Bladensburg historians hoping to see the town’s legacy featured in a PBS “War of 1812” documentary were disappointed that the town’s preeminent battle — The Battle of Bladensburg — got decidedly less than its 15 minutes of TV fame.
As the bicentennial anniversary of the War of 1812 approaches, the Bladensburg-based historical preservation Anacostia Trails Heritage Area looks to attract tourists with signage commemorating the event, a guided walking tour and festivals, said Greenbelt resident Aaron Marcavitch, ATHA’s executive director.
After the battle, the British captured and burned public buildings throughout Washington, D.C., Marcavitch said.
Being featured in the Oct. 10 two-hour documentary would definitely help to spark more interest, but the 60-second Bladensburg segment is so short only reinforces negative thoughts of American soldiers retreating, Marcavitch said.
“Bladensburg was a major moment in the war and the idea that everyone immediately ran away is not true,” he said. “The film, for the sake of time, cut out major items about the battle … It’s sad that the continuing vision of the battle was that everyone ran away, when in fact it’s more layered.”
Marcavitch said among the significant outcomes from the battle, a national army was created as opposed to separate militias and there was significant change to the political landscape, saying some U.S. officers in battle could have ended up becoming U.S. presidents if they had won.
Patricia McCauley, who chairs the Battle of Bladensburg Task Force, said she hopes viewers will want to know more about the battle.
“We’re hoping we get a lot of local and national attention from this,” she said. “This upcoming commemoration is going to be very important to the Port Towns and we’re looking forward to opportunity to show this area in exciting light as an important part of U.S. history.”
The film was created and produced by Florentine Films/Hott Productions in connection with WNED, a public broadcasting station serving the Buffalo and Toronto area.
Lawrence Hott, the documentary’s producer, said due to the filmmaking nature, every detail could not be included and they had to pick and choose which battles to highlight.
Hott visited parts of Canada and several U.S. states and said just about every region that participated in the war claims their area was most important.
“The reason Bladensburg was in at all was because it was a gateway to Washington,” Hott said. “There were plenty of other battles that had complexity. If the battle was strategically important or was part of a major myth then we tried to include it. A film is not an encyclopedia and not a book.”
Like Marcavitch, Hott said he hopes viewers stay interested after watching the documentary and will go online to learn more.
djgross@gazette.net
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