Yesterday In History............

Due to a bunch of distractions, I almost missed this one.

In 1814.............

The Battle of Bladensburg MD was fought. This was an attempt by the American forces to protect the American capital of Washington from a force of 3000 British soldiers and sailors. The leadership of the American forces which was mostly made up of militia was poor. In less than a hour of fighting the British forces managed to flank the Americans and turned a retreat into a panicked route. The American loss was so profound that the battle was called the "Bladensburg Races" and some of the British soldiers chasing the fleeing Americans suffered heat stroke from over exertion. When the Americans fled, this left the way open for the British to take Washington, which they did that night. The British burned most of the public buildings in Washington, to include the White House and the Capital building.