Photograph from the book Commodore Joshua Barney: many interesting facts connected with the life of Commodore Joshua Barney, hero of the United States Navy.
Credit Library of Congress / Flickr/Creative Commons
On August 24, 1813, during the Battle of Bladensburg, Commodore Joshua Barney, along with 360 sailors and 120 Marines, defended Washington—fighting against the British hand-to-hand with cutlasses and pikes.