Among the preparations were upgrades of Fort McHenry, a 32-pound cannon battery along the waters edge, fortifications at Lazaretto Point, and additional batteries arrayed along the banks of the Patapsco. He convinced the British to release Beanes. Fifteen stars and fifteen stripes (one star has been cut out) Raised over Fort . She is also thought to have begun the tradition of giving pieces of the flag away to honor her husband's memory, as well as the memories of the soldiers who defended the fort under his command. Join us online July 24-26! Joining them is the rocket ship HMSErebus, which launches the newly invented Congreve rockets. While there are some details that differ from the Surgernor video, it is the same story. The British hoped the loss of both Washington and Baltimore would cripple the American war effort and force peace. September 13. Seeing the flag flying over Fort McHenry on the morning of September 14, 1814, after the battle ended, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry". Although she lived in Maryland, a Union state, her sympathies lay with the Confederate cause. Encouraged by their victory at Bladensburgon August 24, 1814, and the subsequent burning of Washington, D.C., the British turned north, intent on capturing the major port city of Baltimore, Maryland. More than 1,500 cannonballs, shells, and rockets are fired, but only inflict light damage thanks to fortification efforts completed before the battle. And history records no "way out" offered by signalling surrender with the lowering of the flag. During the Civil War, the Union flag continued to include a star for each state in the Unioneven those states that had seceded. All that he (Key) could hear was the men down below praying. Did bodies hold up the flag at Fort McHenry? [46], Due to environmental and light damage, a four-phase restoration project began in May 1999. The British land a combined force of soldiers, sailors, and Royal Marines at North Point, a peninsula at the fork of the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay, on September 12, 1814. Original size: 30 feet by 42 feet. Francis Scott Key, the Reluctant Patriot More broadly, a garrison flag is a U.S. Army term for an extra-large national flag that is flown on Sundays, holidays, and special occasions. Key's tactics were successful, but because he and his companions had gained knowledge of the impending attack on Baltimore, the British did not let them go. Between 12th and 14th Streets Georgiana Armistead Appleton,George Armistead's daughter, inherited the flag upon her mother's death in 1861. The British Attack on Fort McHenry (Spar-Spangled Banner) - ThoughtCo When markings on the flag were investigated and analyzed, they were found to be from iron corrosion. The British were intent on removing any threat from Fort McHenry ahead of an assault to capture Baltimore. inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet. The video implies this was during the American Revolution, which began in 1775 (although some argue the first battle was fought in October 1774) and officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783. Among the 20 low-draft vessels, primarily frigates and schooners, of the British squadron, five were particularly ominous. And Francis Scott Key said 'What do you mean?' But just what did that flag, that for and those defenders endure?. Fort McHenry, Sept. 24th, 1814. Only Mississippi now flies the Confederate battle flag in an official capacity - the state has incorporated a blue cross with 13 stars over a red background since 1894. It is she who is thought to have sewed the red upside-down "V" on the flag, beginning the stitches for the letter "A." Advertising Notice It was simply raised according to the 1808 U.S. Its message was clear: The British threat had passed, and Baltimore was saved. The poem would be put to the music of a common tune, retitled "The Star-Spangled Banner", and a portion of it would later be adopted as the national anthem of the United States. [2], With fifteen stripes, the Star-Spangled Banner remains the only official American flag to bear more than thirteen stripes.[3].