Extract from G.R.Gleig, A Narrative of the campaigns of the British Army
While the two brigades which had been engaged,
remained upon the field to recover their order,
the third, which had formed the reserve, and
was consequently unbroken, took the lead,
and pushed forward at a rapid rate towards
Washington.
As it was not the intention of the British
government to attempt permanent conquests in this
part of America ; and as the General was well
aware that, with a handful of men, he could not
pretend to establish himself, for any length of
time, in an enemy’s capital, he determined to lay
it under contribution, and to return quietly to the
shipping. Nor was there any thing unworthy of
the character of a British officer, in this determina-
tion. By all the customs of war, whatever public
property may chance to be in a captured town, be-
comes, confessedly, the just spoil of the conqueror;
and in thus proposing to accept a certain sum of
money in lieu of that property, he was showing
mercy, rather than severity, to the vanquished. It
is true, that if they chose to reject his terms, he
WASHINGTON. 129
and his army would be deprived of their booty, be-
cause, without some more convenient mode of
transporting it than we possessed, even the portable
part of the property itself could not be removed.
But, on the other hand, there was no difficulty in
destroying it; and thus, though we should gain
nothing, the American government would lose
probably to a much greater amount than if they
had agreed to purchase its preservation by the
money demanded.
Such being the intention of General Ross, he
did not march the troops immediately into the city,
but halted them upon a plain in its immediate
vicinity, whilst a flag of truce was sent in with
terms. But whatever his proposal might have
been, it was not so much as heard ; for scarcely
had the party bearing the flag entered the street,
than they were fired upon from the windows of
one of the houses and the horse of the General
himself, who accompanied them, killed. You will
easily believe, that conduct so unjustifiable, so di-
rect a breach of the law of nations, roused the
indignation of every individual, from the General
himself down to the private soldier. All thoughts
of accommodation were instantly laid aside ; the
troops advanced forthwith into the town, and
having first put to the sword all who were found
in the house from which the shots were fired, and
reduced it to ashes, they proceeded, without a
moment’s delay, to burn and destroy everything
in the most distant degree connected with govern
ment In this general devastation were included
the Senate-house, the President’s palace…
Above: G.R. Gleig in his later years, a participant in the Battle of Bladensburg and later Chaplain General of the British Army.