Of washington. More than anything, the waterway really to find the attack on washington come on the ultimate attack on baltimore. The british were really making good use of the waterways, Chesapeake Bay, and all of the rivers that feed into the bay, including the potomac. By 1813, the chesapeake had pretty much turned into a british lake. The real navy squadron, under the command of her admiral George Cockburn had established domain over the water. George cockburn was a very effective officer, who served under nelson in the wars with france. He had been sent over here to pep things up. He was a very capable officer, ruthless without being vicious. He pretty quickly determines that the americans are not capable of providing much in the way of a real defense. From the start, he sees washington as being vulnerable. Very quickly, as he spreads his terror up and down the bay, he becomes not only the most feared man in america, but also the most hated. He is compared to a till of the han and satan attila the hun, and satan among others. He takes anyone who shows resistance, can be expected to taken in chains to halifax. The chesapeake provided access to the richest and most important land in america at this time. Certainly, in addition to being the home of the capital of washington dc, some of the most important cities like baltimore in norfolk were on the water, and within easy access of the british. By establishing control of the bay, the british were able to put a lot of pressure on United States. It is important to remember that this war was primarily fought along the canadian frontier. The United States was trying to take over some of the territory that belong to Great Britain in british america, today ontario and quebec. They werent having a great deal of success. In order to relieve the pressure on the frontier area, the british had sent George Cockburn and his squadron here in 1813 with the idea of causing some trouble. This is exactly what George Cockburn does. There is a british historian who is in the United States at the time that the war breaks out, and he later says that until George Cockburn showed up, people in the chest only knew by hearsay that there was a war going on. That changes very quickly. He goes and what is best described as a reign of terror up and down the bay, burning a number of towns and plantations, any sort of place he might see any resistance whatsoever. Under his rule, that was good enough for burning the place. A town at the top of the chesapeake day was burned. Half of the townhouses were burned down. The town of hampton in virginia was very brutally burned. Some of the inhabitants were killed by army troops, including some french prisoners that were with the british. The effect of all this terrorism was to really paralyze both the militia units, which are supposed to be protecting this area, and the american government. Cockburn, no one was really sure where he would strike next. The british make use of a weakness in american society, that was our reliance on slavery. A number of plantations all up and down the shore lines of the bay, and the Rivers Feeding into it. The british encouraged american slaves to come over to the other side, to escape. They promise them freedom and the opportunity to fight against their former masters. A lot of them do. They come down to the waterways, like the potomac, on makeshift rafts. They make their way out to the british fleet. Cockburn sets of a base of operations on tangier island, which is in the middle of the bay. This is a Perfect Place for running this expeditionary operation. A number of the slaves that have been encouraged to come over to the british side are trained there as marines. They former regiment of colonial marines as they were known. They turned out to be very effective fighters, and also provide the british with a lot of intelligence. They knew these waterways, and the back roads, in many cases better than their masters did. The british make excellent use of this information. They pretty much are coming up these rivers, and spreading terror wherever they go. News of this is coming back to washington. There is enormous fear that washington or other cities like baltimore could be targets. There is also some confidence that the british cant make it that far. The rivers, including the potomac, had some shoals in them that would make it hard for large ships such as the british had, laden down with heavy guns, to make it as far as washington. I think there was maybe too much complacency in some ways, about what the dangers were in the highest seats of the government. Madisons own secretary of war, john armstrong, is dismissive of the idea that washington would be a target for the british. The rest of the cabinet was equally skeptical that the british had the adjustable wherewithal with a relatively small force to make their way to washington. From the start, cockburn had thought that washington could be taken. When he comes back in 1814, after wintering in bermuda, he decides he will push even harder for this. He sends messages back to london urging them that more force be sent over. He writes that if he was given even a small number of army troops, he could have within his possession the capital of the United States in pretty short order. In 1814, he will get his wish. The Key Developments in europe is that napoleon advocates abdicates. In Great Britain, and would been locked in this war with france for more than 20 years, is suddenly freed up to send more force over here. They agree to send several thousand troops. 4000 are sent here to the chesapeake to join the forces that are already here with the royal navy. Some of the troops are sent up to canada to bolster the british position up there. Cockburn uses the time while he is waiting for these troops to arrive to further scout the rivers here. Checking out the depths of the Potomac River, trying to figure out just how navigable they are. He decides it will be possible to send ships of the potomac. Up the potomac. In august of 1814, some 4000 troops arrive in the chesapeake under the command of Major General robert ross. He had been one of wellingtons most able tenets lieutenants in the financial awards that have been fought in spain and portugal and france. Wellington had chosen ross had this expedition to america. 4000 troops, by the scope of things that have been going on in europe, was tiny. You had armies of over 100,000 fighting in europe in recent years. 4000 troops didnt sound like much to some of the Royal Navy Commanders here. But George Cockburn pushes ahead. His idea is to make use of several different waterways on an attack on washington. If the british forcibly sailed up the potomac, everybody would know that washington was the ultimate target. That one squadron sailed up the Potomac River, and threatened the capital and the city of alexandria. The main force is going to go the other river into southern maryland. The advantage of this was it would shield the ultimate british intention. The room the move up that river could mean an attack on washington, or an overland attack on baltimore or an attack on annapolis. Or it could be that the british were simply chasing after, or Joshua Barney, who was the american commander of the chesapeake flotilla, who had a flotilla of shallow draft boats. Barney, by the summer of 1814, had been trapped further up river than the british. The british could use his presence in this river to more or less shield their movements towards the capital. And that is exactly what cockburn recommends. And its exactly what alexander cochrane, who is in charge of the entire fleet, agreed to do. On august 19, of 1814, the army lands in benedict, which is about halfway up the river from the bay towards washington. Meanwhile, you have the other squadron underneath captain james gordon, sailing up the potomac. And still other ships moving up the Chesapeake Bay to threaten baltimore. They had this three pronged operation. The main attack is accompanied by 4000 troops. With admirable admiral cockburn and the marines. They moved jointly by water, and succeeded by traveling in trapping barney. He scuttled the flotilla, and escapes with his neck. The net result of all of this is that american commanders in washington were utterly paralyzed as to what they should be doing. They had one squadron coming up the potomac, a force they werent quite sure how large, with forces that have been landed. There was a lot of hope they were just after barney, and that after destroying arteries flotilla, they would reboard their ships and move back into the bay. One of the results of all of this in decision was that the american commanders, general william winder, doesnt do a very effective job of doing anything in terms of setting up defenses around washington, in terms of mustering much of a force. He is getting very little support from the secretary of war, john armstrong, who even at this late date, with british troops on the ground in maryland and moving in the direction of the capital, still maintains that washington is under no threat whatsoever. He thinks is much more likely that the british are after barney, or will go up to baltimore. At the time, it was a much bigger city than washington. Baltimore had 40,000 people, the thirdlargest city in the United States. One of the really important ports in the country. Where is washington at this time was really not much more than a village. 8000 people in the city. It is home to the federal government, with the white house and the capitol. It didnt seem like much of a target to armstrong. The result is the british are able to play on the american and decision and move closer to washington, they move up the upper marlboro, about 15 or 20 miles from the city. Ross is quite skeptical about the idea of capturing washington. His instructions for london dont say anything about trying to capture the capital of the United States. He is there to create a diversion, and not to do anything that will risk of this force. Ultimately, its intended for an attack on new orleans. The ross is persuaded by cockburn that the american defenses are very light, that the militia, fearful of having a slave uprising were slaves escape, have been reluctant to leave their homes. Another very little defenses on the way to washington. Ross is persuaded largely by the fact that he has met very little resistance as he moves from benedict to upper marlboro. They have had look on sector all with American Forces at all. No defenses were set up along the way, no ambushes. There were many positions where the americans could have slowed down the british advance. He was astonished that nothing of the sort had been done. This encourages him. He is almost suspicious of being lured into an ambush because of the lack of american resistance. General winder is moving his forces back and forth. He moves them from washington into maryland and at a point where he can position himself between the attacking force in the capital. But then he loses his nerve, marches back to washington. His force gradually is getting larger. It had only been about 2100 when the british land that benedict. Between for five days, enough forces had been together that they now outnumber the British Force. Through a series of faints feints, ross continues to move towards the capital. He feints strictly towards the city, and then moves north towards the city of bladensburg. This is what is today known as the anacostia river. Back then, 200 years ago, it was known as the Eastern Branch of the potomac. It is a tributary of the potomac. This plays a key part in everything that happens at bladensburg. This used to be a deepwater river, back when bladensburg was founded in 1749. This was a deepwater port, with ships coming from around the globe. They took away tobacco that was grown in the country around here. By 1812, silt had really filled in a lot of the Eastern Branch. Bladensburg was no longer any kind of a major port. But it was still important by virtue of all the roads across it. The river up there was quite shallow and easily affordable fordable. The Eastern Branch downriver from here is a pretty major river that you need to have a bridge to be able to cross it. Certainly, the british wouldnt have been able to cross it without a bridge. This first bridge that we see right in front of us is the location of what was then known as the Eastern Branch bridge. It was not that far from the Washington Navy yard. In order to get into washington from a more direct approach, the british would have to cross the river at this bridge. The american commanders had set up forces and explosives underneath the bridge, ready to blow it. When the british approach. Ross had opted to cross the river of it bladensburg, still a couple of miles up the river from where we are now. August 24, at noon, when he sense his forces across the river, the first ones cross on the bridge at bladensburg, which the americans had neglected to blow in the chaos and confusion of the moment. Led by colonel william thorton, one of rosss brigade commanders, they hit the maryland militia head on. They took some initial casualties, but pretty quickly were able to envelop the americans. Get around them, and force the militia to start retreating pretty quickly. The militia retreated to a second line of defense. And the british kept on coming. They also had congress rockets. This was a relatively new weapon at the time. Cockburn had used them in his Chesapeake Campaign with quite a bit of effectiveness. Most of the american militia troops had not seen him before. These rockets were notoriously difficult to aim, but they were really weapons of terror. They were a most like huge skyrockets that would flareup in the sky, and come down and cause quite ablaze and quite a bit of damage where they hit. But because they were so difficult to aim, they were difficult they werent a very reliable weapon for the british. But they were good at frightening the american troops. The british were able to use them with great effectiveness at bladensburg for that reason. They started firing these. Many of them were going over the heads of the militia troops, but that was enough to cause some of them to start turning and running. In fact, president madison has written up from washington. His headquarters was down here near the navy yard, or the general winder had convened on the morning of august 24. Madison and most of the cabinet had come there as well. Madison had written out my horse out to bladensburg, mostly to observe and to make sure his secretary of war, john armstrong, would give general winder the support he needed. Madison, when he gets to bladensburg before the fighting us started, almost runs directly in to british lines. The british are just arriving as medicine gets there. Madison actually rides across the bridge, into britains berg bladensburg, before being told by a scout who was upfront that mr. Madison, the british are in bladensburg. Madison and richard rush turn around and head back to american lines, where they are observing the battle. Once the fight starts out, madison is initially encouraged by the first resistance of the american melissa militia. When the british fire rockets, they fire one that goes right into the head of madison and his cabinet articles. Madison at this point becomes the First American president to come under fire on a battlefield. Madison moved back at that point to a somewhat safer distance. In the meantime, the american lines are starting to collapse. As the british start crossing the river in force, some are using the bridge, others are waiting across the water wading across the water. Pretty soon they have enough of a force that the second line of militia defense is collapsing. One of the problems that the americans were encountering here was commanded of ference. You had james monroe, who was secretary of state. He is come to scout out the lines. He had basically been serving as a scout for several days for madison, even though he was secretary of state. He was pretty much throwing himself into dangers way. He directs some of the militia troops to move further back from the frontline, and that leaves them out of support for each other. Monroe didnt really do the american troops at bladensburg much of a favor by his attempts to reorganize them. You have two lines now of militia that are collapsing. They are all starting to retreat. But with no fixed point in mind. General winder hadnt designated any kind of rally point. Winder already had a lot of experience at retreating now, just as the british had advanced on washington. He had ordered his troops back in number of times. He really botches this retreat. As the men of the militia are falling back, a lot start heading northwards towards baltimore. Others had towards georgetown. Really, none of them are heading back to the third line of defense, which has been formed by Joshua Barney and his Navy Flotilla men, and the district militia which had raced up from washington during the course of the morning in the terrible heat. In fact, the maryland militia commanders hadnt even been informed that there was a third line. No one had told him that Joshua Barney and the district militia had formed behind them. They are retreating in a chaotic fashion. Winder is losing his nerve. He ends up ordering a general retreat. This even as the british are starting to approach the third line of defense. It is made up of barney and the district of militia. The british at bladensburg have to move uphill to attack this third line. Barney is situated on a strong position, right on the district maryland line. You had big guns, and u. S. Marines from the u. S. Marine barracks in washington. They had come up to support the flotilla men serving as infantry for them. The british are trying to mov