Capital Days

Capital Days — page 7 — it Robert Ross one of their generals had torching government buildings especially his horse shot out from under him In a the Capitol and the President s House twinkle of the eye remembered Shiner The fires the British set burned into the British troops surrounded the house then next day August 25 whereupon nature searched all through upstairs and down doused the flames another day forever stairs in search of the man that shot the seared into Michael Shiner's memory I horse from under the general but no man never shall forget that day one of the awful was found Unable to punish the shooter storms which raged for a long time without the British fired Congreve rockets at the intermission It thundered and lightninged house Those rockets burnt until they came hailed and rained What's more a tornado to the explosion part They made the rafters hoisted some ole houses up from off their fly east and west foundations Onward marched the Redcoats intent on Capture of the city of Washington a colored edition of an engraving published in volume 2 of The History of England by Paul Rapin de Thoyras

Capital Days — page 8 — After sacking the capital the British under a flag of truce he boarded the British aimed to take Baltimore a prime port city flagship to secure the release of an and rich with privateers Part of the plan American physician taken prisoner of war was to seize its harbor guard star shaped Peering through early morning mist on Fort McHenry September 14 Key was elated to see no sym The attack began on September 13 bol of British victory no Union Jack flying bombs and rockets nonstop Young Shiner atop the fort Ecstatic he scribbled down a thirty miles south could hear the guns poem about the Congreve rockets red glare distantly bombs bursting in the air and the broad Much closer was lawyer Francis Scott stripes and bright stars of an American flag Key Before the bombardment began and still there A view of the Bombardment of Fort McHenry 1818 a hand colored edition of a e 1814 aquatint by John Bower The failed land invasion had started at North Point on September 12 lete lists are train in A VIEW ofthe BOMBARDMENT of Fort Millery AP

Capital Days — page 9 — ready to meet at a panel in A Boxing match or another Bloody Note for John Bull 1813 etching with watercolor by William Charles This cartoon celebrates the thrashing the US frigate Enterprise gave Britain's Boxer in a battle off the coast of Maine in September 1813 Brother Jonathan is a personification of America eventually supplanted by Uncle Sam John Bull is to Great Britain what Uncle Sam is to the United States A BOXINE Mare or another bloody rise BL2 Although fighting continued well into 1815 The British weren't likely to bully them any the War of 1812 was over on Christmas Eve time soon they believed The young U S 1814 That's when U S and British represen Navy had given Great Britain's legendary tatives signed a treaty in the city of Ghent in Royal Navy several bloody noses present day Belgium The peace boiled down to status quo ante bellum Latin for As for America's capital could it rise from the state existing before the war any land the ashes This marshy place that had conquered would revert to the nation that already failed to live up to expectations had claimed it before the conflict There had Back in 1796 six years after the federal been some twenty thousand casualties district had been established William during nearly three years of combat Still Thornton architect of the original Capitol many Americans felt that the blood spilled assured a friend that Washington would be and the millions spent had been worth it the most splendid and beautiful city in

Capital Days — page 10 — JJ A ITT TITATI U S Capitol after Burning by the British c 1814 ink and watercolor on paper by George Munger CJ Washington appears like what it really is a the world in a few years That hadn't hap meagre village a place with a few bad pened Not enough people of pomp had houses and extensive swamps hanging moved there or put their money and pres upon the skirts too of a thinly peopled weak tige into making the city grand and barren country City For many calling the capital that There was talk of moving the capital but was a stretch A meagre village is what in the end hope prevailed that this meagre U S attorney general Richard Rush called village in a diamond shaped district it twelve days after the British invasion To measuring ten miles square would one day a Bostonian or a Philadelphian wrote indeed be a splendid and beautiful city Rush to former president John Adams And Michael Shiner would watch it

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