News Release - Tag Battle of Bladensburg

The Capital’s Defenders: 212 Years After Bladensburg, Honoring the Citizen-Soldiers Who Answered the Call
August 24, 2026 — As America celebrates 250 years of independence, the District of Columbia National Guard and Historic Congressional Cemetery gathered Aug. 23 to look back 212 years—to a moment when ordinary citizens answered an extraordinary call and stood in defense of the young nation’s capital during the Battle of Bladensburg... MORE

Mark Hudson, Executive Director of Historic Congressional Cemetery, and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, Commanding General (Interim) of the D.C. National Guard, lay a wreath at the grave of U.S. Army Pvt. Andrew Coyle during a Battle of Bladensburg commemoration at Historic Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., Aug. 24, 2026. The Maryland Society, Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard then rendered a ceremonial volley honoring the Citizen-Soldiers who answered the call to defend the nation’s capital in 1814.

Battle of Bladensburg ceremony sheds new light on D.C. Militiamen
August 24, 2024 — Members of the District of Columbia National Guard in collaboration with Historic Congressional Cemetery participate in a community-wide program and wreath laying ceremony honoring the dozens of D.C. Militia members buried at the cemetery who fought in the Battle of Bladensburg, in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 24, 2024. The ceremony featured remarks from various speakers and recognized the Militiamen who defended the nation’s capital on August 24, 1814... MORE

Members of the District of Columbia National Guard in collaboration with Historic Congressional Cemetery participate in a community-wide program and wreath laying ceremony honoring the dozens of D.C. Militia members buried at the cemetery who fought in the Battle of Bladensburg, in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 24, 2024. The ceremony featured remarks from various speakers and recognized the Militiamen who defended the nation’s capital on August 24, 1814.

The Battle of Bladensburg: D.C. Militia, valor and lessons learned
August 15, 2024 — The Battle of Bladensburg was the first in a series of major engagements between U.S. and British forces during the Chesapeake Campaign of 1814. The result was a decisive victory for Great Britain and an embarrassing defeat for the United States, resulting in the raiding and burning of our nation’s capital. Although the “Bladensburg Races” remains... MORE

The Battle of Bladensburg remains embedded in the DNA of the District of Columbia National Guard. It’s important that we examine and understand our organization’s role during the Battle of Bladensburg because we are defined as much by our victories as by our failures; it is the broad expanse of our historical experiences that make the D.C. National Guard a unique, relevant, and foundational institution of our democracy.