Anniversary Archive

In 1814, British forces defeated the Americans in Bladensburg, Maryland, marched into Washington, DC, and burned the US Capitol, White House, and other buildings.

For nearly years, the battlefield where Americans fought and died attempting to defend their capital was ignored and lost to history.

Finally, a local volunteer group led by a former Marine Captain and history enthusiast whose family business was near the site stepped up to the plate. They meticulously planned the design, raised funds, and built the Battle Monument in time for the 200th anniversary in 2014.

This book tells the dramatic, step-by-step story of planning and creating the Battle of Bladensburg Monument, the pitfalls and crises, and the people involved.

The first battlefield monument on American soil was built in 1799 for the 1775 Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington, Massachusetts.

The last battlefield monument on American soil was built in 2014 for the 1814 Battle of Bladensburg. Unlike other monuments, it uniquely contains narrative wording that explains the battle and vivid color images of the and actions.

These two monuments are bookends, with many monuments from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and other battles between them.

Saturday, August 24, 2024
All below photos by the Town of Bladensburg

In 2010, a group of concerned citizens came together and began planning. They felt that as the bicentennial of the War of 1812 approached, there was a need for appropriate commemoration of the Battle of Bladensburg. They proposed a monument to serve as a tribute to the soldiers, sailors and marines who fought and died defending their Nation’s Capital on August 24, 1814. The memorial would present Commodore Joshua Barney, not in a moment of triumph, but shortly after he is wounded. He is being assisted by Charles Ball, a former slave and member of the flotilla who fought alongside Barney at Bladensburg. The other figure represents a member of the Marines. All three figures are looking up, “undaunted” with their weapons at the ready.

The figures was sculpted in relief and cast in bronze. The bronze panel is housed in a limestone base that reads “Undaunted in Battle.” The back surface of the base has a Battle of Bladensburg interpretive marker. Constructed of granite, the marker will provide a focus for tourism in the area, and will contain information about the battle and battlefield, including a narrative summary of the battle with quotations, maps and graphics.

The location of the memorial is in the center of the former Bladensburg Balloon Park, a landscaped area owned by M-NCPPC, between the Peace Cross and an existing parking lot next to the George Washington House.

The sculptor selected for the proposed memorial was Joanna Blake. Mrs. Blake, who died in 2015, was a resident of Cottage City and a figurative sculptor with a studio in Brentwood, MD. She had worked for Kaskey Studio, Inc., where she has contributed her design and sculpting skills to the creation of a number of large scale public monuments, most notably, the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Aman Memorial Trust, who led the development of the monument, is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) tax exempt organization that supports historic preservation in and about the Town of Bladensburg. The Trust took the lead in organizing a memorial committee that received and disbursed funds for the memorial. A large deal of the funding was from State of Maryland funds. Amen Trust hopes the sculpture and surrounding landscape creates a space for reflection; a destination for tourists interested in history and a reminder to Maryland residents of the historical events of August 24, 1814.