The Agent for British Prisoners of War very fortunately residing at Bladensburgh, I have recommended the wounded officers and men to his particular attention, and trust to his being able to effect their exchange when sufficiently recovered. Captain Smith, Assistant Adjutant General to the troops, who will have the honour to deliver this dispatch, I beg leave to recommend to your Lordship's protection, as an officer of much merit and great promise, and capable of affording any further information that may be requisite. Sanguine in hoping for the approbation of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and of his Majesty's Government, as to the conduct of the troops under my command, I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) ROB. Ross, Major Gen. I beg leave to enclose herewith a return of the killed, wounded, and missing, in the action of the 24th instant, together with a statement of the ordnance, ammunition, and ordnance stores taken from the enemy between the 19th and 25th August, and likewise sketches of the scene of action and of the line of march. Return of the Killed, Wounded,and Missing of the Troops under the Command of Major Gen. Ross, in action with the Enemy, on the 24th August, 1814, on the Heights above Bladensburgh. Total-1 captain, 2 lieutenants, 5 serjeants, 56 rank and file, 10 horses, killed; 2 lieutenant colonels, 1 major, 1 captain, 14 lieutenants, 2 ensigns, 10 serjeants, 155 rank and file, 8 horses, wounded. Return of Ordnance, Ammunition, and Ordnance Stores taken from the fleet within the capes of Virginia; and I beg leave to offer my congratulations to their Lordships upon the successful termination of an expedition, in which the whole of the enemy's flotilla under Commodore Barney has been captured or destroyed; his army though greatly superior in number, and strongly posted with cannon, defeated at Bladensburgh-the city of Washington taken, the capitol, with all the public buildings, military arsenals, dock-yard, and the rest of their naval establishments, together with a vast quantity of naval and military stores, a frigate of the largest class ready to launch, and a sloop of of war afloat; either blown up or reduced to ashes. Such a series of successes in the centre of an enemy's country, surrounded by a numerous population, could not be acquired without loss, and we have to lament the fall of some valuable officers and men: but considering the difficulties the forces had to contend with, the extreme heat of the climate, and their coming into action at the end of a long march, our casualties are astonishingly few. My letters of the 11th of August will have acquainted their Lordships of my waiting in the Chesapeake, for the arrival of Rear Admiral Malcolm, with the expedition from Bermuda. The Rear Admiral joined me on the 17th, and as I had gained information from Rear Adm. Cockburn, whom I found in the Potowmac, that Commodore Barney, with the Baltimore flotilla, had taken shelter at the head of the Patuxent, this afforded a pretext for ascending that river to attack him near its source, above Pig Point, while the ultimate destina tion of the combined force was Washington, should it be found that the attempt might be made with any prospect of success. To give their Lordships a more correct idea of the place of attack, I send a sketch of the country upon which the movements of the army and navy are pourtrayed; by it their Lordships will observe that the best approach to Washington is by Port Tobacco, upon the Potowmac, and Benedict, upon the Patuxent, from both of which are direct and good roads to that city, and their distances nearly alike: the roads from Benedict divide about five miles inland; the one by Piscataway and Bladensburgh, the other following the course of the river, although at some distance from it, owing to the creeks that run up the coun try; this last passes through the towns of Nottingham and Marlbo❤ rough to Bladensburgh, at which town the river called the Eastern Branch, that bounds Washington to the eastward, is fordable, and the distance is about five miles.There are two bridges over this river at the city; but it was not to be expected that the enemy would leave them accessible to an invading army. Previously to my entering the Patuxent, I detached Captain Gordon, of his Majesty's ship Seahorse, with that ship and the ships and bombs named in the margin,* up the Potowmac, to bombard Fort Washington (which is situated on the left bank of that river, about ten or twelve miles below the city), with a view of destroying that * Euryalus, Devastation, Etna, Meteor, Manby and Erebus. fort, and opening a free communication above, as well as to cover the retreat of the army, should its return by the Bladensburgh road be found too hazardous from the accession of strength the enemy might obtain from Baltimore; it was also reasonable to expect, that the militia from the country to the northward and westward would flock in, so soon as it should be known that their capital was threatened. Captain Sir Peter Parker, in the Menelaus, with some small vessels, was sent up the Chesapeake above Baltimore, to divert the attention of the enemy in that quarter; and I proceeded, with the remainder of the naval force and the troops, up this river, and landed the army upon the 19th and 20th at Benedict. So soon as the necessary provisions and stores could be assembled and arranged, Major General Ross, with his army, moved towards Nottingham, while our flotilla, consisting of the armed launches, pinnaces, barges, and other boats of the fleet, under the command of Rear Admiral Cockburn, passed up the river, being instructed to keep upon the right flank of the army, for the double purpose of supplying it with provisions, and, if necessary, to pass it over to the left bank of the river, into Calvert county, which secured a safe retreat to the ships should it be judged necessary. The army reached Nottingham upon the 21st, and on the following day arrived at Marlborough: the flotilla continued advancing towards the station of Commodore Barney, about three miles above Pig Point, who although much superior in force to that sent against him, did not wait an attack, but at the appearance of our boats, set fire to his flotilla, and the whole of his vessels, excepting one, were blown up. For the particulars of this wellexecuted service, I must refer their Lordships to Rear Admiral Cockburn's report, No. 1, who, on the same evening, conveyed to me an account of his success, and intimation from Major-General Ross, of his intention to proceed to the city of Washington, considering, from the information he had received, that it might be assailed, if done with alacrity; and in consequence had determined to march that evening upon Bladensburgh. The remaining boats of the fleet were immediately employed in conveying up the river supplies of provisions for the forces upon their return to Nottingham, agreeably to an arrangement made by the rear admiral, who proceeded on in company with the army. The report No. 2, of RearAdmiral Cockburn's, will inform. their Lordships of the brilliant successes of the forces, after their departure from Marlborough, where they returned upon the 26th, and having reached Benedict upon the 29th, the expedition was embarked in good order. On combined services, such as we have been engaged in, it gives me the greatest pleasure to find myself united with so able and experienced an officer as Major General Ross, in whom are blended those qualities so essential to promote success, where co-operation between the two services becomes necessary; and 1 have much satisfaction in noticing the unanimity that prevailed between the army and navy, as I have also in stating to their Lordships that Major General Ross has expressed his full approbation of the conduct of the officers, seamen, and marines acting with the army. I have before had occasion to speak of the unremitting zeal and exertion of Rear-Adm. Cockburn during the time he commanded in the Chesapeake under my orders; the interest and ability which he has manifested throughout this late arduous service justly entitle him to my best thanks, and to the acknowledgments of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Rear-Admiral Malcolm, upon every occasion, and particularly in his arrangement for the speedy reembarkation of the troops, rendered me essential assistance; and to him, as well as to Rear Admiral Codrington, captain of the fleet, I am indebted for the alacrity and order with which the laborious duties in the conveying of supplies to the army were conducted. For the conduct of the captains and officers of the squadron employed in the flotilla, and with the army, I must beg leave to refer their Lordships to the reports of Rear-Admiral Cockburn, and to call their favourable consideration to those whom the rear-admiral has had occasion to particularly notice. While employed immediately under my eye, I had every reason to be perfectly satisfied with their zealous emulation, as well as that of every seaman, and marine, to promote the service in which they were engaged. Captain Wainwright, of his Majesty's ship Tonnant, will have the honour to deliver this dispatch to you; and, as he was actually em. ployed both with the flotilla and with the army in the whole of their proceedings, I beg leave to refer their Lordships to him for any farther particulars. I have not yet received any returns from the ships employed in the Potowmac, the winds having been unfavourable to their coming down; but by the information I gain from the country people, they have completely succeeded in the capture and destruction of Fort Washington, which has been blown up. I have the honour to be, &c. ALEXANDER COCHRANE. Vice-Admiral and Commander in Chief. John Wilson Croker, Esq. On board the Resolution Tender, off Mount Calvert, Monday night, 22nd August, 1814. Sir, I have the honour to inform you, that after parting from you at Benedict on the evening of the 20th instant, I proceeded up the Patuxent with the boats and tenders, the marines of the ships being embarked in them, under the command of Captain Robyns, (the senior officer of that corps in the fleet), and the marine artillery, under Captain Harrison, in their two tenders; the Severn and Hebrus frigates, and the Manly sloop, being directed to follow us up the river, as far as might prove practicable. The boats and tenders I placed in three divisions; the first under the immediate command of Captains Sullivan (the senior commander employed on the occasion) and Badcock; the second, under Captains Money and Somerville; the third, under Captain Ramsay; the whole under the superintendance and immediate management of Captain Wainwright, of the Tonnant, Lieutenant James Scott (1st of the Albion) attending as my aide-de-camp. I endeavoured to keep with the boats and tenders as nearly as possible abreast of the army under Major-General Ross, that I might communicate with him as occasion offered, according to the plan previously arranged; and about mid-day yesterday I accordingly anchored at the ferry-house opposite Lower Marlborough, where I met the general, and where the army halted for some hours, after which he marched for Nottingham, and I proceeded on for the same place with the boats. On our approaching that town, a few shots were exchanged between the lead ing boats and some of the enemy's cavalry; but the appearance of our army advancing caused them to retire with precipitation. Captains Nourse and Palmer, of the Severn and Hebrus, joined me this day with their boats, having found it impracticable to get their ships higher than Benedict. The major-general remained with the army at Nottingham, and the boats and tenders continued anchored off it during the night; and soon after day-light this morning, the whole moved again for ward; but the wind blowing during the morning down the river, and the channel being excessively narrow, and the advance of our tenders consequently slow, Ijudged it advisable to push on with the boats, only leaving the tenders to follow as they could. On approaching Pig Point (where the enemy's flotilla was said to be), I landed the marines NOL. LVI. under Captain Robyns on the left bank of the river, and directed him to march round and attack, on the land side, the town situated on the point, to draw from us the attention of such troops as might be there for its defence, and the defence of the flotilla: I then proceeded on with the boats, and, as we opened the reach above Pig Point, I plainly discovered Commodore Barney's broad pendant in the headmost vessel, a large sloop, and the remainder of the flotilla extending in a long line astern of her. Our boats now advanced towards them as rapidly as possible; but on nearing them, we observed the sloop bearing the broad pendant to be on fire, and she very soon afterwards blew up. I now saw clearly that they were all abandoned, and on fire, with trains to their magazines; and out of the seventeen vessels which composed this formidable and so much vaunted flotilla, sixteen were in quick succession blown to atoms, and the seventeenth (in which the fire had not taken) we captured. The commodore's sloop was a large armed vessel; the others were gun-boats, all having a long gun in the bow, and a carronade in the stern; the calibre of the guns and number of the crew of each differ ed in proportion to the size of the boat, varying from 32 pounders and sixty men to 18-pounders and forty men. I found here, lying above the flotilla, under its protection, thirteen merchant schooners, some of which not being worth bringing away, I caused to, be burnt; such as were in good con dition I directed to be moved to Pig Point. Whilst employed in Q |