MIDDLESEX GAZETTE, Middletown, Connecticut, Jan. 26, 1815  

* Battle of Bladensburg
* War of 1812 Maryland

The front page has over a full column, & carrying over to take over half a column, with much detail on a Congressional report on the: "Battle Of Bladensburg", a significant defeat for the Americans in the War of 1812, paving the way for the British to march into Washington, D.C.
Inside has: "Loss Of The President Frigate", then a report: "From New Orleans" which includes a letter to a member of Congress dated at New Orleans, Dec. 23.
Four pages, very nice condition.

Background: This specific issue of the Middlesex Gazette holds extraordinary historical significance because it serves as a condensed, real-time capsule of the chaotic climax of the War of 1812, capturing a profound turning point in early American identity. Its rarity is exceptionally high: 19th-century regional newspapers like this New England weekly were printed in limited numbers on fragile rag paper, and very few survived the last two centuries in "very nice condition," making it a highly sought-after piece of ephemera for archives and private collectors. The content itself represents a perfect storm of military history: it juxtaposes the humiliation of the Congressional report on the Battle of Bladensburg (the "Bladensburg Races" that led to the burning of Washington) and the devastating naval loss of the USS President, alongside the tense, early dispatches from December 23rd in New Orleans. Because it was printed just weeks before news of Andrew Jackson’s spectacular January 8th victory and the ratification of the Treaty of Ghent swept the nation, this exact paper preserves a rare, anxious moment in time when the fate of the American republic hung entirely in the balance, offering an unedited glimpse into the nation's psyche before it was rewritten by the euphoria of peace and victory.