Remembering how we got the Star Spangled Banner
The Defense Of Baltimore
After Washington, D.C. was burned by the British, the British headed for Baltimore, home to pro-war fervor, innovative clipper-ship builders, and privateers responsible for capturing more than 500 British merchant ships. Long expecting an attack, Baltimoreans had fortified land approaches to the city with earthworks, guns, and cannons. Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead and his troops readied Fort McHenry, which protected Baltimore's harbor, for a naval assault.
Early on September 11, lookouts spotted 50 British warships approaching Baltimore. The British were preparing a two-pronged attack that would unfold over the next three days. Ships anchored just out of range of Fort McHenry's guns would pound the fort with cannons, mortars, and rockets. Another force would land at North Point to take Baltimore. On September 12, those troops met fierce resistance. The British commander was killed, and facing American defenders numbering 10,000 strong, his troops later withdrew.
The bombardment of Fort McHenry fared little better for the British. Armistead flew an enormous flag with 15 stripes and 15 stars above the fort. As long as it swayed in the wind, no one doubted that Fort McHenry remained in American hands. Anchored not far away were Americans detained by the British, among them Francis Scott Key. They watched the bombardment all day, heartened at the site of the large flag above the fort. Then nightfall came and with it suspense: Would the flag be flying in the morning? At daybreak, Key not only saw the stars and stripes still flying above the fort, but the British weighing anchor. The city of Baltimore remained free. Key was so moved he wrote a poem on "The Defense of Fort McHenry," and our national anthem was born.
The Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail links historic sites important to the Battle of Baltimore and the Chesapeake campaign. Among them are North Point State Park and the star-spangled buoy that marks the spot where Francis Scott Key spent the night at anchor, just north of the Key Bridge. Boat ramps at Turner Station Park and Southwest Area Park offer access to the Patapsco River. Marinas in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Fells Point, and Canton provide transient dockage. Water taxi service is available to Fort McHenry.