APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



919 



ingly put the troops in movement 

 on the evening of the 23rd. A 

 corps of about 1,200 men appeared 

 to oppose us, but retired after firing 

 a few shots. On the 24th the 

 troops resumed their march, and 

 reached Bladensberg, a village si- 

 tuated on the left bank of the east- 

 ern branch of the Potowmac, 

 about five miles from Washington. 

 On the opposite side of that 

 river the enemy was discovered 

 strongly posted on very command- 

 ing heights, formed in two lines, 

 his advance occupying a fortified 

 house, which, with artillery, cover- 

 ed the bridge over the eastern 

 branch, across which the British 

 troops had to pass. A broad and 

 straight road, leading from the 

 bridge to Washington, ran through 

 the enemy's position, which was 

 carefully defended by artillery and 

 riflemen. 



The disposition for the attack 

 being made, it was commenced 

 with so much impetuosity by the 

 light brigade, consisting of the 85th 

 light infantry and the light infan- 

 try companies of the army, under 

 the command of Colonel Thorn- 

 ton, that the fortified house was 

 shortly carried, the enemy retiring 

 to the higher grounds. 



In support of the light brigade I 

 ordered up a brigade under the 

 command of Colonel Brooke, who, 

 with the 44th regiment, attacked 

 the enemy's left, the 4th regiment 

 pressing his right with such effect 

 as to cause him to abandon his 

 guns. His first line giving way, 

 was driven oti the second, which, 

 yielding to the irresistible attack 

 of the bayonet, and the well-di- 

 rected discharge of rockets, got into 

 'confusion and fled, leaving the 

 British masters of the field. The 



rapid flight of the enemy, and hi* 

 knowledge of the country, pre- 

 cluded the possibility of many 

 prisoners being taken, more par- 

 ticularly as the troops had, dur- 

 ing the day, undergone consider- 

 able fatigue. 



The enemy's army, amounting 

 to 8 or 9,000 men, with 3 or 400 

 cavalry, was under the command 

 of General Winder, being formed 

 of troops drawn from Baltimore 

 and Pennsylvania. His artillery, 

 ten pieces of which fell into our 

 hands^ was commanded by Com- 

 modore Barney, who was wounded 

 and taken prisoner. The artillery 

 I directed to be destroyed. 



Having halted the army for a 

 short time, I determined to march 

 upon Washington, and reached 

 that city at eight o'clock that night. 

 Judging it of consequence to com- 

 plete the destruction of the public 

 buildings with the least possible 

 delay, so that the army might re- 

 tire without loss of time, the fol- 

 lowing buildings were set fire to 

 and consumed : — the Capitol, in- 

 cluding the Senate-house and 

 House of Representation, the arse- 

 nal, the Dock-yard, Treasury, War- 

 odce, President's-palace, Rope- 

 walk, and the great Bridge across 

 the Potowmac : in the dock-yard 

 a frigate nearly ready to be launch- 

 ed, and a sloop of war, were con- 

 sumed. The two bridges leading 

 to Washington over the eastern 

 branch had been destroyed by the 

 enemy, who apprehended an attack 

 from that quarter. The object of 

 the expeditiou being acconqiiished, 

 I determined, before any greater 

 force of the enemy could be as- 

 sembled, to withdraw the troops, 

 and accordingly commenced Re- 

 tiring on the night of the 25th,— 



