British At The Chesapeake

From Leading Events of Maryland History:

In August, 1814, another British fleet arrived in the Chesapeake, commanded by Admiral Cockrane. On board this fleet were three thousand veteran soldiers under General Ross. An expedition for the capture of Washington was planned at once. Sir Peter Parker was sent up the bay with several vessels to threaten Baltimore and annoy the people as much as possible.

A map of the U.S. Troops' attempt to protect Washington.

James Madison's Address To Congress And The Declaration Of War

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James Madison was President of the United States when war was declared.


From the Montpelier Organization:

When James Madison addressed his war message to Congress on June 1, 1812, he listed “a series of acts hostile to the United States as an independent and neutral nation.”

Madison concluded by reminding Congress that under the Constitution, it was their decision to declare war. After a 79-49 vote in favor of war in the House of Representatives and a 19-13 vote in the Senate, war was declared against Great Britain on June 18.

See Mr. Madison's War.

General Jacob Brown Portrait

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Born May 9, 1775, in Pennsylvania; was the founder of Brownsville, New York; died February 24, 1828, in Washington.

The 1812 Version Of An Express Post

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The Blog of 1812 made mention of the express post here.

Letters From Fielder Ridgeway

On Fold3 in the Letters Received From The Office Of The Adjutant General file:

From Fielder Ridgeway, Lieutenant, Rifle Regiment, written in January, 1811, from Nashville, Tennessee.

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Lt. Ridgeway mentioned that he asked for leave from his commanding officer, Col. Alec Smythe, at Fort Hampton, and that he (Lt. Ridgeway) was to present himself to the Secretary of War, and that he was on his way to the City of Washington.  Also mentioned was Capt. Ragan's company, which I [Ridgeway] commanded to be transferred to Capt. Sevier's.

A second letter from Lieutenant Ridgeway dated April 18th, 1811, from Lower Marlbro, stated that he was ordered to Norfolk.  He indicated that he brought a soldier, Thomas Morgan, with him as a waiter.  Lt. Ridgeway stated that he couldn't take Morgan back with him, and since he has his own waiter, he sent Morgan to Annapolis to Lieut. Clark and recommended Morgan as one of the best soldiers he had ever commanded.

This book, the Florida Fiasco: Rampant Rebels on the Georgia-Florida Border, 1810-1815, by Rembert W. Patrick, characterized Fielder Ridgeway as a good recruiter, but not a good commanding officer.  It further stated that Lt. Ridgeway was freed at a court martial at Point Petre due to a technicality.  He ran into further trouble and was cashiered from the Army in 1814.

A powder horn purportedly belonging to Fielder Ridgeway was sold at auction (see picture).

Richard M. Johnson

He was thought to have been the soldier who killed Tecumseh in battle.

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Richard Mentor Johnson

Richard M. Johnson, a Kentucky politician, was Martin Van Buren's Vice President.  One of the most unique aspects of his life, however, was his common-law marriage to Julia Chinn, who was 1/8 black.  He and Julia had two daughters.  After Julia's death, he had two other common-law marriages with slave women.

British General Robert Ross

British General Robert Ross, the man who captured Washington, D.C., was killed at the Battle Of North Point (a part of the larger Battle Of Baltimore).

Part of the poem about the Battle Of North Point depicting the fallen General Ross who was said to have been shot by American soldiers Wells and McComas:

With sunshine streaming face

McComas walk'd the steps through air.

With Wells departed out of sight.

They passed to distant climes afar.

 Unbounded by the shades of night 

The wounded Ross by friendly arms 

Was laid beside the crimson road.

General Ross's body was preserved in a barrel of rum with the intent of being returned to Ireland.  The war interfered with those plans and his body was shipped to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Mother Nature To The Rescue

Washington saved by thunderstorms...

Soon much of Washington, including the Capitol building, the White House, and other federal buildings, was in flames and President James Madison was forced to flee. Only severe thunderstorms saved the entire city from burning to the ground.

Burning Washington, D.C.

From Eyewitness To History: The British Burn Washington, DC, 1814:

"...the city found itself the target of an invading British army slowly making its way from the Chesapeake Bay.

Washington had little strategic value - the thriving port of Baltimore was much more important. However, as capital of the nation, the British hoped that its burning would have a psychological impact on the will of the Americans to continue the conflict."

Excavation At Bladensburg

From the Washington, D.C. War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, the Bladensburg excavation photo gallery.

Attempting To Protect Washington From The British - The Map

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Not The City's Finest Hour

The Detroit News published an article entitled "The War of 1812: Bombs over Detroit," that included the following excerpts:

" ...the War of 1812. Detroit played a significant role, and it was not the city's finest hour."

"[Territorial Governor of Michigan] Hull realized he needed to reinforce the military presence at Fort Detroit immediately; Detroit had a mere 94 regular soldiers. He headed for Washington to make his request. It was in Washington that he learned of the government's plan to invade Canada."

The article has much more information, most of it focused on William Hull's pivotal role in the Detroit theatre of war.  There's also "Legacy of the War - place names," including Shelby, Gratiot, Brush, Tecumseh, etc.

At The National Portrait Gallery

From Reuters, an article entitled, Washington museum* shows War of 1812 not just "Star-Spangled Banner," was this description:

"The show features portraits of the soldiers, sailors, warriors and statesmen in the two-and-a-half years of four-sided fighting among Americans, Canadians, Native Americans and Britons."

*National Portrait Gallery show that ends on January 27, 2013

Daughters Of 1812 Library And Museum

See a virtual tour of the National Society United States Daughters of 1812 library and museum located in Washington, D.C. at their website.

Book That Survived The Torching Of Washington, DC

From History.com, a short video featuring the sole surviving book, taken by Admiral Cockburn, when the British burned Washington:

August 24, 1814 - The British Set Fire To Washington

The burning of Washington, D.C.:

 Image From A History Of The United States

Washington was saved by bad weather!  A thunderstorm with an embedded tornado extinguished the fire that would have otherwise burned the city to the ground.