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John Armstrong, Jr. (1758–1843) was an American soldier and statesman. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as a U.S. Senator from New York. During the War of 1812, he was promoted to general, and then to Secretary of War under James Madison in 1813. He was forced to resign after the British burned Washington, D.C.
John Armstrong, Jr. in Trail of Glory[]
After the fiasco of the Battle of Bladensburg, Secretary of War John Armstrong realized that his career was finished. He'd selected General William Winder to defend Washington, fully convinced that the British wouldn't attack the city anyway.
With the British victorious at Bladensburg, and Winder's decision to evacuate the capital and regroup at Georgetown, Armstrong realized just how badly he erred. When word came to the various government and military leaders at Georgetown that Captain Sam Houston intended to defend the Capitol Building, Armstrong privately calluded with Secretary of State James Monroe to get Monroe back into the city. While Armstrong couldn't directly discipline Winder without damaging the chain of command, Monroe could act.
Monroe made his way back to Washington. Armstrong watched Winder give contradictory orders for several hours, before concluding that his first order of business when he met President Madison again was ask for Winder to be sacked. Armstrong also enlisted a Georgetown lawyer, Francis Scott Key, as a scout to determine whether or not the Capitol still stood.
Then Armstrong and the group waited until President Madison could be found. Contact wasn't made until near dawn, and Madison made his way back to the tavern. (Armstrong managed to insult the messenger, Colonel George Minor. As Minor had missed Bladensburg due to a clerical issue, Armstrong didn't care.) When Madison arrived, Armstrong quickly informed the president that the Captiol was still in American hands, that Monroe was in the building, and that there were sufficient soldiers in and around Washington to launch a counter-offensive. Armstrong also convinced Madison to reassign Winder to Baltimore, and informed Madison that the Executive Mansion had been burned down. Madison gave his blessing to Armstrong's plan, and agreed to remain in the tavern until the British were driven from Washington.
While the Battle of the Capitol was a resounding U.S. victory, Armstrong's career was in tatters, and he resigned shortly after.
| Political offices (OTL) | ||
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| Preceded by William Eustis |
Secretary of War for the United States 1813–1814 |
Succeeded by James Monroe |
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