Preface to Third Edition 21 



close of hostilities; and some of the towns on the 

 shores of Chesapeake Bay had been plundered or 

 burnt. In August, 1814, a more serious invasion 

 was planned, and some 5,000 troops regulars, sail 

 ors, and marines were landed, under the command 

 of General Ross. So utterly helpless was the Demo 

 cratic Administration at Washington, that during 

 the two years of warfare hardly any steps had been 

 taken to protect the Capitol, or the country round 

 about; what little was done was done entirely too 

 late, and bungled badly in addition. History has 

 not yet done justice to the ludicrous and painful 

 folly and stupidity of which the government found 

 ed by Jefferson, and carried on by Madison, was 

 guilty, both in its preparations for, and in its way of 

 carrying on, this war ; nor is it yet realized that the 

 men just mentioned, and their associates, are pri 

 marily responsible for the loss we suffered in it, and 

 the bitter humiliation some of its incidents caused 

 us. The small British army marched at will through 

 Virginia and Maryland, burned Washington, and 

 finally retreated from before Baltimore and re-em 

 barked to take part in the expedition against New 

 Orleans. Twice, at Bladensburg and North Point, 

 it came in contact with superior numbers of militia 

 in fairly good position. In each case the result was 

 the same. After some preliminary skirmishing, 

 manoeuvring, and volley firing, the British charged 

 with the bayonet. The rawest regiments among the 

 American militia then broke at once; the others 

 kept pretty steady, pouring in quite a destructive 



