall back to a convenient spot where a VOL. IV.

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part of the line was fortified, for the purpose of distributing the remaining cartridges.

But the enemy having sustained a severe loss, found it more prudent to retreat than to pursue. They retired to the beach, carrying with them all the wounded they could find, among whom was sir Peter Parker, who expired a few minutes after being carried from the field. The loss of the British on this occasion was 14 killed, and 27 wounded. The Americans had only three wounded. Nothing but the want of ammunition could have saved the whole party of the British from capture.

$ 15. With the multitude, success in war is generally supposed to indicate wisdom in our rulers, while defeat is uniformly attributed either to their folly and weakness, or to treasonable purposes. The clamour which arose out of the disaster of our arms, which led to the capture of Washington, was particularly directed against general Winder, who commanded the American forces, and general Armstrong, the secretary of war, but chiefly against the latter. So violent was the ferment of the public mind in the District of Columbia, that the president was forced to yield to the clamour, and request

the secretary to resign. His place was filled pro tem. by colonel Monthe secretary

of state. Ś 16. The conduct of the British while in possession of Washington and Alexandria, is without a parallel in the history of civilized nations. In the wars of modern Europe, 'no examples of the kind, even among nations the most hostile to each other, can be traced. In the course of the last ten or twelve years, most of the capitals of the principal powers of Europe have been entered by Bonaparte, at the head of his victorious troops, yet no one instance of such wanton and unjustifiable destruction has been seen. And yet this is the chief whose conduct the British have affected to consider as outraging all the laws of civilized war.

But it has been attempted to justify this wanton destruction, under the plea of retaliation. Admiral Cochrane, in a letter to the secretary of state, dated the day previous to the debarkation of Ross's army, though not delivered till after the destruction of Washington, stated, that having been called upon by the governor-general of the Canadas to aid him in carrying into effect measures of retaliation against the inhabitants of the United States, for the wanton destruction committed by their army

in Upper Canada, it had become imperiously his duty, conformably with the nature of the governor-general's application, to issue to the naval force under his command an order

roe,