Battle of Bladensburg

Battle of Bladensburg
	Part of War of 1812
	; The Final Stand at Bladensburg, Maryland,; 24 August 1814 by Charles Waterhouse shows U.S. Marines manning their guns in defense of Washington.
Date	August 24, 1814
Location	Bladensburg, Maryland38°56′12″N 76°56′15″W / 38.93667°N 76.93750°W
Result	British victory; (see Aftermath section)
Belligerents
United Kingdom	United States
Commanders and leaders
George Cockburn ; Robert Ross	William Winder; Joshua Barney
Strength
1,500; 60 rockets	6,920
Casualties and losses
64 killed ; 185 wounded	10–26 killed ; 40–51 wounded ; 100–120 captured
	Bladensburg class=notpageimage\| Location within Maryland

The Battle of Bladensburg, also known as the Bladensburg Races, took place during the Chesapeake Campaign, part of the War of 1812, on 24 August 1814, at Bladensburg, Maryland, 8.6 miles (13.8 km) northeast of Washington, D.C.

The battle has been described as "the greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms,"^[7] a British force of army regulars and Royal Marines routed a combined U.S. force of Regular Army and state militia troops. The American defeat resulted in the capture and burning of the national capital of Washington, D.C., the only time that the city fell to a foreign invader.

^ Crawford (2002), p221, quoting a letter from Rear Admiral Cockburn to Vice Admiral Cochrane dated 27 August 1814 'a victory gained.. by a Division of the British Army not amounting to more than Fifteen hundred Men....The Seamen with the guns were ...with the rear... those however attached to the Rocket Brigade were in the Battle'
^ Elting, p. 207
^ ^a ^b Heidler & Heidler, p. 56
^ Gleig, pp. 124–5 'The loss on the part of the English was severe, since, out of two thirds of the engaged [being unscaved, however], upwards of five hundred men were killed and wounded.' Gleig is mistaken in 1827 in thinking that a third of the men were casualties, the figure was closer to one sixth.
^ Gleig, George (1840). "Recollections of the Expedition to the Chesapeake, and against New Orleans, by an Old Sub". United Service Journal (1). From the circumstance of the American artillery... completely enfilading the bridge.. our loss was much more severe than it would otherwise have been...Grand total, 249 hors de combat.
^ Quimby, p. 689
^ Howe (2007), p. 63

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[1] Crawford (2002), p221, quoting a letter from Rear Admiral Cockburn to Vice Admiral Cochrane dated 27 August 1814 'a victory gained.. by a Division of the British Army not amounting to more than Fifteen hundred Men....The Seamen with the guns were ...with the rear... those however attached to the Rocket Brigade were in the Battle'

[Elting,_p._207-2] Elting, p. 207

[ReferenceA-4] Heidler & Heidler, p. 56

[5] Gleig, pp. 124–5 'The loss on the part of the English was severe, since, out of two thirds of the engaged [being unscaved, however], upwards of five hundred men were killed and wounded.' Gleig is mistaken in 1827 in thinking that a third of the men were casualties, the figure was closer to one sixth.

[OldSub-6] Gleig, George (1840). "Recollections of the Expedition to the Chesapeake, and against New Orleans, by an Old Sub". United Service Journal (1). From the circumstance of the American artillery... completely enfilading the bridge.. our loss was much more severe than it would otherwise have been...Grand total, 249 hors de combat.

[ReferenceB-7] Quimby, p. 689

[8] Howe (2007), p. 63

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