单项选择题

In 1813 rumors of a threatened invasion of Washington had circulated widely. But no attack materialized, so military preparedness ceased. By 1814 the defensive system for Washington was nonexistent except for a few troops near the city and a weak naval force. Month after month Congress had voted down resolutions to place the capital in a defensive posture, while the secretary of war kept concentrated on his invasion of Canada. The best plan for defense came from the cabinet in July, when it proposed to defend Washington with an army of volunteers from all the states. The result was inadequate at best. Some of the men that reported for duty were told to go home and get better shoes and to bring back a butcher knife if they could not get a musket. On August i8, news reached the capital that a British fleet had sailed into the Patuxent River. The city was put on immediate alert.
As the British army marched closer to the capital, 38 - year -- old Brigadier General William Henry Winder was entrusted with defense of the city. His frustrations were many. Secretary of War John Armstrong, new to his office, still believed that the British force would not attack Washington; the quartermaster of the army was unable to supply axes for cutting trees to impede(阻止) the enemy advance; and Winder’s own troops were untrained, volunteer militiamen. In addition, he got little consistent help from his superiors, who included President James Madison and Secretary of States James Monroe. He was an indefensible position, which led to one of America’s darkest days -that of August 24th, 1814.

The tone in this passage can best be described as（）.

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