by the conflagration of the Secretary of State's Office, the the knavish wretches about the town, who profited by the buildings and rope-making materials, &c., on three exten- general distress. There were, however, several private sive rope-walks, a large collection of small arms, and, buildings wantonly destroyed, and some of those persons finally, the long bridge across the main branch of the Po- who remained in the city were scandalously maltreated." tomac. The Americans had previously rendered the lower This was evidently an afterthought, or suggestion from bridge over the eastern branch impassable. Upwards of some quarter. It was relished, however, and copied, with 200 pieces of ordnance, of different calibres, were spiked, additions, into another Washington journal, and from or otherwise made useless, in the arsenal. thence, of course, found its way into nearly all the news All this was done by the light troops and a few seamen, papers in the Union. But the vile calumny was promptly forming the advance of an army, whose whole effective exposed; and let our "United Service" bear in honourable strength did not exceed 3500 men, within view of an Ame-memory the American Editor, who, with the honest love rican" force of more than 4000 combatants,"* posted upon of justice and liberal feeling which ever distinguish a the heights of Georgetown, which may almost be called a part of the city of Washington, being only separated from it by Rock Creek, an unimportant stream, over which there is a bridge. brave enemy, had the moral courage to vindicate their conduct. Here are his words :-"The list of plunder and destruction, copied from a vile and libellous print of that city (Washington) into several Federal papers, is a gross The destruction-excepting only the two houses, from and abominable fabrication, known to be such by every one of which General Ross was fired upon-it will be inhabitant. Most of the plunder was committed by the observed, was strictly confined to public buildings and rabble of the place, fostered among the citizens; and from property; and the following is the American official esti- whose villany no place is free in times of peril and relaxamate of their value, as published by order of Congress, ination of law. The British army, it is no more than justice the session 1814-15: American estimate of Public Property destroyed at to say, preserved a moderation and discipline, with respect The Committee appointed by the American Congress to inquire into the circumstances attending the capture of At eight o'clock, on the evening of the 25th of August, Washington, and the destruction consequent on that event, the rearguard of our troops moved out of Washington. after giving a statement of the operations in the Navy-Our route lay once more through Bladensburg, where, by yard, report the following estimate of the public property the exertions of Assistant-Commissary-General Lawrence, destroyed: The Capitol, including all costs $787,163 $1,115,110 But the committee remark, as the walls of the Capitol and President's house are good, they suppose that the sum of $460,000 will be sufficient to place the buildings in the situation they were in previous to their destruction. The losses sustained in the Navy-yard are thus esti. mated: arrangements had been made for transporting such of the wounded as could bear removal to our "wooden walls." About a score of vehicles, of various descriptions, and forty or fifty horses, with saddles, or some sort of substitute, were assembled for this service. At Bladensburg we also found that our indefatigable Commissary had congregated upwards of sixty head of cattle-a very seasonable supply of fresh meat. By a singular coincidence, the agent for British prisoners of war resided at Bladensburg, and, of course, under his particular care were placed Colonel Thornton, of the 85th, and the other officers and men, the severity of whose wounds rendered their safe removal impossible. At an early hour on the morning of the 26th, we moved from Bladensburg on our return to Benedict; our "cattle" in front, closely followed by vehicles, &c., with the wounded. The route to the cross-roads, near Upper Marlborough, was something shorter than that The committee then proceed to the recapitulation of the taken on our advance, but from thence we had only delibelosses in the Navy-yard, with an estimate of the real losses. rately to retrace our footsteps to Benedict, which place we After deducting the value recovered from the original value reached on the evening of the 29th, and the following day of the articles, the total amount is 417,745 dollars 51 cents. re-embarked. During this most leisurely retreat, not a The original value of the articles destroyed, was 678,219 single musket-shot was fired at us, nor did we even see an dollars 71 cents, of which 260,465 dollars and 20 cents armed enemy; albeit, the writer of these Recollections (and value were recovered in anchors, musket-barrels, locks, probably many of his brother officers) was "confidentially" copper, timber, &c. assured, whilst at Washington, that we should find the In movable property $417,745 $509,170 With one or two exceptions, the American newspapers," rifle waiting in the bush, front, flank, and rear, on our and other writers, acknowledged that their conquerors line of march to our ships!" showed the most inviolable respect for private property," A great number of negroes, delighted at the unhoped-for and that "no peaceable citizen was molested."+ Even freedom our expedition had placed within their reach, fol. Mr. Gales, the Editor of the Government organ already lowed the army from Washington, and were, of course, referred to, had an article to that effect in his publication received on board the fleet. Some of these were engaged of the 30th of August, but on the following day he thus as private servants by officers, and the remainder were qualified it" When we remarked, in our paper of yes-sent off to Tangier Island, in the Chesapeake, which had terday, that private property had, in general, been scrupu- been taken possession of by Rear-Admiral Cockburn, and lously respected by the enemy during his late incursion, used as a depôt for such of these poor refugees as, from we spoke what we believed from a hasty survey, and per- time to time, made their escape to our ships. Perfect haps without sufficient inquiry. Greater respect was freedom-that freedom which the vaunted "Land of Li certainly paid to private property than has usually been berty" denied them-was guaranteed to all: indeed, the exhibited by the enemy in his marauding parties. No fact is, that many of these poor fellows, after voluntarily houses were half as much plundered by the enemy as by serving for a few months in a sort of provisional battalion, *Wilkinson's Memoirs, vol. i. p. 791. ↑ Columbian Sentinel, Aug. 31, 1814. * Georgetown Paper, Sept. 8, 1814. Come on, ye barbarians! that sacked Saint Sebastian, called the "Colonial Marines," obtained grants of land in tavern-keeper at Bladensburg, had "made," and which the Upper Canada, where they and their descendants are now young rogue sung with much unction. It is rich: happy and loyal settlers, and, at the period of the late frontier disturbances there, came forward, "good men and true," to resist all Yankee "Sympathisers" to the death. Some of these "niggers," as they called themselves, possessed infinitely more sense and judgment than their late owners gave them credit for, and had, withal, no small | From Benedict our ships dropped down the Patuxent to sprinkling of fun and humour in their composition. In its mouth, with as little obstruction as we had ascended order, if possible, to prevent or check their desertion from the river-that is, none at all. Of our children, and wives, and the girls we adore-s ! the plantations, it was boldly asserted in the American Once more afloat on the broad waters of the Chesapeake, papers that, as fast as they reached our ships, they were where our next "dash" was to be made, naturally became sent off to the West Indies, "where they were sold as the subject of conjecture and conversation, both amongst slaves for the benefit of British Officers!" This, be it red and blue jackets. Many were of opinion that a descent observed, was not a mere newspaper "lie of the day," upon some part of the undefended eastern shore of Long meant to answer the object of the moment, for Mr. O'Con- Island was in contemplation. The plan was feasible nor has transferred it, in all its unblushing enormity, into enough, and held out many prospects of advantage. The his veracious work, yclept "A History of the War," &c. demonstration alone, in that quarter, must have had the The negro saw clearly enough, however, that at the worst effect of creating a powerful diversion in favour of our he only risked a change of taskmasters; and more than forces in the Canadas. By forced marches across the one of them observed, "S'pose you sell me to West Injee island, Brooklyn, with its navy-yard, would, probably, planter to-day, what difference 'tween 'dat an' Yankee sell without much difficulty, have fallen into our hands, and me to Carolina planter to-morrow?" But they never had from the high cliffs of that place we could have given the any fears on the subject, and, consequently, the current of New Yorkers a few "notions" of the inconvenience a war slave emigration continued to flow in the direction of our with the "Britishers” brought in its train. The diversion ships and of Tangier Island. This plan proving a failure, in favour of the Canadas was, however, the great object in the Editor of the Norfolk Herald published the following view-not from any fear of the enemy succeeding in his sublime effusion on the cruelty of giving freedom to a ultimate designs in that quarter, but to render the continuslave:"To take cattle, or other stock, would be consis-ance of the war there less onerous to England-for every tent with the usage of civilized warfare; but to take round shot fired in the Upper Province cost the nation no negroes, who are human beings-to tear them for ever less a sum than five pounds! That it was at one time from their kindred and connexions-is what we never seriously intended, by those in command, to take the exshould expect from a Christian nation, especially one that pedition to Long Island, and effect a landing there, the has done so much to abolish the slave trade. There are writer of these Recollections knows from high authority; negroes in Virginia, and, we believe, in all the Southern but, in an evil hour, their purpose was changed, and, inStates, who have their interests and affections as strongly stead of proceeding to sea, the fleet stood up the Chesaengrafted in their hearts as the whites, and who feel the peake, in the direction of the Patapsco. sacred ties of filial, parental, and conjugal affection equally Before entering on the details of the Baltimore affair, it strong, and who are warmly attached to their owners and may be as well to explain more fully the "project" before the scenes of their nativity. To those, no inducement referred to, as in some degree connected with the destrucwhich the enemy could offer would be sufficient to tempt tion of the public buildings in Washington. them away. To drag them away, then, by force would be Amongst the many dangers to which the American the greatest cruelty. Yet it is reserved for England, who Republic must always be exposed in a war with Great boasts of her religion and love of humanity, to practise this Britain, not the least is that of a split amongst themselves, piece of cruelty, so repugnant to the dictates of Christi. and consequent break-up of their Federal Union. The anity and civilization." This splendid specimen of Yankee slave question is a wedge strong enough to effect this at "slangwhanging," combining in an unparalleled degree any time; but we could employ another, nearly as powerthe quintessence of brazen impudence, gross humbug, and ful. The last war proved most ruinous to the shipping the most outrageous lying on record, Mr. O'Connor has and mercantile interests of the New England States-for also preserved in his "work," just referred to;t pity it what compensation was it to the merchant or ship-owner, should have escaped Mr. Fenimore Cooper's anxious whom our cruizers had despoiled of his all, that a few research! British prizes were captured, and, now and then, brought At the close of the war all these refugee negroes were, safely into American ports? The farmers in the Western under some stipulation of the Treaty of Ghent, paid for by States, however, obtained high prices for the beef, pork, our Government-on what principle it appears difficult to flour, &c., supplied to their troops, dockyards, ships-of war, &c., and were too far removed from the coast to suffer any inconvenience from our expeditions. They, therefore, wished the war to continue. Not so the New Englanders; they, on the contrary, began to cast about to see how they could best extricate themselves from the strait into which the mad policy of Mr. Madison and the General Government had driven them. The inhabitants of the island of Nantucket made an overture to our commanderin-chief to remain perfectly neutral during the war, excluding the armed vessels of both belligerents from their scheme of "nullification" was seriously set on foot, and harbours, whilst, in another quarter, a far more extensive began to make rapid progress amongst some of the most respectable and influential inhabitants of New England. This was to separate the Northern and Eastern from the Southern and Western States, to establish a limited monarchy in the first-named States, placing one of our princes of the blood on the throne, and strengthening the an Indian's eye. General Ross and Admiral Cockburn new transatlantic kingdom by an alliance, offensive and were both with the light troops in front, when, at a sudden defensive, with England. The Treaty of Ghent put a turning in the road, a corps of the enemy was observed, stop to the correspondence which was in active progress his right supported by a wood on our left, into which it on this subject, BUT THAT CORRESPONDENCE IS STILL IN extended, and at the same moment a fire was opened upon EXISTENCE; and, however improbable it may appear to our advance by these troops, and from half a dozen rifles Yankee pride, were a war to break out again between us, in a copse a little to our right. One volley from our light something similar would occur before the "United States" infantry, followed by a steady forward movement, sent were two years older. The destruction of the public the enemy to the right about; but the gallant Ross had buildings at the nominal seat of the Federal Government, received his death-wound! A ball had passed through it was conceived, would indirectly, if not directly, forward his arm into his breast, and he died while on his way to the views of the New England separatists. the boats at North Point. Much has been said at Balti The city of Baltimore is situated at the head of a narrow more, and in the country for many miles around that inlet on the left bank of the Patapsco river, some fifteen place, about the "man" and the " rifle" that killed the or sixteen miles from the Chesapeake Bay. Its population," British General;" indeed the honour of the feat has been at the period of the events now described, was about claimed by at least half a hundred pretenders, and rifles 20,000. Surrounded by a chain of hills, of which that innumerable have been shown, each being the "identical called Clinkapin Hill, on the east, is the key, it is capable one as did it;" but the fact is, that, whether the shot of opposing a powerful resistance to an attacking army, which deprived us of our invaluable commander was a so long as its defenders can maintain possession of the chance one, or otherwise, the Americans knew nothing of whole of the chain; but this, from its extent, would require General Ross's death until they received the intelligence an immense force; whilst Clinkapin once in an enemy's from us. On the evening of the 11th September the fleet came to anchor off North Point, on the left bank of the Patapsco, and about thirteen miles distant from Baltimore. At day break on the following morning the troops commenced their disembarkation, which was effected, without any opposition, at an early hour. The whole force landed, including the Colonial (black) Marines, detachments of Marines from the ships, and 600 seamen, did not amount to 3300 rank and file. hands, the city must be completely at his mercy. The The command now devolved upon Colonel Brooke, of approach by water is defended by a strong work, called the 44th regiment, and the main body of our troops having Fort M'Henry, situated upon the point of a peninsula, come up, the whole continued to press onward for about forming the south side of the harbour, which, at its en- two miles further, when we discovered a body of the enetrance, is only half a mile wide. This entrance was closed my, apparently 6000 or 7000 strong, with six pieces of by a barrier of vessels sunk at its mouth, defended inside artillery and some cavalry. This part of the enemy's by gunboats, and, on the north, by a battery mounting army, we afterwards learned, was under the command of several heavy guns. It was the universal belief of the in- General Stricker. His right leaned upon a wood, which habitants of Baltimore that our army would have marched was full of his riflemen, and in front was a strong "snake," across the country from Washington, from which it was or "zig-zag" fence, or paling, made of heavy wooden only thirty-five miles distant, and attacked them from the rails. The creeks and inlets of the Patapsco and Black rear, whilst the fleet assailed them from the river. Had rivers run to within a short distance of each other at this such an attempt been made, the result of the Bladensburg point, which consequently left the American general but affair shows that it might probably have succeeded; but a very contracted position to defend with his masses. certainly the force at General Ross's disposal by no means Our order of attack was speedily decided upon, and carjustified so hazardous an undertaking. ried into effect, as follows: The light brigade, consisting of the 85th light infantry and the light companies of the 4th, 21st, and 44th regiments, were thrown out in front, completely covering us, and driving in the enemy's skirmishers. The 4th regiment, under Major Faunce, after making a short detour through some ravines, which General Stricker had neglected to occupy, gained a position close upon his left flank. The remainder of the right brigade, consisting of the 44th regiment, the marines of the fleet, and a detachment of seamen, was formed in line The country between North Point and Baltimore is a facing the enemy, whilst the left brigade, comprising the sort of peninsula, formed by the Patapsco and Black rivers, 21st regiment, the 2d battalion of marines, and a detachand generally three miles, though, in some places not ment of ship marines, was halted in open column of commore than half a mile, in breadth. At Humphrey's Creek, panies, on the road, a little to the rear, ready to deploy and three miles from North Point, we found a line of intrench- act as circumstances might require. Every thing being ments, and an abatis, extending about three-quarters of a prepared, the order to advance was given, and in little mile from that creek to Black river. Here we came more than ten minutes the Americans fled in every direcupon a fatigue party of the enemy, busily employed in tion, leaving behind them two field-pieces and a great strengthening this position, which he, however, aban- number of killed and wounded. We also made several doned on the first appearance of our advance, and, without prisoners here, and at the post of the "meeting-house," firing a shot, allowed us quietly to make prisoners of half situated in the wood already described. Mr. Thompson a dozen dragoons, forming a portion of his covering party. accounts for the discomfiture of his countrymen as follows: Our prisoners, indeed, did not appear to be at all annoyed "The 51st, which was ordered to open upon the enemy, by their captivity: theirs was a volunteer cavalry corps; (the 4th,) in his attempt to turn the rest of the line, deliverthey were the sons of opulent merchants of Baltimore, and ed a loose fire, immediately broke, fled precipitately from being dashing fellows, after their fashion, looked forward its ground, and in such confusion that every effort to to a trip to England, as prisoners of war, on parole, as a rally it proved ineffectual. The 2d battalion of the 39th very pleasure-promising affair. Sad was their disappoint- was thrown into disorder by the flight of the 51st, and ment when told that Halifax, Nova Scotia, would most some of its companies gave way, &c. &c."* probably be their destination. Two miles beyond Humphrey's Creek our route lay through a country densely wooded. Eclaireurs were, of course, thrown out in front, and on each flank; but such was the nature of the ground and cover that an enemy could remain concealed in it within a few yards of any but The troops being much fatigued, and evening rapidly approaching, we halted for the night on the ground from whence we had driven the enemy. At sunrise on the morning of the 13th, leaving a small guard at the meeting * Sketches of the War, p. 340. house, to protect the wounded, we again moved toward and 229 rank and file wounded. As at Bladensburg, a Baltimore, and took up a good position within a mile and great number of our men were wounded by buckshot. a half of its suburbs. From hence the defences of the The loss of the Americans must have been at least 600 place were plainly visible. On the chain of hills surround- men in killed and wounded. The flanking fire of the 4th ing it the enemy had constructed a series of pallisaded re- did tremendous execution amongst them, and their wounddoubts, connected by a breast-work: these, however, were ed filled the meeting-house, and were lying scattered evidently in a very unfinished state in many places. through the neighbouring wood in every direction. InClinkapin Hill lay directly in our front; there was an en-cluding the prisoners we carried off, the enemy was altrenched camp, bristling with artillery. From observa- together from 800 to 1000 men hors de combat. tion, and all the information that could be collected, there On the morning of the 13th, the Meteor, Etna, Terror, were within these works from 15,000 to 20,000 men. Volcano, and Devastation, bombs, and the Erebus, rocketNotwithstanding this immense disparity of force, and ship, took up a position, at anchor, to bombard Fort the commanding position they occupied, Colonel Brooke M'Henry, the Star Fort, and the Water Batteries on both made arrangements for an attack upon Clinkapin in the sides of the entrance to Baltimore harbour: this they connight of the 13th; but during the evening having received tinued to do, with little intermission, but no obvious effect, a communication from Sir Alexander Cochrane, comman- till the morning of the 14th, when they were called off. der-in-chief of the naval forces, stating the impossibility There is no means of ascertaining correctly the loss they of any co-operation from the fleet, and that he" considered caused the enemy. an attack upon the enemy's strong position, by the army The "demonstration" on Baltimore created but one only, might risk a greater loss than the possession of the feeling throughout the expedition-regret that the detertown would compensate for, while, holding in view the mination to attack the enemy's entrenchments was not ulterior operations of this force, in the contemplation of persevered in, until we had either attained our object, or his majesty's government," he at once relinquished his been beaten off. One thing was quite sure, that even in intention. the latter case he would not have dared to follow us. It has been asserted, and not without sufficient grounds, Bombarding the forts was a mere waste of time and amthat Sir Alexander Cochrane either actually did, or was munition. If the lightened frigates were not considered perfectly determined to, issue positive orders to Colonel strong enough to run alongside and take possession of Fort Brooke, to withdraw and re-embark the troops, had that M'Henry, a dash of the boats of the fleet right into the officer been disposed to dispute his suggestion; and it is harbour, simultaneously with the proposed attack on the certain that his doing so must have placed the colonel in a enemy's lines in the night of the 13th, would have thrown very unpleasant dilemma; feeling, as he naturally did, him into utter confusion and dismay. The greatest apthe heavy responsibility that had so suddenly and unexpect- prehension of the Americans was, that Baltimore, conedly fallen upon him. Yet, it was the universal belief taining an immense number of wooden houses, densely throughout our little army, that had General Ross survived, packed together, would be burned; and to avoid such an Baltimore would have been in our possession within two extremity they would have sent out a flag of truce, and hours of our arrival at the foot of Clinkapin Hill. Our surrendered at discretion, the moment they found the city retreat was, in truth, a "God-send," quite unhoped for by exposed to our shells and rockets. the Americans, who, as the author of these papers after- It is impossible to close the account of the Baltimore wards learned at Baltimore, never expected to maintain affair, without particularly adverting to the untimely fate their defences against our assault, and had actually made of the gallant and amiable General Ross. Never was an preparations to destroy the Java frigate, and the Erie and officer so universally and sincerely lamented by those Ontario sloops, lying in the harbour, to prevent their under his command. In private life, his goodness of heart, falling into our hands: and as regards "naval co-opera- coupled with a peculiar kindness and urbanity of deporttion," it is well known that the commanders of the Severn, ment, secured him the regard and esteem of all who knew Euryalus, Havannab, and Hebrus frigates, volunteered to him. His public services are best described in the words lighten their ships, and lay them close alongside of Fort of the Honourable Member of the House of Commons, M'Henry, the possession of which would have placed the who moved for a monument to his memory. "General city in our power. There can be little doubt, however, Ross," said he, "when Major Ross, served in the expebut the anxiety to engage in the ulterior operations in dition to Holland in 1799. He was then in the 28th contemplation," was the real cause of the withdrawal of regiment, and signalized himself in repulsing the attacks the troops from before Baltimore. made on the lines of Sir Ralph Abercromby. Here, dis At half-past one, on the morning of the 14th, we com- playing the greatest gallantry, he received a severe wound, menced our retreat, but, like disappointed bull-dogs, only which deprived his country of his services for a time. In retiring three miles from the position we had occupied: the autumn of 1800, having recovered from the effects of in the course of the afternoon we moved three or four his wound, he accompanied his regiment to the Meditermiles further, and took up our ground for the night. At ranean, and shortly afterwards, served in the expedition to a late hour on the morning of the 15th, we continued our Calabria: here, in the memorable battle of Maida, which march to North Point, and re-embarked, not leaving a so greatly raised the fame of the British arms, and parsingle straggler behind, and taking with us 200 prisoners, ticularly by the use made of the bayonet, Major Ross made persons of the best families in the city. Not the slightest himself conspicuous; and by wheeling on the enemy's molestation was offered to us by the enemy, from the mo- line, contributed, perhaps more than any other circumment we showed a disposition to break up from under stance, to the rout of the enemy on that day. Nothing their position; to use the words of Admiral Cockburn, in his report to Sir Alexander Cochrane, he "in spite of his superiority of numbers, did not even venture to look at us during the slow and deliberate retreat." Our loss in this affair amounted to one general officer, one subaltern, two sergeants, and thirty-five rank and file killed; seven captains, four subalterns, eleven sergeants, *See Sir Alexander Cochrane's Despatch to Mr. Croker, dated H. M. S. Tonnant, Chesapeake, Sep. 17, 1814. more occurred to bring him into notice, till he served in the army led by General Sir John Moore, in 1807; and under that gallant and lamented commander at the battle of Corunna, he again shone with no common lustre. In 1812, sailing from Ireland, he joined the army in the Peninsula, and, under the command of Lord Wellington, so distinguished himself in the battle of Vittoria, that his lordship gave him the command of a separate brigade. Now that a more extended field of service lay before him, in the first great battle of the Pyrenees, where the firm. ness of the English was most conspicuously displayed, always kept his forces well collected, having only the light where the French fought with the most determined ob- troops spread into the roads on the flanks of the main stinacy, his valour contributed so much to the glory of the body, carefully preserving that order as the whole adday, that Lord Wellington in his despatch, stated his bri-vanced), General Ross, with about fifty or sixty men, gade to have distinguished themselves beyond all former advanced at a rapid rate, leaving the main body consi. This defect in their proceedings was precedent; they made four separate charges with the derably in the rear. bayonet, and General Ross had three horses killed under pointed out to the General by Admiral Cockburn!" And him.' At the passage of the Nive, and the battle of Orthes, finally, we are informed that,-"The overrunning of a he displayed the same undaunted bravery." large portion of territory, and the conquest of the city of Washington, are irrefragable proofs of his (Sir George Cockburn's) judgment and abilities!" Another member, who had been intimate with him, said, "He possessed the happy skill of conciliating by his disposition, and instructing by his example; he possessed, indeed, all those private and distinguished qualifications by which alone a commander could acquire the full confidence of his men. His military knowledge was great and complete, for it had been the result of practice and constant experience; while his foresight and example in the field were such as to excite the enthusiasm and reverence of those whom he led to victory." In reading the passages quoted, how forcibly do Woolfe's beautiful lines on the death of John Moore spring to memory: 'Lightly they'll speak of the spirit that's gone, Every officer of the Army and Navy can perfectly under. General Ross was but forty years of age when he fell. Before taking a final adieu of this part of his subject, the writer of these Recollections will, he trusts, be held excusable for adverting to a matter which occupied a considerable portion of the attention of both "Services" in the year 1829; and the rather that he certainly is not in- Thus much for the direct attack upon the memory of duced to do so from any ill-feeling, but solely from an General Ross. In almost as bad taste does the Memoir anxious desire that justice should be rendered where justice writer slur over the services of those Flag Officers of the is due, and that "Palmam qui meruit_ferat." At the expedition, whose duty it was, although holding rank period above stated, the gallant Ross had slumbered in a cqual, or nearly so, to Rear-Admiral Cockburn, to labour soldier's honoured grave for fifteen years; and up to that in less prominent, yet not less arduous capacities, whilst time not a breath had whispered an inuendo to detract preparing the means of success in our operations. Not a from his well-earned fame. Then, however, in a work word of praise, however, is bestowed either on Rearpublished in numbers, entitled, "The Naval Biography of Admiral (the late Sir Pulteney) Malcolm, or on RearGreat Britain," (Nos. 16 and 17,) appeared "Historical Admiral (now Sir Edward) Codrington, the latter of Memoirs of Sir George Cockburn, G. C. B.," the author of whom, as Captain of the Fleet, must necessarily have which, most injudiciously-motives are not imputed-arranged and directed all the details of its movements, sought to enhance the reputation of the living Admiral, by and whose "valuable counsel and assistance," are freely detracting from the merits of the brave and lamented and frequently acknowledged by Sir Alexander Cochrane General, who had long in his despatches. Sunk to rest, Let it not be imagined that these observations are, in By all his country's wishes blest. any degree, meant to disparage the brilliant services of Now this, to describe it in mild terms, was a serious mis. Sir George Cockburn. He, of course, is not answerable take; and an authority of no mean repute tells us, that a for the mis-statements of the Memoir writer; nor can mistake, in some cases, is worse than a fault-for Sir there be any doubt but that distinguished Admiral would George Cockburn stands not in need of such unworthy be the first to render justice, not only to the memory of his backing. His activity, intelligence, enterprise, &c., have deceased brother in arms, but to every officer engaged in been, and are, fully recognised. Is it likely those can be the expedition. raised in public estimation by the unfounded assertions put At the mouth of the Patapsco, we found the Sea-Horse, forth in the following extracts from the work referred to:- Captain Sir Alexander Gordon, and the other frigates Having accomplished the object (the destruction of Com-which had been detached up the Potomac. That expedimodore Barney's flotilla), the Rear-Admiral lost no time tion had succeeded in every point, having taken possession in proceeding to Marlborough, to apprise General Ross of of the large town of Alexandria, from whence they brought the result, and to consult with him upon further operations, off a number of American ships, loaded with tobacco, flour, previous to returning to the squadron. He there received &c., ready for exportation. a letter from Sir Alexander Cochrane, in which he said,- Sir Peter Parker, with the Menelaus frigate, who, it 'I congratulate you most cordially upon the destruction of will be recollected, was at the same time detached up the Barncy's fleet; and think as this matter is ended, the Chesapeake, was not so fortunate. Having learned that sooner the army gets back the better.' Not so, however, an American Militia Regiment was encamped near Moorthe Rear-Admiral, who had other objects in view; and fields, about a mile from the beach where he was anchored, having induced the Major-General to coincide with him, he, on the night of the 30th of August, landed one hundred he took upon himself the responsibility of further proceed. and twenty Marines and Seamen, and, in a spirit of chiings; and having determined to make an attack upon the valrous daring, which merited a better fate, marched five city of Washington, instantly despatched an order," &c., &c. or six miles into the country to attack them. The enemy Here the Rear-Admiral is said to have done no less than was driven from his camp, but Sir Peter Parker received two impossible things:-1st, to have superseded the autho- a wound which caused his death. His men returned to rity of the Vice-Admiral, under whose immediate orders the ship, bringing away the body of their gallant Captain, he acted, in his own branch of the service; and, secondly, and all their wounded but three. Our loss on this expedias regards the troops, to have thrust General Ross aside, tion, in which the heroic commander, borne away by a and usurped his command and responsibility! too impetuous ardour, that experience would have tem At page 301, of the same Memoirs, we are told that,-pered, devoted himself to the cause of his country, was Contrary, however, to the plan pursued by Admiral fourteen killed, and twenty-seven wounded. Cockburn, when in Maryland and Virginia, (where he (To be continued.) |