During the War of 1812 the entrance to Baltimore Harbor was guarded by Fort McHenry. In the summer of 1813, Major George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry, “requested a flag so large that the British would not have difficulty seeing it from a distance.” A group of ministers were sent to summon Mary Young Pickersgill, a Baltimore widow and expert flag maker. They asked her to fly a large American Flag over Fort McHenry. I agreed with Mrs. Pickersgill and she and her daughter 13 Caroline for 5 year olds, set out to flag
The flag was started in Mrs. Pickersgill’s upstairs room but when it came time to put the flag together her house was not big enough. He asked a gentleman from Brazil, near Claggert, that he might be allowed to meet in the cellar for the evening flag when there were no patrons. He nodded and held out the standard candle to the two women.
Because President James Madison and his wife Dolley had already fled Washington and the British had attacked and captured Munich, setting fire to the White House. /a>, let them take the attack. Preparations were made at Fort McHenry to protect Baltimore.
In August of the year 1814, Dr. William Beanes, a physician who had dealt with American troops and British prisoners, was arrested for placing disorderly pallbearers under civilian custody. The townspeople, fearing that Beanes Dr would hang, asked Francis Scott Key for help. He agreed and appointed Colonel John Skinner, a government interpreter to secure Dr. To help release the beans.
On the morning of the 3rd of October, two men set sail in a boat flying a flag of truce to join the Royal Navy. A few days later they were allowed to board the flagship HMS Tonnant to speak with British officials, where Dr. They treated the beans.
Key and Skinner presented a letter to the officers, who had received a letter from Dr. Bean and the Americans. The officers agreed after examining the letter of Dr. Let go of the beans. The three men were allowed to go down to the truce, but because they knew of the British plan to attack Baltimore on land and forces, they were not allowed to return to Baltimore until after the attack.
On the morning of September 13, 1814, the British bombardment began. The bombing continued for 25 hours. The three Americans watched the fight through the night in the rain. As long as they heard the shells they knew that Fort McHenry had not surrendered. And then there was silence. Maybe McHenry fell? A naval attack and a land attack led to the desertion of Baltimore and was ordered to retreat.
At first light, Francis Scott Key set his telescope to his eye and looked towards the bulwark. He saw General Armistead’s glorious American flag, our Old Glory, caught in the morning breeze. The key, moved by the sight of the flag, took a letter from his pocket and wrote some lines on its back. He finished his poem at the Indian Queen Hotel in Baltimore. The original title of the poem was “The Defense of Fort McHenry.”
The trinkets were distributed to the townspeople with the poem. It was published for the first time in the Baltimore Patriot on September 20, 1814. Music was added to the poem and in October 1814 the Baltimore actor sang a new song United States. The flag today hangs in the American Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution.
