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Transcriber's Notes: Obvious errors have been corrected. Italic textin the original has been enclosed by '_' and bold text by '='.
Darius cried out in my ear; but I heard him not, I wasinsane with the scene of carnage. Page 272.]
COMMODORE BARNEY'S YOUNG SPIES
A Boy's Story of the Burning of the City of Washington
By JAMES OTIS
Author of "Across the Delaware," "At the Siege of Havana," "Life of John Paul Jones," "With Warren at Bunker Hill," etc., etc.
With six page illustrations By J. WATSON DAVIS
A. L. BURT COMPANY, PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
Copyright 1907 By A. L. BURT COMPANY
COMMODORE BARNEY'S YOUNG SPIES
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. Captain Joshua Barney 1
II. At Benedict 20
III. Elias Macomber 39
IV. A Lively Tussle 58
V. With the Fleet 77
VI. Feeding the Enemy 96
VII. An Old Acquaintance 115
VIII. The Deserter 133
IX. An Unexpected Meeting 151
X. A Change of Base 169
XI. The British Forces 188
XII. Suspense 207
XIII. Burning the Vessels 226
XIV. At Washington 245
XV. Bladensburg 263
XVI. In Hiding 282
XVII. Missing 300
XVIII. The Escape 318
XIX. The Unexpected 336
XX. Dodging the Enemy 354
XXI. In Port 372
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Darius cried out in my ear; but I heard him not, I was insane with the scene of carnage Frontispiece
PAGE
"Pass up your painter, or I'll shoot!" Cried Darius 56
With the lantern in my left hand I thrust forward the barrel of my musket full in the face of the miller 72
"I remember your face, my man;" said the Commodore. "Come aboard at once." 153
As we pulled away I glanced back at our fleet and saw that the vessels were well on fire 233
As soon as the line was made fast, a man slipped down, quickly followed by another 335
FROM LOSSING'S "WAR OF 1812."
"Evidently ashamed of the barbarism committed by British hands,Vice-Admiral Cochrane attempted to palliate it by a pitiful trick.After the destruction of the capital, and the invaders were safelyback on their vessels in the Patuxent, Cochrane wrote a letter toSecretary Monroe, in which he said to him, 'Having been called uponby the Governor-General of the Canadas to aid him in carrying intoeffect measures of retaliation against the inhabitants of the UnitedStates for the wanton destruction committed by their army in UpperCanada, it has become imperiously my duty, conformably with theGovernor-General's application, to issue to the naval force under mycommand an order to destroy and lay waste such towns and districtsupon the coast as may be found assailable.' Cochrane then expressed ahope that the 'conduct of the executive of the United States wouldauthorize him in staying such proceedings, by making reparation to thesuffering inhabitants of Upper Canada,' etc. This letter was antedatedAugust 18, or six days before the battle of Bladensburg, so as toappear like a humane suggestion, in the noncompliance with which mightbe found an excuse for the destruction of the national capital. It didnot reach Mr. Monroe until the morning of the 31st of August, a weekafter Washington was devastated, when that officer, in a dignifiedreply, reminded the vice-admiral that the wanton destruction by theBritish of Frenchtown, Frederick, Georgetown, and Havre de Grace, andthe outrages at Hampton by the same people, had occurred long beforethe destruction of Newark."
COMMODORE BARNEY'S YOUNG SPIES.