About ten o'clock
Neither President Madison nor his cabinet slept that night . Fernando and his riflemen were sent to Bladensburg at midnight , and on the morning of August 24 , 1814 , a small scouting party sent down the road came back reporting that the British army was on the advance . Fernando with his riflemen went to meet the enemy and hold them in check as long as possible . About ten o'clock , they came in sight of the advance of the enemy . About two hundred redcoats were led by an officer on horseback . Sukey saw that officer , and he also saw an old tree about a hundred yards nearer the enemy and twenty paces to the left of the road . From it , one would be in long rifle range of the British .