![]() Admiral Cockburn responded to their proposal with only saying, "Gentlemen, I have nothing to say till you first tell me whether Captain Gordon is in sight of Alexandria or not." Gordon's squadron had not arrived in time to assist in the attack on Washington. On the afternoon of August 25, a delegation of prominent citizens from Alexandria came to Washington to surrender their city. ![]() The flames from the burning of the city were visible for 60 miles in the night sky. After allegedly being fired upon, the British began to burn and loot public buildings. By nightfall the British troops had entered the city. Winder was unable to stop the British advance and ultimately retreated toward Georgetown. Despite advantage in numbers the militia under the command of General William H. On August 24, the British Army met an American force compromised of Maryland and District Militia at Bladensburg, on the Northeast outskirts of the District of Columbia. With no American opposition encountered the leaders of the expedition, General Robert Ross and Rear Admiral George Cockburn (pronounced co-burn), decided to attack Washington. The British Army marched to Upper Marlboro where they located a number of gunboats that had been commanded by Joshua Barney and had been menacing British ships in the Chesapeake. On August 19,1814 the British Navy landed a force of 5,000 British soldiers and marines at Benedict, Maryland. The same day, Vice Admiral Cochrane took the remainder of the fleet and sailed up the Patuxent River to Benedict, Maryland. On August 17th, Captain James Gordon took seven warships up the Potomac River to Washington to destroy any fortifications along the river. The plan to attack Washington was formed. On August 16, 1814, at the mouth of the Potomac River, a large fleet of British warships and support vessels under the command of Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane joined with the British ships already in the Chesapeake area. These victories shaped the course of peace negotiations and convinced the Duke of Wellington-whom many in the British government wanted to send to America after Napoleon’s initial defeat-that the war in the United States could not easily be won.At Bladensburg, Maryland the American forces attempted to stop a force of British soldiers and marines. ![]() Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory secured the Northwest, while that of Thomas Macdonough prevented a British occupation of upper New York. Second, the greatest American naval victories of the war took place on the inland waters of Lake Erie and Lake Champlain. With such numbers, the British successfully blockaded American ports throughout the war. The entire American navy consisted of 17 vessels. First, the British possessed a vastly larger navy, with 500 ships in service, including 115 ships-of-the-line and 126 frigates. The celebrated victories, however, distract from the more basic realities of the naval War of 1812. American officers showed excellent seamanship, and their crews were well-trained, usually exceeding the British in the accuracy of their gunnery. In these one-on-one contests, the newly designed American frigates proved faster, more maneuverable, and more resistant to enemy fire than their British counterparts. Americans were justifiably proud of their victories over British warships on the high seas.
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