The 4,250 British troops that burned Washington had faced 7,640 Americans, yet poor American leadership helped turn the action into a rout. Baltimore presented a different problem. Roughly 5,000 British troops met a defense that could draw on about 27,000 militia and regulars, more than 100 guns around Hampstead Hill, and Fort McHenry's artillery. Experienced commanders and prepared positions made Baltimore a much harder target. The comparison gives Ellwood's later invasion scare a deeper historical reference point: the United States had experienced a capital burned and a major port threatened from the sea.
Chapter · 58:28-1:02:03
Why Baltimore was defended differently from Washington
The contrast between the burning of Washington and the defense of Baltimore explains an older American memory of coastal attack and invasion.