e. The reserve, which ought to
have supported the main body, fled as soon as those in its front
began to give way; and the cavalry, instead of charging the
British troops, now scattered in pursuit, turned their horses'
heads and galloped off, leaving them in undisputed possession of
the field, and of ten out of the twenty pieces of artillery.

This battle, by which the fate of the American capital was
decided, began about one o'clock in the afternoon, and lasted
till four. The loss on the part of the English was severe,
since, out of two-thirds of the army, which were engaged, upwards
of five hundred men were killed and wounded; and what rendered it
doubly severe was, that among these were numbered several
officers of rank and distinction. Colonel Thornton, who
commanded the light brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Wood, commanding
the 85th regiment, and Major Brown, who led the advanced guard,
were all severely wounded; and General Ross himself had a horse
shot under him. On the side of the Americans the slaughter was
not so great. Being in possession of a strong position, they
were of course less exposed in defending, than the others in
storming it; and had they conducted themselves with coolness and
resolution, it is not conceivable how the battle could have been
won. But the fact is, that, with the exception of a party of
sailors from the gun-boats, under the command of Commodore
Barney, no troops could behave worse than they did. The
skirmishers were driven in as soon as attacked, the first line
gave way without offering the slightest resistance, and the left
of the main body was broken within half an hour after it was
seriously engaged. Of the sailors, however, it would be
injustice not to speak in the terms which their conduct merits.
They were employed as gunners, and not only did they serve their
guns with a quickness and precision which astonished their
assailants, but they stood till some of them were actually
bayoneted, with fuzes in their hands; nor was it till their
leader was wounded and taken, and they saw themselves deserted on
all sides by the soldiers, that they quitted the field. With
respect to the British army, again, no line of distinction can be
drawn. All did their duty, and none more gallantly than the
rest; and though the brunt of the affair fell upon the light
brigade, this was owing chiefly to the circumstance of its being
at the head of the column, and perhaps also, in some degree, to