ver, had chased the British brig. Upon learning this, the British
naval commander, Admiral Griffiths, pressed forward to the mouth of
the Penobscot, and, anchoring there, despatched a land and naval
expedition up the river for the capture of the corvette.

When the news of this advancing force reached Capt. Morris, the
"Adams" was partially out of water, dismantled, and in the hands of
the ship carpenters, who were repairing the injuries she had received
on the rocks off Mount Desert. The ship herself was utterly
defenceless, but Morris made strenuous attempts to collect a land
force to defend her. He managed to rally a few hundred militia-men,
who, with the sailors and marines, were routed by the enemy on the
night of the 3d of September. Finding that the enemy's forces were not
to be driven back by so small a body of men, Morris retreated, first
setting fire to the corvette, which was totally destroyed before the
British came up.

The retreating sailors were then forced to march over rugged roads to
Portsmouth, N.H.; and, as walking was an exercise they were little
accustomed to, many suffered severely from the unusual exertion. The
difficulty of getting provisions along the road led the men to
separate into several parties; but, notwithstanding the opportunities
thus afforded for desertion, all who were not broken down by the long
march ultimately reported for duty at the Portsmouth navy-yard.

Along the Southern seaboard the course of the war was even more
disastrous to the Americans. Intelligence which reached the national
authorities in the spring of 1814 led them to believe that the British
were planning an expedition for the capture of Washington. Grave as
was the danger, the authorities were slow to move; and though in July
the Government called for fifteen thousand troops, and gave their
command to Gen. Winder, yet the actual defensive force about the
national capital consisted of but a few hundred militia. The naval
defence was intrusted to the veteran Commodore Barney, who had served
with distinction in the Revolution, and during the early years of the
second war with Great Britain had commanded the Baltimore privateer
"Rossie." The force put under Barney's command consisted of twenty-six
gunboats and barges, manned by nine hundred men. Chiefly by his own
energetic exertions, this force was ready for service in April; and by
June the crews were drilled and disciplined, and the commanders
schooled in the t