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BLADENSBURG, Md. - The National Capital Region, the area
encompassing the limestone monuments and structures of the central
hub of democratic leadership known as Washington.
Only two
centuries ago, the small, Southern Maryland town of Bladensburg was
in the War of 1812. Marines, soldiers, sailors and militiamen tried
to hold off more than 4,000 hardened British troops.
“Only
500 hundred men served in the [Marine] Corps,” said Gunnery Sgt.
Thomas E. Williams, a retired Marine and the Director of the United
States Marine Corps Historical Company. “The commandant was a
lieutenant colonel, and the Marines who fought there were one
quarter of the entire fighting force.”
They fought off the
British for two hours giving the citizens and political leaders in
Washington the opportunity to flee and save official documents like
the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United
States. After the American forces at Bladensburg were defeated, the
capital burned as British forces tried to destroy a young United
States.
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The “Undaunted in Battle” memorial to the
Battle of Bladensburg, designed and sculpted by Joanna Blake, was
dedicated at Bladensburg, Maryland, Aug. 23, 2014. The monument
features a bronze sculpture of the end of the battle. It depicts a
wounded Commodore Joshua Barney, commander of the Chesapeake
Flotilla, Charles Ball, a freed slave and flotilla man, and an
unnamed Marine, in honor of the Marines who fought to the bitter end
trying to repel British forces. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Justin Boling)
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It is commonly accepted by history that the actions of the
Marines led to the British forces sparing the Marine Corps
Commandants' Home and Marine Barracks Washington at 8th & I from the
fires, which engulfed other federal building.
“Although the
Battle of Bladensburg ended in defeat, the accomplishments of the
United States Marines, along with the naval battalion, was iconic,”
Williams said. “The standing courage and esprit de corps of the
Marines, who were involved here, was one of those deciding moments
in Marine Corps history.”
Esprit de corps is defined as a
feeling of pride, fellowship, and common loyalty shared by the
members of a particular group. This concept to Marines is what holds
many a battle-hardened unit together.
“Part of what I think
is important to being a Marine is esprit de corps, and part of that
piece is knowing our history,” said Brig. Gen. William F. Mullen,
Jr., the Director of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command's
Development Directorate.
A memorial titled “Undaunted in
Battle” was dedicated to these brave Americans for their actions
during the Battle of Bladensburg outside of the Bladensburg
Waterfront Park, Maryland, August 23, 2014.
The monument,
designed and sculpted by Joanna Blake, features a bronze sculpture
of the end of the battle. It depicts a wounded Commodore Joshua
Barney, commander of the Chesapeake Flotilla, Charles Ball, a freed
slave and flotilla man, and an unnamed Marine, in honor of the
Marines who fought to the bitter end trying to repel British forces.
“I was the Marine they actually chose to be the model for the
Marine depicted on the statue,” Thomas said. “She made me quite a
bit prettier than I actually am.”
The rainy Saturday morning
of the monument dedication was vastly different from the 100-degree
temperature when American forces fought in wool uniforms to try to
hold back the British.
“This is one place where we were
Semper Fidelis - We were always faithful,” Mullen said. “We could
have taken off, but we didn't.”
“We stood there and held our
ground for a little while and gave people down in Washington time to
do what they needed to do.”
The President's Own, United
States Marine Corps Band provided the music for the event, honoring
those who played before them during the War of 1812.
“Everyone had to fight during this war,” Thomas said. “History shows
that even the band had to drop their instruments and pick up their
rifles.”
The ceremony attracted a crowd from all countries
involved in the War of 1812. British, Canadian and United States
Armed Services representatives participated in a wreathe laying
ceremony at the monument.
“I was invited to come up on
behalf of the Marine Corps and participate in the wreathe laying,”
Mullen said. “I am a big history buff and have read quite a bit
about the War of 1812.
“I have driven past a few times and
have always thought I should stop. The opportunity came up and I
said, ‘Absolutely.'”
The actions of the Corps during the war
of 1812 played a large part in the drafting of the Marine Act of
1834. Congress resolved confusion surrounding the 1798 act, which
although creating a post Revolutionary War Marine Corps left the
Marines small and with an unclear chain of higher command. The act
of 1834 established the Marine Corps as a service answering to naval
regulations on land and at sea.
“The War of 1812 set the
standard for who we are today,” Thomas said. “This War started the
concept of us by land and by sea.”
“The company out of Marine
Barracks Washington, during this war, became the first true force in
readiness for rapid deployment on land as well as for sea going
operations.
Marines and other service members stationed in
the National Capital Region have many opportunities to visit many
battlefields on United States soil where their predecessors served
and many sacrificed everything for America.
“For all Marines,
history is important,” Thomas said. “Understanding where we came
from and the Marines, who wore that uniform for the last 238 years.
“We are who we are today because of what they have done. We
build off that and every generation since has stood on the shoulders
of these Marines.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Justin Boling
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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