The humiliating events of the capture of
Washington in 1814 created intense excitement throughout the country, but were somewhat atoned for by the able defence of
Baltimore, which soon afterwards occurred.
On Sunday, July 11, the British fleet appeared off Patapsco Bay with a large force of land troops, under the command of
General Ross.
At sunrise the next morning he landed 9,000 troops at
North Point, 12 miles above
Baltimore, and at the same time the British fleet bombarded
Fort McHenry (q. v.), which guarded the harbor of
Baltimore, a city of 40,000 inhabitants at that time, and a place against which the
British held a grudge, because of the numerous privateers.
The citizens of
Baltimore had wisely provided for the emergency.
A large number of troops were gathered around the city.
Fort McHenry was garrisoned by 1,000 men, under
Maj. George Armistead (q. v.), and supported by batteries.
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The citizens had constructed a long line of fortifications on what afterwards became
Patterson Park.
Intelligence of the landing of the
British at
North Point produced great alarm in
Baltimore.
A large number of families, with such property as they could carry with them, fled to the country, and inns, for 100 miles north of the city, were filled with refugees.
The veteran
Gen. Samuel Smith was in chief command of the military at
Baltimore, then about 9,000 strong.
General Winder had joined him (Sept. 10) with all the forces at his command.
When news of the landing of the
British came,
General Smith sent
General Stricker with 3,200 men in that direction to watch the movements of the invaders and act as circumstances might require.
Some volunteers and militia were also sent to co-operate with
Stricker.
Feeling confident of success,
Ross, accompanied by
Admiral Cockburn, rode gayly in front of the troops as they moved towards
Baltimore.
They had marched about an hour, when they halted and spent another hour in resting and careless carousing at a tavern.
From
Colonel Sterett's regiment
General Stricker had sent forward companies led by
Captains Levering and
Howard, 150 in number, and commanded by
Maj. R. K. Heath.
They were accompanied by
Asquith's (and a few other) riflemen, seventy in number, a small piece of artillery, and some cavalry, under
Lieutenant Stiles.
They met the
British advancing at a point about 7 miles from
Baltimore.
Two of
Asquith's riflemen, concealed in a hollow, fired upon
Ross and
Cockburn as they were riding ahead of the troops, when the former fell from his horse, mortally wounded, and died in the arms of his favorite aide,
Duncan McDougall, before his bearers reached the boats.
The command now devolved on
Col. A. A. Brooke.
Under his direction the entire invading force pressed forward, and, at about 2 P. M. (Sept. 12), met the first line of
General Stricker's main body, when a severe
combat began.
The battle raged for twohours, when the superior force of the
British compelled the
Americans to fall back towards
Baltimore; and at Worthington's Mill, about half a mile in front of the intrenchments cast up by the citizens, they were joined by
General Winder and his forces.
The
British halted and bivouacked for the night on the battle-field.
Meanwhile, the British fleet had prepared to attack
Fort McHenry, and, on the morning of the 13th, began a bombardment, which was kept up until the next morning.
At the same time the land force began to move on
Baltimore.
Their movements were very cautious, and, at. evening,
Colonel Brooke had an interview with
Admiral Cochrane.
It was decided that the movements of the
British on land and water were failures, and that prudence demanded an immediate abandonment of the enterprise.
At 3 A. M. on the 14th, in the midst of darkness and rain, the land troops stole away to their ships, and, at an early hour, the bombardment of the fort ceased and the British ships withdrew,
Baltimore was saved.
The
British had lost, in killed and wounded, 289 men; the
Americans lost, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, 213.
The
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grateful citizens of
Baltimore devised a memorial of the salvation of their city and of the actors in it, as enduring as marble could make it. For them
Maximilian Godefroy designed the beautiful structure which stands in Calvert Street, almost in the centre of the city.
This monument is a cenotaph, surmounted by a column representing the
Roman fasces.
The whole monument, including the exquisitely wrought female figure at the top, symbolizing the city of
Baltimore, is almost 53 feet in height.
It was erected in 1815, at a cost of $60,000.