I88j ANNUAL REGISTER, ISli. 



tically admired in his public charac- 

 ter; and whose only fault, if it may 

 be deemed so, was an excess of gal- 

 lantry, enterprise, and devotion to 

 the service." A tribute not less 

 warm and aHectionate is paid (o 

 his memory in the dispatch of the 

 naval commander. 



The van of the British continued 

 to press forward, pushing before it 

 the enemy's light troops, to within 

 five miles from Baltimore, where 

 a corps of about 0,000 men, with 

 cavalry and six pieces of artillery, 

 was descried posted under cover 

 of a wood, and in dense order lin- 

 ing a paling which crossed the 

 main road. Dispositions were im- 

 mediately made by Colonel Brooke 

 for a general attack, which began 

 by the light brigades driving the 

 enemy's skirmishers upon his main 

 body with great loss. The rest of 

 the troops pressing on with rapi- 

 dity, in less than fifteen minutes 

 the Americans were entirely broken 

 and dispersed, leaving on the field 

 two pieces of cannon, and a consi- 

 derable number of killed, wound- 

 ed, and prisoners. The day being 

 now far advanced, the fatigued 

 troops halted for the night on the 

 ground on which the enemy had 

 been posted ; and the commander 

 received a communication from 

 Admirtd Cochrane stating that 

 the higates, bomb-vessels, and 

 flotilla of the fleet would take their 

 proposed stations on the following 

 morning. At day break on the 

 13th the army advanced, and at 

 ten o'clock occupied a position a 

 mile and a half to the eastward of 

 Baltimore. This town is completely 

 surrounded by detached hills, on 

 which vvere constructed a chain of 

 pallisaded redoubts connected by 

 a small breast-work. These w orks 



were defended, according to the 

 best information, by about 15,000 

 men, with a large train of artillery. 

 Relying, however, on the quality 

 of his soldiers, the British com- 

 mander had planned a nocturnal 

 attack, in which the superiority of 

 the enemy's artillery would have 

 been less felt; but on the evening 

 of that day a message from the ad- 

 miral informed him that the en- 

 trance to the harbour was closed 

 in such a manner by a barrier of 

 sunken vessels, defended by gun- 

 boats and fortifications, that a 

 nearer approach of the ships was 

 impracticable. It was in conse- 

 quence agreed by both command- 

 ers, that the chance of capturing 

 the town was not an equivalent 

 for the probable loss which would 

 be incurred bystormingthe heights. 

 The Colonel therefore moved back 

 three miles from the position 

 which he had occupied, where he 

 halted to see whether the enemy 

 would be induced to quit his en- 

 trenchments and follow him. No 

 demonstration of that kind being 

 made, the army, on thelSth, was 

 moved down to tiie place of re- 

 embarkation, carrying with it 200 

 prisoners, many of them belonging 

 to the best families in Baltimore. 

 The general alarm and confusion 

 excited by this attempt, the neces- 

 sity to the enemy of sinking a 

 number of vessels, and burning a 

 rope-walk and other public build- 

 ings, and the rout to which he 

 had been put in a general action, 

 were farther consolations for the 

 failure of an enterprize conducted 

 with the characteristic spirit and 

 activity of British troops. The 

 heaviest loss sustained was that of 

 the lamented General. The killed 

 and wounded in the action of the 



