About 3,200 American troops waited at Long Old Fields on August 22, 1814, while Brigadier General William Winder considered his next move. Camped eight miles from Washington, they could respond if the enemy advanced from either the Patuxent or the Potomac. Fearing a night attack, Winder moved the troops to the Washington Navy Yard. British patrols en route to Bladensburg arrived at Long Old Fields just after the Americans left.