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QINGDAO TODAY
在线翻译:
szdaily -> Speak Shenzhen -> 
The Battle of Bladensburg
    2019-08-13  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

James Baquet

Here’s yet another candidate for the worst American military disaster, or as one scholar called it, “the greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms.”

It was during the War of 1812, and took place at Bladensburg, Maryland, just under 14 kilometers from Washington, D.C., the U.S. capital. It resulted in the unopposed capture and burning of Washington.

For the first two years of the War of 1812, Britain had few troops available, as they were mainly committed to the defeat of Napoleon. Nevertheless, the Red Coats (named such for their uniforms) were able to capture or destroy significant American properties from their ships and island bases.

But the British campaign began in earnest in 1814, after Napoleon’s first defeat in March. Waterloo came later. After the Aug. 21 destruction of the so-called “Chesapeake Bay Flotilla” — a motley collection of boats assembled informally to delay the British fleet — the British marched nearly 4,400 men with heavy artillery up the Patuxent River in such a way that the Americans could not determine if they were targeting Baltimore or Washington.

Surmising the British intent, the Americans took a stand at Bladensburg, on the road to Washington. But they failed to take obvious tactical advantages, such as burning a bridge that the British would need to cross to continue on their way. They likewise failed to take the most advantageous position for defense or attack.

The fighting began Aug. 24. The American commander, Brigadier General William H. Winder, made blunder after blunder, issuing confused orders and failing to seize the upper hand time and again. He had also failed to establish a procedure in case of retreat, and when it came to it, it was a mess.

An 1816 poem referred to it as the “Bladensburg Races” for the image of the American militia running for their lives through the streets of Washington!

That same day the British burned the White House, the Capitol Building, the U.S. Treasury, the Department of War building and others. President James Madison and other members of the government had fled the city. America’s humiliation was complete.

Vocabulary:

Which words above mean:

1. dominating position

2. incongruously diverse

3. set up a firm position

4. extreme embarrassment

5. guessing, conjecturing

6. without anyone trying to stop one

7. someone or something vying for an “honor”

8. regarding planning

9. seriously, for real

10. small fleet

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