But when darkness arrived, Key saw only red erupting in the night sky. Baltimore, Alanstudt.com A t 6:30 a.m., on September 13, 1814, the first of an estimated 1,800 cast-iron bomb shells were hurled at the masonry walls of Fort McHenry. Coming in at 17 x 25 feet, this storm flag was much smaller and was designed to withstand tough weather, such as the raging winds and pouring rain that occurred during the Battle of Baltimore. Through the clouds of the war the stars of that banner still shone in my view, and I saw the discomforted host of its assailants driven back in ignominy to theirships. By early morning of September 14, it was over. Did bodies hold up the flag at Fort McHenry? In February 1815, the storm flag was lost to history after being replaced by a new one from the Schuylkill Arsenal in Philadelphia. The government, therefore, turned to the many merchants and private sailors inhabiting its ports, issuing licenses to those who wished to gain financially from capturing enemy vessels. Georgiana Armistead Appleton,George Armistead's daughter, inherited the flag upon her mother's death in 1861. Prepared to take . ", 2400 East Fort Avenue F or as famous as it is, the so-called Star-Spangled Banner is shrouded in plenty of misconceptions. He said 'Well, Mr. Key,' he said, 'tonight we have laid an ultimatum upon the colonies. In 1813,Mary Pickersgill, a Baltimore flagmaker, was commissioned to make two flags for Fort McHenry. MD Remember, there were no colonies, only states, in 1814. The same family that kept the Star-Spangled Banner safe during the Civil War also sympathized with the Confederacy. He (Key) said 'You can't shell that fort.' The imposing Fort McHenry, at the mouth of the inner harbor, provided the linchpin for the American defenses. Eben immediately wrote to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,Charles D. Walcott. https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2019/04/fake-news-our-national-anthem-video-not-true-story-of-star-spangled-banner.html, Fake News: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Have 150-Year-Old Sign Removed From House Chamber Entrance, Fake News: Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar DID NOT Praise the Destruction of Notre Dame. He served as a co-historian for the Smithsonian Institutions Saving the Star-Spangled Banner Project, and for the National Park Services The Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail study. Given the scale of the attack, he was certain the British would win. Terms of Use The larger of the two flags had stripes two feet wide, and stars 24 inches from point to point. Gen.John Stricker to delay the advance by provoking an engagement. See who is sharing it (it might even be your friends) and leave the link in the comments. When Major George Armistead, the fort's commander, expressed the desire for a very large flag to fly over the fort, General John S. Stricker and Commodore Joshua Barney placed an order for two oversized American flags. In this photo from the Smithsonian Archives, Smithsonian collections are crated and covered with a tarp to be transferred to a storage facility in Luray, Virgina, for safekeeping during World War II. 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. I've often been fighting back tears during the National Be Y's 7/3/16 7:55pm "Was," because this object at hand, the original Star-Spangled Banner, is no. Undoing her work required unbelievable precision. It's in most hymnals throughout our churches. They said 'We want to send a man out to discuss this with you.' In February 1815, the storm flag was lost to history after being replaced by a new one from the Schuylkill Arsenal in Philadelphia. Although other East Coast ports were used by privateers, Baltimore was an especially busy haven for these sailors, who were paid generously for their work. It was another chapter in the ongoing War of 1812. Today it is permanently housed in the National Museum of American History, one of the Smithsonian Institution museums on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. [16] Historians suggest that the storm flag flew through the night, and the garrison flag was hoisted in the morning, after the British retreated.[17]. Support Outdoor Classrooms at Seven Key Battlefields. There was no group of prisoners held in the cargo hold of the ship from where Key watched the battle. How long did the star-spangled banner wave? [4][5] Each of the fifteen stripes is 2 feet (0.61m) wide, and each of the stars measures about 2 feet (0.61m) in diameter. The garrison flag, according to eyewitness accounts, wasn't raised until the morning. As its guardian and devoted champion, she encouraged its display at patriotic celebrations. "But no real evidence has surfaced to support these stories, and the true fate of the star remains one of the Smithsonian's great unsolved mysteries." "We, sir, are ready at Fort McHenry to defend Baltimore against invading by the enemyexcept that we have no suitable ensign to display over the Star Fort, and it is my desire to have a flag so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance.". One of the soldiers who was in the fort during the 25-hour bombardment wrote, "We were like pigeons tied by the legs to be shot at. 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. Francis Scott Key went down below and told the men what was about to happen. The video opened: (Written text on screen) We guarantee that you will NEVER feel the same way again when you sing this song at a sporting event after you hear this story! Superior British weapons pounded the fort from newly designed bomb ships anchored safely out of range of the fort's own guns. It will be here within striking distance in a matter of about two-and-a-half hours.' Because of this conflict and the protractedness of it, they had accumulated prisoners on both sides. This British defeat was a turning point in the War of 1812, leading both sides to reach a peace agreement later that year. This could have resulted from metal buckles or straps or tacks on belts used to hold the flag. This included scientific studies with infrared spectrometry, electron microscopy, mechanical testing, and determination of amino acid content by a New Zealand scientist, and infrared imaging by a NASA scientist. After the Battle of Baltimore. Why were the citizens of Baltimore so well prepared for a British attack? Is Fort McHenry free? Georgiana found herself on the wrong side of the battle lines when the Civil War broke out. The striking visual has pervaded our national imagination: The first rays of a new day reveal the symbol of a nation young but strong standing defiant in the face of our foes. Initially the British fleet exchanges fire with the forts cannon, but soon withdraw out of range. Key was inspired by the sight of a lone U.S. flag still flying over Fort McHenry at daybreak, as reflected in the now-famous words of the "Star-Spangled Banner": "And the rocket's red . Nearly two centuries later, the flag that inspired Key still survives, though fragile and worn by the years. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! Bodies of the dead were not used to hold up the flag pole a 42 by 30 foot flag has to be on a well-anchored pole, not held up by a few dead bodies stacked around it. Despite a stalwart initial defense, the Americans begin to give way to the British regulars. Brooke collects the main body of the British troops and presses forward. Cochrane sent hisnote around nightfall, without any expectationhe would receive a response before the plan hehad in hand would require him to act. On the appointed day in a row boat, he (Key) went out to this boat and he negotiated with the British officials and they reached a conclusion that men could be exchanged on a one-for-one basis. Bodies of the dead were not used to hold up the flag pole a 42 by 30 foot flag has to be on a well-anchored pole, not held up by a few dead bodies stacked around it. [42], A conservation effort was undertaken in 1982 to protect the flag from damage due to dust and light. 12. At that time, it was the practice to add one star and stripe for each new state joining the Union. [27] It was then kept in the Society's vault until 1876, when it was taken to the vault of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The flags were finished on August 19, 1813. The stars are arranged in vertical rows, with five horizontal rows of stars, offset, each containing three stars. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. It has fifteen horizontal red and white stripes, as well as fifteen white stars in the blue field. The British forces did not place "an ultimatum upon the colonies." His brother-in-law, commander of a militia at Fort McHenry, read Key's work and had it distributed under the name "Defence of Fort M'Henry." 15-star flag above Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Baltimore, Md. They allowed the Americans to return to their own vessel but continued guarding them. Skinner and Key had been dispatched to obtain the release of the elderly Dr. William Beanes, who had been taken prisoner during the Washington campaign for confronting three British soldiers. An interactive component allows site visitors to closely explore features of the flag in detail, download an audio-descriptive tour of the exhibition for the visually-impaired, and hear the song performed on original instruments from the National Museum of American History's collection. There were about 28 American casualties. To preserve this American icon, experts at the National Museum of American History recently completed an eight-year conservation treatment with funds from Polo Ralph Lauren, The Pew Charitable Trusts and the U.S. Congress. It was Englands most powerful naval armament, floating siege ships capable of inflicting severe damage and further supported by the rocket ship HMS Erebus with her 32-pounder Congreve rockets, and several light draft frigates and brigs. Your Privacy Rights The ship carried Colonel John S. Skinner, U.S. State Department prisoner exchange agent, and 35-year-old Georgetown attorney Francis Scott Key. Still, only a handful could navigate the shallow waters of the Patapsco River, where Fort McHenry was located. Recognizing its need for repair, the Smithsonian hired Amelia Fowler, an embroidery teacher and well-known flag preserver, in 1914 to replace the canvas backing that had been added in 1873. The commander in chief had no way of knowing that in response to his latest note, Brooke had, in fact, ordered the infantry retreat from Baltimore to begin by dawn. 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. American forces resistedthe dramaticBritish bombardmentof Fort McHenry and proved they could stand up to a great world power. There were more than 15 states when the flag was made, but there are only 15 stars on the flag. [42][43] It was hung in Flag Hall, a three-story central atrium designed for this purpose. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here. Bonus fact in response to a question from the comments: The Star-Spangled Banner flag does not have burn marks on it. How and when this occurred is unclear. Each star, by the way, is made of cotton and was created by reverse applicqu method. "It's exciting to realize that you're looking at the very same flag that Francis Scott Key saw on that September morning in 1814. Messages Author Time Story of National Anthem TADOW 7/3/16 1:10pm Thanks for sharing this. To the best of our knowledge, the British did not specifically target the flag. The British hated the privateers and so despised the Baltimore that they called it a nest of pirates. They vowed to take revenge. Bodies of the dead were not used to hold up the flag pole a 42 by 30 foot flag has to be on a well-anchored pole, not held up by a few dead bodies stacked around it. The flag that flew during that episode in history became a significant artifact. Also, there were no large groups of American prisoners held in the cargo hold of boats. Between 12th and 14th Streets Join us online July 24-26! As twilight began to fall and as the haze hung over the ocean as it does at sunset, suddenly, the British war fleet unleashed. [23], The Armisteads' daughter, Georgiana Armistead Appleton, inherited the flag upon her mother's death in 1861. He said 'You'll be taken out of this boat, out of this filth, out of your chains.'. [52], A 2-inch by 5-inch fragment of the flagwhite and red, with a seam down the middlewas sold at auction in Dallas, Texas on November 30, 2011, for $38,837: the snippet was, presumably, cut from the famous flag as a souvenir in the mid-19th century. On the morning of September 14, when the flag was seen flying above the ramparts, it was clear that Fort McHenry remained in American hands.
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