thousands of two state and District militia units to oppose them. He made no attempt to skirmish or slow down the advancing British and decided on an all-or-nothing set piece defensive battle at Bladensburg. The Americans met the British at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814. He failed to show effective command in the battle, although he received virtually no support from the newly designated Secretary of War and continuing Secretary of State, James Monroe (later fifth President), who actually interfered with his command by repositioning some of the militia regiments, which may have had a significant contribution to the ensuing rout. He clearly did not support U.S. Naval Commodore Joshua Barney's second line at the center of the American forces along the Washington-Bladensburg Road that actually repulsed the 85th Regiment of Foot after the rout of the American first line following the Red Coats crossing under fire of the small creek of the Eastern Branch of the Potomac River (now the Anacostia River). As a result of the battle, the rough unfinished national capital fell easily into the hands of the invaders who marched in that evening looking for some authorities to surrender the town. Winder was afterward court-martialed, but was acquitted of all blame. After the debacle of Bladenburg, Winder was quickly maneuvered by the skittish Baltimoreans' municipal, business and military leaders out of having any significant command at Baltimore in favor of the highly competent Samuel Smith, a former Revolutionary War officer and commander, wealthy city merchant and shipper, former U.S. Representative, then Senator for Maryland (later in life elected Mayor of Baltimore) and so was relegated under protest to the command of limited troops on the southwestern and western approaches to Baltimore which were not considered a likely route for the British naval and military attack from the Chesapeake Bay to the east. Winder would have participated in the possible battle at the extensive dug-in fortifications (planned and supervised by Smith in a fortunate premonition and foresight), on "Loudenschlager's Hill" and "Hampstead Hill" (now site of Patterson Park in East Baltimore), on the eastern heights, from the City, had the British decided to carry forward the attack and had the bombardment on Fort McHenry, on September 13–14, been successful. Later life and death After the war, Winder became a leading attorney of the Baltimore bar, joined an influential literary social group called the Delphian