12 May 2014

Lost Capitol Hill: The First Eastern Branch Bridge

tnI recently wrote about the Wheeler Ferry and its importance in getting people across the Anacostia in the days before the federal government moved to Washington. I also mentioned the bridge that replaced it, but not its eventual demise – or the role it played during the burning of Washington 200 years ago.

The Eastern Branch Bridge, approved in 1795 and built over the next year or so, opened in 1797. It was a drawbridge, allowing ships to continue up the river to Bladensburg. For the next 17 years, it served its purpose well, allowing the citizens of Upper Marlborough and the trans-Anacostia areas of Washington to reach the fledgling capital with minimum excitement. A small cluster of shops even sprung up on the D.C. side of the bridge, so that those on the other side had good access to dry goods and groceries.
This quiet existence would end on August 23, 1814, when General Winder, who was in charge of the defense of Washington, sent his troops across the bridge to avoid a battle with the British, who were encamped in Upper Marlborough. Worried that the British would follow him across, Winder requested, and received, permission from President Madison to destroy the bridge.
Early on the 24th, thus, boats filled with gunpowder were moored beneath the bridge, while wood was scattered on top to ensure that it would burn properly. The British did not, in the end, attempt to cross at this point, instead entering the city via Bladensburg. After that battle, and with the US soldiers in disarray, the order was given by a Captain John Creighton to the destroy the bridge, and, around 4:00 PM, the charges were lit, blowing up the bridge sufficiently to ensure that no soldiers would cross it any time in the near future. Of course, by this time the British were rapidly approaching the Capitol via Maryland Avenue, so there was hardly any need for this destruction.

In this detail of a 1793 map, a bridge can already be seen crossing the Anacostia at the location of the Eastern Branch Bridge - clearly, even well before the arrival of the government, and the request to build the bridge, it was being planned for (LOC)

In this detail of a 1793 map, a bridge can already be seen crossing the Anacostia at the location of the Eastern Branch Bridge – clearly, even well before the arrival of the government, and the request to build the bridge, it was being planned for (LOC)

It would not be the only explosion in the area that day: Shortly thereafter, Commander Tingey of the Navy Yard would give the order to have the bridge destroyed.
Once the British had left the city and, eventually the country, it was time to assess the damage. As it turned out, the substructure of the bridge had remained intact, and thus rebuilding it was not too great a problem. The bridge soon returned to duty.
It would survive another 30 years, until in 1846, an excursion steamer heading down the river deposited sparks on it. The sparks caused another conflagration, one that was far more destructive than when it had been purposefully destroyed. The bridge burned essentially to the waterline, and left, once again, only one bridge across this section of the Anacostia River. It would be another 40 years before it was replaced.

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