ABSTRACT
The British warships started their odyssey up the Potomac on August 17, and they were late arriving for the attack on Washington. They were long overdue on their return when the five-day battle at the White House started, only further prolonging their descent back to the Chesapeake. When Vice Admiral Cochrane, commander of the British fleet learned their delay was because of the American attack, it turned the main fleet around and sailed up the Potomac in search of the warships. The main fleet and the Potomac Squadron reunited at Kettle Bottoms, near the present Highway 301 bridge south of Waldorf, Maryland, on September 9, four days after the Battle of the White House was over. There is no way of knowing the number or types of shells and shot that were removed from the White House battlefield over the years. The battlefield has endured relic collecting for decades, which has removed some of the battlefields integrity.
