With no American opposition encountered the leaders of the expedition, General Robert Ross and Rear Admiral George Cockburn (pronounced co-burn), decided to attack Washington. The British Army marched to Upper Marlboro where they located a number of gunboats that had been commanded by Joshua Barney and had been menacing British ships in the Chesapeake. On August 19,1814 the British Navy landed a force of 5,000 British soldiers and marines at Benedict, Maryland. The same day, Vice Admiral Cochrane took the remainder of the fleet and sailed up the Patuxent River to Benedict, Maryland. On August 17th, Captain James Gordon took seven warships up the Potomac River to Washington to destroy any fortifications along the river. The plan to attack Washington was formed. On August 16, 1814, at the mouth of the Potomac River, a large fleet of British warships and support vessels under the command of Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane joined with the British ships already in the Chesapeake area. At Bladensburg, Maryland the American forces attempted to stop a force of British soldiers and marines.
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