The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Burning of Washington (8/24/1814) - Aug. 24th, 2003

http://www.galafilm.com/1812/e/events/wash.html ^

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

God Bless America
...................................................................................... ...........................................

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British in the Bay:
The Washington Campaign

In the autumn of 1812, hundreds of miles of wilderness and recently cleared farmland stood between the East Coast heartland of the United States and the bloodshed of the northern battlefields. But this buffer zone couldn’t protect the coastal communities of the East from the power of the Royal Navy. Raiding parties attacked villages in Chesapeake Bay, while British warships effectively blocked U.S. maritime trade. When the British landed thousands of experienced troops on the shores of Chesapeake Bay in August of 1814, not even the president’s wife was spared the destruction of her home. For the inhabitants of Washington it was a humiliating introduction to the horrors of war. The democratic idealism of the American militia proved no match for the harsh discipline of the British regular army. Although the subsequent defense of Baltimore was hailed as a great American victory, the smoldering ruins of the House of Representatives were a stark reminder of the sack of the young republic’s capital.

An Overview of the British Attack
on Washington and Baltimore

In August 1814, the British launched a series of raids in the Chesapeake Bay area. According to Governor General George Prevost, the plan was to avenge the destructive American attacks on York and Port Dover by, “inflicting that measure of retaliation which shall deter the enemy from the repetition of similar outrages.”

More importantly, British leaders wanted to create a diversion in the East. They hoped the Chesapeake Bay campaign would send American troops scurrying back to defend the Eastern Seaboard and thereby weaken U.S. forces elsewhere.


General Winder

Emboldened by earlier successes, British Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane developed a plan for a quick dash on Washington. US Secretary of War John Armstrong, meanwhile, refused to believe the British would attack the strategically insignificant capital. Armstrong instead concentrated his efforts on the defense of nearby Baltimore.

The American cabinet’s response to the landing of British troops in Chesapeake Bay was one of utter confusion. The poorly trained militia forces, hastily mustered under Baltimore lawyer William Winder, were easily routed by the seasoned British troops. Washington was quickly sacked and its public buildings burned. When the British tried to take Baltimore, they found it closely defended and retreated after a short siege.

It was a humiliating time for the Americans: their Capitol had been burned to the ground, their cherished citizen soldiers beaten by disciplined British regulars, and their government officials driven out of Washington and scattered throughout the surrounding countryside. They could salvage some pride, however, from the repulsion of the British at Baltimore.

For the British, the results of the campaign were also mixed: they had avenged the destructive American raids on Canada, but had failed to take the strategically important centre of Baltimore. This failure, along with the later defeat at Plattsburg, played a role in the British decision to reduce their territorial demands at the Ghent negotiating table.

The Americans Prepare to Defend Washington and Baltimore

In the summer of 1814, Washington is no more than a dusty village with a few recently-erected federal buildings. Baltimore, on the other hand, is a wealthy seaport and unofficial naval base with several warships under construction. The port also happens to be home to several American privateers, such as Commodore Joshua Barney, who have been systematically harassing British shipping in the Atlantic.


James Madison

U.S. Secretary of War, John Armstrong, is responsible for the defense of both cities. He thinks the British will be tempted to attack Baltimore and that they will leave Washington alone. “They certainly will not come here (Washington),” Armstrong says. “What the devil will they do here? No! No! Baltimore is the place... that is of so much more consequence.” Consequently, Armstrong concentrates his resources in the Baltimore area.

To coordinate the defense preparations, Armstrong proposes veteran artillery officer Brigadier General Moses Porter. But President Madison overrules the secretary of war and gives the command to the militia’s Brigadier General William Winder. In peacetime, Winder is a Baltimore lawyer. His appointment has less to do with his military acumen than with the fact that his cousin is the governor of Maryland. In the weeks preceding the British landing at Benedict, Winder asks to call up at least 4,000 militia troops. But he is rebuffed by the cabinet, which insists that they troops only need to be mustered “once there is evidence of clear and present danger.”

Once the British land at Benedict on the Patuxent River, even Armstrong has to admit that Washington is in danger. What follows is a series of blunders that belong more in the realm of buffoonery, than that of serious military strategy. Secretary of State James Monroe rides towards Benedict with an escort of cavalrymen. His mission is to count the British ships and men. Monroe however, is afraid to get within three miles of town. He has also forgotten to bring his telescope. After sneaking around the periphery of Benedict for three days, he concludes that there are 6,000 British troops (there are actually only about 4,500). Meanwhile, none of the other US leaders think to obstruct the roads and bridges which lead to the capital.

Winder is now finally allowed to muster the militia. By August 20, he has 9,000 men under arms. But he’s not certain of the British strategy - it appears that they intend to attack Washington, but they may also bypass the capital and march on to Baltimore. Consequently, Winder divides his force. He deploys 5,000 soldiers in the Baltimore area and splits the remaining men into two separate detachments under Tobias Stansbury and Samuel Smith.



Leaving Smith’s brigade in Washington, Winder and Monroe, march off towards Benedict at the head of Stansbury’s men. The Americans bump into the advancing British troops and Winder promptly orders a retreat to Battalion Old Fields, about five miles south of Washington.

It finally dawns on Winder that Bladensburg is the strategic key to Washington. He orders Stansbury to deploy his troops to the east of the village in the best possible defensive position. Winder consults President Madison and the cabinet at every opportunity; the politicians in turn hover over his every move.

At first, Stansbury does exactly as ordered. On August 23, however, he sends Winder a message saying he’s just received a report (which will prove false) that the British are a mere six miles away and heading straight for Bladensburg. Stansbury decides to retreat at once. On the following morning, Stansbury sends another message: fearing that the British might cut him off, he continues his retreat back towards Washington. Winder orders Stansbury to stop the withdrawal and sends Smith’s force to join him at Bladensburg. Winder himself will meet them at the village.

Secretary of State James Monroe arrives at Bladensburg first though, and orders one regiment to fall back a quarter mile from the front line. This leaves the forward guns and rifles without support. By the time Winder gets there, it’s too late to make any changes.

The British Attack Bladensburg
and Move Onto Washington

The British have no desire to capture and occupy Baltimore and Washington. What they really want is to create a diversion. After all, the British leaders reason, if the capital of the United States is threatened, aren’t American politicians likely to move a substantial number of troops away from other regions to counter the threat?



There are other reasons for the attack on Chesapeake Bay. The Americans have burned and pillaged Canadian property during their raids on York and Port Dover, and the intensity of the war has been rising. The British want to retaliate by striking at the heart of the United States. Baltimore is also an important shipping and commercial center; if it can be sacked there, will be a considerable amount of prize money to go around.

Close to 4,500 British soldiers land at Benedict, Maryland on August 19, 1814, and march towards Washington, about 60 miles away. In the August heat, General Robert Ross doesn’t push his men. They take five days to cover the roughly fifty miles to Bladensburg.

On August 23, Ross receives a message from the overall leader of the British campaign, Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane, advising him to turn back. But Rear Admiral George Cockburn thinks they should continue. After much discussion, Ross agrees. The Americans, after all, don’t appear inclined to defend their capital. The villages they have passed through along the way have largely been abandoned. Even the bridges are still intact, and the only force they have encountered has run away. The road to Washington appears wide open.

It is noon on August 24, before the British enter Bladensburg. In the distance, they see clouds of dust and realize the Americans are marching out to meet them. Bladensburg itself is empty of American soldiers. This is good news for Ross’ soldiers who would rather not have to engage in street fighting. On the heights across the east branch of the Potomac River, they can see the enemy waiting. For some reason the Americans haven’t bothered to destroy the bridge.

Colonel William Thornton and the 85th Regiment lead the charge across the river. Without waiting for the rest of the British force, Thornton impetuously orders his regiment forward. The 85th quickly drives off the American riflemen, but then finds itself facing the main body of Maryland militia. When the Americans counterattack, the 85th is pushed back towards the river and most of the regiment’s officers are killed or wounded.



By now the main body of the British force is across the bridge. General Ross orders the use of Congreve rockets. The rockets are extremely inaccurate, but they make a terrifying noise as they whistle over the heads of the terrified American militia who have never heard or seen anything like it. The militiamen drop their weapons and run.

Now there is nothing blocking the path to the capital; the British reach Washington that night.

[SAMWolf]

The American Defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg

When a scout arrives on August 24, with the news that the British have entered Bladensburg, President Madison and the cabinet retire to Washington. The battle starts at about noon, as the British begin to stream across the bridge over the Potomac. The American militiamen are amazed that the British troops seem to have taken no notice of the hail of bullets being poured on them.

Dolley Madison

Without the support of the regiment which Monroe has moved back, the forward guns and riflemen are quickly overrun by the British advance. The Baltimore 5th Regiment counter-attacks and holds back the British attack for a while. When the British fire Congreve rockets at the raw American militia, they panic and flee.

The American rear line, made up partly with Commodore Joshua Barney’s naval veterans, is still forming up when the panicked militia comes dashing through. The British troops are in close pursuit. Barney and his men hold, but they are soon overwhelmed by the redcoats.

It has never occurred to Winder to designate a rallying point in the case of defeat. The commander now gives up hope of defending the capital. He collects whatever retreating militia he can find and marches them off to Montgomery Court House, eighteen miles beyond Washington.

The rout at Bladensburg turns into perhaps the most humiliating episode in the entire history of the United States of America. The British troops reach Washington by evening. They burn public buildings and scatter government officials and documents over the surrounding countryside.

The British Sail Up the Potomac

During the attack on Washington, Captain James Gordon is ordered to sail up the Potomac with two frigates, three bomb ships, a rocket ship and several small tenders. His mission is to attack Fort Warburton and stand by in case General Robert Ross’s land force has to be evacuated by water. Gordon anchors off Fort Warburton on the evening of August 27, and has his bomb ships fire off a few rounds. These shots miss their target, but to the utter amazement of Gordon and his men, the Americans evacuate the fort and blow it up.

Wood engraving featured in Harper's New Monthly Magazine. Dec. 1872.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Now that the way is clear, Gordon moves on to Alexandria. The defenseless town capitulates immediately and Gordon seizes all the ships in the harbour. His men then empty the town’s warehouses and the cram the booty onto the captured ships.

On August 31, a messenger from Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane tells Gordon to withdraw downriver. The messenger also warns him about a trap the Americans have laid on the Potomac: makeshift shore batteries have been hastily erected by three U.S. naval captains. One of these captains is the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie, Oliver Hazard Perry, who just happens to be in the area.

Perry and his naval colleagues do their best, but Gordon’s cannons quickly destroy two of the batteries. Although Perry’s battery is unscathed, it runs out of ammunition before it can inflict serious damage on the British ships. Gordon and his vessels sail away with their loot.

Washington Burns

The British 3rd Brigade, with General Ross and Rear Admiral Cockburn at its head, is the first to enter Washington. Snipers fire on them from a house and kill a British soldier and Ross’ horse. A group of soldiers smash down the house’s door. They discover the snipers have fled, so they burn down the house with Congreve rockets in retaliation. The retreating Americans blow up the navy yard at almost the same instant. The British soldiers now turn their attention to the Capitol. The government building is made almost entirely of stone and will not be easy to burn. The soldiers do their best, however, they chop up shutters and doors and add rocket powder, eventually managing to start a fire in every room.

The House of Representatives contains better fuel; it burns so intensely that glass melts, stone shatters, and marble is burned into lime. The Treasury is next, followed by the President’s mansion, where the soldiers discover a table set for forty people. The meal is apparently intended as a victory dinner, and Ross and Cockburn decide to sit down to the feast. They toast the Prince Regent and then set the mansion on fire.

The pillaging goes on for two days. A number of private homes also go up in smoke. On the second day, Cockburn goes to the offices of the anti-British National Intelligencer with the intention of putting it to the torch, but a number of neighborhood women beg him not to because they fear the flames will spread to their own homes.

Cockburn agrees not to burn the building. Instead he orders the contents moved out onto the street and burned. “Make sure that all the C’s are destroyed,” on the presses, he tells his soldiers, “so that the rascals can have no further means of abusing my name.”

The burning of the Capitol. Mural by Allyn Cox.

After the second day of the occupation, the inhabitants of Washington are ordered to remain inside to avoid the risk of death. New fuel is added to the fires to ensure they will burn all night. The British troops surreptitiously make their way by twos and threes to the edge of town where they form up and withdraw. Four days later they are back aboard ship.

The British succeed to a certain degree, in diverting American leaders’ attention away from other theaters of war. The American government is in shambles and will be thoroughly incapable of efficiently directing the war effort for the next several weeks.

[SAMWolf]

The British Attack on Baltimore

On September 12, General Robert Ross and his troops land at North Point and begin the 12-mile trek to Baltimore. At the same time, Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane sails up the Patapsco River to try and reduce Fort McHenry, an important part of Baltimore’s defense.



The British soldiers soon encounter a small force of Americans sent out to delay their advance. When Ross rides forward to see what’s happening, a sniper’s bullet kills him.

Colonel Arthur Brooke takes over command of the British troops and meets the enemy forces again at Boulden’s Farm. After a short but intense engagement, the Americans are beaten back. This is a costly victory for the British, who have 46 killed and 300 wounded.

Meanwhile, Cochrane has been busy getting his lighter ships over the Patapsco River shoals. His larger ships simply cannot make it, so he will have to make do with five bomb ships, a rocket ship, four light frigates, and six brigs and sloops of war. Shortly after dawn on September 13, he’s in position to bomb Fort McHenry. He opens fire from two miles away. By 2 pm, thinking that the fort must have been considerably damaged, Cochrane moves closer to the target. His vessels are immediately hit with such intense fire that he has to call them back and resume the long-range attack.

Shortly before midday, Brooke emerges into open country outside of Baltimore and finds himself confronted by the Loudenslager Hill fortifications. To attack, the British will have to cross two miles of open ground and ford a steep-banked creek under enemy fire. After a few probing attacks, Brooke decides he cannot carry off a frontal advance. But he has already formed another plan: Cochrane’s marines will make a night time diversionary attack on “Roger’s Bastion” at the southern end of Loudenslager Hill. While this is taking place, Brooke’s troops will silently form up on the Philadelphia Road opposite the northeast angle of the Loudenslager line. If the marines’ attack is successful, then Brooke’s men will launch a silent bayonet attack on the unsuspecting Americans.

It is a bold plan. Unfortunately for the British, Cochrane’s marines are spotted by the Americans and don’t even get a chance to land. Shortly after 2 am, when Brooke realizes Cochrane has failed, he orders a retreat. The British have lost General Robert Ross and failed to neutralize Fort McHenry. Outnumbered and facing the daunting defenses of the Loudenslager Hill fortifications, the decision to call off the Chesapeake campaign is a prudent one.

This failure to take Baltimore will ultimately have repercussions at the Ghent peace negotiations taking place in Belgium. The British negotiators are counting on military successes to improve their bargaining position. Without these victories the British give up their territorial demands at the talks.

The American Defense of Baltimore

It is now obvious that Baltimore will be the next British target. The citizens of Baltimore decide to take defense of their city into their own hands and form a, “Committee of Vigilance and Safety.” This committee decides that every able-bodied man will contribute to the defense effort in one way or another: if they can’t fight they will be put to work wielding shovels. Revolutionary war veteran and militia officer Samuel Smith is invited to command the army. The Baltimore volunteers are soon building a long earthen wall along the top of Loudenslager Hill on the outskirts of town. These defensive works are fortified with artillery and will effectively protect the eastern and northeastern approaches to the city.



Smith guesses the British will choose the quickest and simplest route to Baltimore: a march overland from North Point. Alexander Cochrane, meanwhile, is likely to sail his naval force up the Patapsco River and try to silence Fort McHenry’s batteries. Smith reinforces Fort McHenry and sends out his best troops to delay the land advance. The 3rd Brigade, under Brigadier General John Stricker, takes up position near Bread and Butter Creek, about half way between North Point and Baltimore. On September 12, Robert Ross’s British troops land at North Point as Smith had guessed they would.

Stricker sends a small force ahead to harass the redcoats with a bit of hit-and- run firing. This stalls the British advance long enough that Ross rides forward to see what’s happening. A sniper’s bullet kills him.

Stricker’s detachment delays the advancing British for the best part of the afternoon before retreating to the Baltimore side of Bread and Butter Creek. When the British decide to make camp rather than pursue the withdrawing Americans, Stricker’s force retreats all the way back to Baltimore.



The following day, the defenders of Baltimore repel several minor British attacks on the city’s defenses. During the night of September 13, people in Baltimore watch the terrible fireworks as the British Navy bombs Fort McHenry.

Unable to bomb Fort McHenry into submission and facing a superior force protected by well-built defenses, the British decide to retreat.

After the humiliating sack of the nation’s capital, the successful defense of Baltimore becomes an important source of pride for the United States.

Additional Sources:

www.nationalcenter.org
www.ngb.army.mil
teachpol.tcnj.edu
www.senate.gov
www.americaslibrary.gov
lcweb.loc.gov
www.oldgloryprints.com
www.150.si.edu
rims.k12.ca.us
www.jmu.edu

[SAMWolf]

'My husband left me yesterday morning to join General Winder. He inquired anxiously whether I had courage or firmness to remain in the President's house until his return on the morrow, or succeeding day, and on my assurance that I had no fear but for him, and the success of our army, he left, beseeching me to take care of myself, and of the Cabinet papers, public and private. I have since received two dispatches from him, written with a pencil. The last is alarming, because he desires I should be ready at a moment's warning to enter my carriage, and leave the city; that the enemy seemed stronger than had at first been reported, and it might happen that they would reach the city with the intention of destroying it. I am accordingly ready; I have pressed as many Cabinet papers into trunks as to fill one carriage; our private property must be sacrificed, as it is impossible to procure wagons for its transportation. I am determined not to go myself until I see Mr. Madison safe, so that he can accompany me, as I hear of much hostility towards him. Disaffection stalks around us. My friends and acquaintances are all gone, even Colonel C. with his hundred, who were stationed as a guard in this inclosure. French John (a faithful servant), with his usual activity and resolution, offers to spike the cannon at the gate, and lay a train of powder, which would blow up the British, should they enter the house. To the last proposition I positively object, without being able to make him understand why all advantages in war may not be taken.

Wednesday Morning, twelve o'clock. -- Since sunrise I have been turning my spy-glass in every direction, and watching with unwearied anxiety, hoping to discover the approach of my dear husband and his friends; but, alas! I can descry only groups of military, wandering in all directions, as if there was a lack of arms, or of spirit to fight for their own fireside.

Three o'clock. -- Will you believe it, my sister? we have had a battle, or skirmish, near Bladensburg, and here I am still, within sound of the cannon! Mr. Madison comes not. May God protect us! Two messengers, covered with dust, come to bid me fly; but here I mean to wait for him... At this late hour a wagon has been procured, and I have had it filled with plate and the most valuable portable articles, belonging to the house. Whether it will reach its destination, the "Bank of Maryland," or fall into the hands of British soldiery, events must determine. Our kind friend, Mr. Carroll, has come to hasten my departure, and in a very bad humor with me, because I insist on waiting until the large picture of General Washington is secured, and it requires to be unscrewed from the wall. This process was found too tedious for these perilous moments; I have ordered the frame to be broken, and the canvas taken out. It is done! and the precious portrait placed in the hands of two gentlemen of New York, for safe keeping. And now, dear sister, I must leave this house, or the retreating army will make me a prisoner in it by filling up the road I am directed to take. When I shall again write to you, or where I shall be to-morrow, I cannot tell! '

Dolley Madison,
August 23, 1814

This is taken from a letter by First Lady Dolley Madison to her sister, Anna, written the day before Washington, D.C. was burned by British forces during the War of 1812.
The letter describes the abandonment of the White House and Mrs. Madison's famous actions saving Gilbert Stuart's priceless portrait of George Washington. As Mrs. Madison fled she rendezvoused with her husband, and together, from a safe distance, they watched Washington burn.

[SAMWolf]

[snippy_about_it]

.......FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

.......Good Sunday Morning Everyone!


If you would like added or removed from our ping list let me know.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole. How's it going?

[CholeraJoe]

Good morning, ma'am. There were days during the Clinton administration when I would have welcomed someone burning the White House.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning FOXHOLE folks.

[SpookBrat]

Good morning everyone. Ally is sick today so I'm home from church. I finished my first quilt top last night and now I have to study for my class tomorrow.

Look what Allyson and I are going to start doing. We are going to be making "Freedom Quilts". They are lap quilts for returning war wounded . Believe it or not, Ally is a better quilter than myself. She can stitch a straight line and make perfect corners.

Anyway, are there any wounded vets around here who need a lap quilt? It says here if we know of anyone, they will try to get a quilt to them.

Freedom Quilts

I'll be back on a break to read this thread. I don't know much about this yet.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on August 24:
1113 Geoffrey Plantagenet France, conquered Normandy
1591 Robert Herrick England, poet (Gather ye rosebuds) (baptized)
1759 Wilbur Wilberforce England, crusaded against slavery
1787 James Weddell Ostend England, Antarctic explorer (Weddell Sea)
1816 Sir Daniel Gooch laid 1st successful transatlantic cables
1872 Sir Max Beerbohm England, caricaturist/writer/wit (Saturday Review)
1886 William Francis Gibbs naval architect, designed Liberty ships
1890 Duke Kahanamoku Hawaii, 100m swimmer (Olympic-gold-1912, 20)
1894 Jean Rhys West Indies, writer (Voyage in the Dark)
1896 Phil Baker Phila, comedian (Who's Whose)
1898 Albert Claude Belgium, physician (Nobel 1974)
1898 Malcolm Cowley Belsano Penn, author (Flowering of New England)
1899 Jorge Luis Borges Argentina, writer of fiction, essays (Labyrinths)
1900 Preston Foster Ocean City NJ, actor (Waterfront, Gunslinger)
1902 Fernand Braudel French historian (Civililization & Capitalism)
1905 Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, blues singer, a major influence on Elvis Presley.
1912 Durward Kirby Indianapolis Ind, TV announcer (Garry Moore Show){inventer of the Kirward Derby}
1917 Dennis James Jersey City NJ, wrestling announcer/TV host (PDQ)
1922 Rene Levesque Quebec premier (1976-85)
1924 Louis Teicher pianist (Ferrante & Teicher-Exodus)
1929 Yasir Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Liberation Movement.
1927 William V Shannon journalist/ambassador to Ireland (1977-81)
1938 Mason Williams Abilene Tx, writer (Smother Brothers Hour)
1944 Gregory B Jarvis Detroit Mich, astronaut (STS 25)
1946 Richard "Dick" N Richards Key West Fl, USN/astr (STS-28, 41, sk:50)
1949 Anna L Fisher St Albans NY, MD/astronaut (STS 51-A)
1949 Joe Regalbuto Bkln NY, actor (Knots Landing, Frank-Murphy Brown)
1956 Gerry Cooney heavyweight boxer (Olympics-1980)
1958 Steve Guttenberg Bkln NY, actor (Police Academy, Short Circuit)
1961 Cal Ripken Jr all-star shortstop (Balt Orioles)
1963 John Bush heavy metal rocker (Armoured Saint-Can U Deliver)
1964 Pebbles rocker (Girlfriend)
1965 Marlee Matlin Ill, deaf actress (Children of Lesser God-Acad Award)
1962 Mary E Weber Cleveland Ohio, PhD/astronaut

---

Deaths which occurred on August 24:
1103 Magnus III Berbein, [blootbeen], king of Norway (1093-1103)
1313 Henry VII, Roman Catholic German king/emperor (1308/12-13)
1967 Amanda Randolph actress (Danny Thomas, Amos n Andy), dies at 65
1973 Billy Greene actor (Burton-One Man's Family), dies at 76
1983 Jack Somack actor (Ball Four, Stockard Channing Show), dies at 64
1988 Max Shulman author (Dobie Gillis, Tender Trap), dies at 69
1991 Abel Kivlat US 1500m runner (Olympic-silver-1912), dies at 99
1991 Bernard Castro patented convertible couch, dies at 87
1998 E.G. Marshall actor - "The Defenders", "Nixon", "Absolute Power", dies at 88

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 BRUNHAVER RICHARD M. YAKIMA WA.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV,ALIVE IN 1998]
1965 DOREMUS ROBERT H. MONTCLAIR NJ.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1965 FRANKE FRED A. BROOKLYN NY.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98"]
1967 ALLARD RICHARD M. CHESANING MI.
1967 GOFF KENNETH B. JR. WARWICK RI.
1967 HESS JAY C. FARMINGTON UT.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1967 HOLTZMAN RONALD L. WHITEPOINT VA.
1967 SCHELL RICHARD J. MINNEISKA MN.
1968 HEEP WILLIAM ARTHUR SAN PEDRO CA.
1968 LADEWIG MELVIN E. ENGLEWOOD CO.
1968 READ CHARLES H. JR. MIAMI FL.
1969 HATCH PAUL G.
[08/25/69 ESCAPED]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
79 Mt Vesuvius erupts, buries Pompeii & Herculaneum
410 Rome overrun by Visigoths, symbolized fall of Western Roman Empire
1215 Pope Innocent III declares Magna Carta invalid
1349 6,000 Jews are blamed for the plagued are killed in Mainz
1349 Jews of Cologne Germany set themselves on fire to avoid baptism
1542 In South America, Gonzalo Pizarro returns to the mouth of the Amazon River after having sailed the length of the great river as far as the Andes Mountains.
1572 King Charles IX orders massacre of thousands of French Protestants
1662 Act of Uniformity requires English to accept book of Common Prayer
1682 DE awarded to William Penn
1751 Thomas Colley executed in England for drowning supposed witch
1780 King Louis XVI abolishes torture as a means to get suspects to confess
1814 British sack Washington, DC, White House burned
1853 1st potato chips prepared by Chef George Crum (Saratoga Springs, NY)
1854 National emigration convention meets in Cleveland
1858 Richmond "Daily Dispatch" reports 90 blacks arrested for learning
1862 C.S.S. Alabama was commissioned at sea off Portugal's Azore Islands
1869 Cornelius Swarthout patents waffle iron
1891 Thomas Edison patents motion picture camera
1894 Congress passes the first graduated income tax law, which is declared unconstitutional the next year.
1896 Thomas Brooks is shot and killed by an unknown assailant, begining a six year feud with the McFarland family.
1905 Chicago Cubs beat the Phillies 2-1 in 20 innings
1906 Cincinatti Red John Weimer no-hits Dodgers, 1-0 in 7 inning game
1909 Workers start pouring concrete for Panama Canal
1912 NYC ticker tape parade for Jim Thorpe & victorious US olympians
1912 Territory of Alaska organized
1912 US passes Anti-gag law, federal employees right to petition the govt
1922 1st Phillie to hit for the cycle (Cy Williams)
1932 1st transcontinental non-stop flight by a woman, Amelia Earhart
1936 Australian Antarctic Territory created
1939 Germany & USSR sign 10-year non-aggression pact
1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) established
1950 1st US Negro delegate to UN appointed-ES Sampson
1950 Operation Magic Carpet-45,000 Yemenite Jews move to Israel
1954 Communist Control Act passed, at height of McCarthyism
1954 International Amateur Athletic Federation recognizes Red China
1956 1st non-stop transcontinental helicopter flight arrived Wash DC
1959 Hiram L Fong sworn in as 1st Chinese-American senator while Daniel K Inouye sworn in as 1st Japanese-American Rep (Both from Hawaii)
1960 -127 F (-88ø C), Vostok, Antarctica (world record){More proof of global warming}
1960 60 people die when bus plunges off bridge into Turvo River, Brazil
1961 Former nazi leader Johannes Vorster becomes South Africa's minister of justice
1963 1st 200 meter freestyle swum under 2 minutes (Don Schollander 1:58)
1963 John Pennel is 1st to pole-vault 17'
1964 2nd Mayor's Trophy Game, Yanks beat Mets 6-4
1966 USSR launches Luna 11 for orbit around Moon
1967 Liberian flag designed
1968 France became world's 5th thermonuclear power
1970 Bomb kills 1 at U of Wisconsin's Army Math Research Center in Madison
1972 8th Mayor's Trophy Game, Yanks beat Mets 2-1
1972 Gordie Howe & Jean Beliveau inducted in Hockey Hall of Fame
1975 SF Giant Ed Halick no-hits NY Giants, 6-0
1975 Tampa Bay Rowdies beat Portland 2-0 for NASL cup
1976 Soyuz 21 returns to Earth
1979 NFL fans (60,916) choose old Patriots logo over new
1979 UN's Vienna office begins issuing postage stamps
1981 Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 yrs to life for Lennon's murder
1984 Pat Bradley set the LPGA record for 9 holes with a 28 at Denver
1985 STS 51-I mission scrubbed at T -5m because of bad weather
1987 Announcement of possible Martian tornadoes
1989 Pete Rose is suspended from baseball for life for gambling
1989 Voyager 2 flies past Neptune
1990 Iraqi troops surround US & other embassies in Kuwait City
1991 Gorbachev resigns as head of USSR Communist Party
1991 Ukraine declares independence from the USSR
1992 Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida.
1994 Israel & PLO initialed accord giving autonomy to Palestinians in West Bank in education, health, taxation, social welfare & tourism
1995 Windows 95 debuts
1998 24 beads are donated to the Native American Museum of North America at the Crazy Horse Memorial, said to be the ones used in 1626 to buy Manhattan from Native Americans

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Liberia : Flag Day (1847)
Sierra Leone : President's Birthday
Windows 95 Birthday
Volcano Eruption Awareness Day
National Catfish Month

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Religious Observances
RC, Ang, Luth : Feast of St Bartholomew, apostle

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Religious History
0410 The Visigoths sacked Rome, disillusioning Christians who were trusting in God's protection of this ecclesiastical center of early Christianity. St. Augustine (354©430) later tacked this religious problem in his monumental work, "City of God" (ca.413ª27).
1456 In Mainz, Germany, volume two of the famed Gutenberg Bible was bound, completing a two-year publishing project, and making it the first full-length book to be printed using movable type.
1572 The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre took place all across France, where thousands of French Protestants (Huguenots) were slaughtered. depleted the intellectual, educational and financial reserves of the French nation.
1854 The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Iowa was organized by German Lutherans. In 1930 this synod merged with the synods of Ohio and Buffalo to form the American Lutheran Church.
1906 Five Baptist congregations met at Jellico Creek, Whitley County, Kentucky, and formed the Church of God of the Mountain Assembly. The CGMA both pentecostal and holiness in doctrine reports a world membership today of 7,000.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"Nothing beats reading a good book when there is work to do."

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You Might be a College Student if...
If you live in a house with three couches, none of which match.

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Murphys Law of the day...(Abbott's Admonition)
If you have to ask, you're not entitled to know.

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Cliff Clavin says, it's a little known fact that...
A poem written to celebrate a wedding is called an epithalamium.

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you SAM for this interesting story.

The heroes here seem to be Dolly Madison for having the smarts to save important papers and to the townsfolk of Baltimore in planning the defense of their own city.

I can't help but laugh about the blunders of not blowing up the bridges or blocking the roads to stop the British advance on Washington and compare those people to our politicians today.

Most would be more concerned about themselves and a road out to run away than anything else.

..The House of Representatives contains better fuel

While considering the seriousness of the situation for our militia, of course and the poor leadership they were under, I have to say this line gave me quite a chuckle.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC.

Late start to the morning for me but going well thank you.

[snippy_about_it]

There were days during the Clinton administration when I would have welcomed someone burning the White House.

You are not alone. ;)

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning feather.

I thought I would pass along information that our friend Darksheare is having computer problems and we have missed him these last few days.

I hope he is able to fix it all and return to us soon.

[Soaring Feather]

Oh my goodness, sorry to hear this. I wondered where he was yesterday.

Thanks for letting us know snippy.

[U S Army EOD]

Only if Bill and Hillary were still in it.

[U S Army EOD]

After that particular British Regiment invited themselves to a meal in the White House, they helped themselves to Dolly Madison's silverware. Now, whenever they have a formal "dining in", they display it. They really love to do this when Americans are present at the meals.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning E.G.C. Nice sunny day here, supposed to get into the 80's.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Feather.