Battle of Bladensburg sculpture close to complete

BLADENSBURG, Md. (AP) - A memorial commemorating the Battle of Bladensburg is nearly complete, and supporters hope it will soon be installed in Prince George's County.

The Washington Post reports that the 8-by-10-foot panel is done and will soon go to Pennsylvania, where a mold will be made and it'll be cast in bronze.

The sculpture was designed by Joanna Blake, who says the battle "galvanized the nation'' during the War of 1812. Though American forces lost the battle to the British, they were victorious weeks later in Baltimore.

The sculpture shows an unmated Marine, a wounded American commodore and a former slave who served in the commodore's flotilla.

Supporters hope it will be installed in August, around the time of the battle's 199th anniversary, in Balloon Park near Bladensburg.