Fort McHenry Gets a New Flagpole for Its Star and Stripes Using a storm flag in those conditions would have been standard practice. [45] An opaque curtain was installed in front of it, allowing visitors to view the flag only for one minute, twice an hour, when the curtain was lowered. It is for Colonel Brooke to consider under such circumstances whether he has Force sufficient to defeat so large a number as it [is] saidthe Enemy has collected; say 20,000 strong. They allowed the Americans to return to their own vessel but continued guarding them. He said 'It's full of women and children.' Volunteers dug huge entrenchments east of town, and the city militia drilled regularly. Corbis On a rainy September 13, 1814, British warships sent a downpour of shells and rockets onto Fort McHenry in. Most people assume that this grand banner flew through the rockets red glare.. The star-spangled banner may not have been run up the flagpole until first light on September 14. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here. 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. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. A national subscription magazinepublishedlocally,NilesWeeklyRegister,recorded that thehouses in the city were shakentotheir foundations for never,perhapsfromthe timeof invention of cannonto thepresent day, were the same number ofpiecesfired with so rapid a succession.The vivid display of early 19th-century shock and awe could be heard 100 miles awayinPhiladelphia. [19][20] Some years, it was flown at Baltimore's celebration of Defenders Day, the anniversary of the battle. The Battle of Fort McHenry was fought September 13/14, 1814, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815). In February 1815, the storm flag was lost to history after being replaced by a new one from the Schuylkill Arsenal in Philadelphia. Close-up of Fort McHenry's preserved "Great Garrison Flag" shows the incredible detail and stitching. Georgiana Armistead Appleton,George Armistead's daughter, inherited the flag upon her mother's death in 1861. The flag wasn't prominently displayed in the South until southern politicians began using it in their campaigns; and . "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." Current size: 30 feet by 34 feet. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. Some historians believe that a smaller, 17 by 25-foot storm flag may have flown over Fort McHenry during the rainy evening of the bombardment. It is unclear if that was done during this battle, but the fact that it was raining made it more likely that a smaller storm flag would have flown during much of the bombardment. Today, it's in a special low-light chamber where you can see it 364 days per year. Keeping their stars on the national flag signified that continued solidarity. They made the stars, each measuring two feet in diameter, from cottona luxury item at the time. He wanted to be sure the British could see the United States colors from their distant warships. It then remained in a safe-deposit vault in New York City until Appleton loaned it to the Smithsonian in 1907. "The Star-Spangled Banner is a symbol of American history that ranks with the Statue of Liberty and the Charters of Freedom," says Brent D. Glass, the museum's director. Cochrane sent hisnote around nightfall, without any expectationhe would receive a response before the plan hehad in hand would require him to act. Each of the eight stars represented a Confederate state in March 1861 when the flag was adopted. 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. And when the museum reopens in summer 2008, the Star-Spangled Banner will be its centerpiece, displayed in its own state-of-the-art gallery. Rewriting history is a dangerous thing, although the consequences of digesting this particular mythology may not lead to destruction. 12. Command of the land forces passes to Col.Arthur Brooke. [31], Eben Appleton was highly protective of the flag and disliked the attention it brought him. The Maryland militia commander, Maj. Gen. Samuel Smith, orders Brig. But not everyone was a fan. Major George Armistead, the Forts commanding officer, desired "to have a flag so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance. At that time, it was the practice to add one star and stripe for each new state joining the Union. Now, here are the most obvious ways this video is filled with fake history: Francis Scott Key was a lawyer in Baltimore. 15-star flag above Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Baltimore, Md. Everything was made ready at Fort McHenry to defend Baltimore. The flag we all know as the star-spangled banner is a massive 30 by 42 feet in size and sewn of wool bunting. At 9:00 a.m., Fort McHenrys massive garrison flag measuring an imposing 30'x 42' was raised over the ramparts, as four young fifers and drummers played the national tune Yankee Doodle. Aboard the frigate HMS Hebrus, a young midshipman remembered: And as the last vessel spread her canvas to the wind, the Americans hoisted a most superb and splendid ensign on theirbattery, and fired at the same time a gun of defiance.The great ensign, receiving the sun's early light, could be seen plainly for miles. Bombardment of Fort McHenry Part 1 He said 'What's the matter with them?' 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. Brooke collects the main body of the British troops and presses forward. Star-Spangled Banner (flag) - Wikipedia according to scholars at Washington's presidential library. Each of its 15 stars measures about two feet across and each of its 15 stripes are about two feet wide. With the recent completion of the project, the Star-Spangled Banner will remain an icon of American history that can still be seen by the public. While the home where he lived in 1814 is no longer standing, there is a monument at its former site of 34th and M Street. There was no group of prisoners held in the cargo hold of the ship from where Key watched the battle. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. He said 'Don't they understand this is an impossible situation?' As for those "hundreds of little dots," the British naval forces in the area numbered about 50 vessels. And they said 'We want to send a man by the name of Francis Scott Key. [18] Upon his death in 1818, the flag passed to his widow, Louisa Hughes Armistead. "The Star-Spangled Banner resonates with people in different ways, for different reasons," says Kathleen Kendrick, curator for the Star-Spangled Banner preservation project. Initially, the British strategy during the War of 1812 had been defensive. Entrance Fees The entrance fee to the historic area of the park is $15.00 for adults 16 years of age and older; children 15 and younger are free. To the best of our knowledge, the British did not specifically target the flag. [46], Due to environmental and light damage, a four-phase restoration project began in May 1999. 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. Part of the larger Battle of Baltimore, the Battle of Fort McHenry saw the fort's garrison defeat a British fleet that had been advancing on the city. 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. A week earlier, Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old American lawyer, had boarded the flagship of the British fleet on the Chesapeake Bay in hopes of persuading the British to release a friend who had recently been arrested. While the conservators worked, the public looked on. More than two hundred years since the perilous fight" over Baltimore, the legacies of the Old Defenders of Baltimore of 1814 are remembered annually on Defenders' Day.And the American flag now with 50 stars rather than 15 flies, by presidential proclamation, over Fort McHenry day and night. The larger of the two flags had stripes two feet wide, and stars 24 inches from point to point. Fort McHenry, Sept. 24th, 1814. 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. It is likely that they kept the flag hidden in their home in Baltimore for the duration of the war, but Margaret Appleton Baker, Georgiana's daughter, told theNew York Heraldin 1895 that the flag had actually been sent to England. Yet Key rose on the morning of September 14, 1814 and through the lens of his spyglass saw his nation's 15-star, 15-stripe flag waving defiantly over the fort. The bodies holding up the flag pole story is about as ridiculous as it is insulting to the four killed, and twenty four wounded (of which several would later die) as a result of the battle. Made in Baltimore, Maryland, in July-August 1813 by flagmaker Mary Pickersgill. They said 'We've left them a way out,' and he said 'What's that?' On Flag Day, Remember Fort McHenry's Lost Storm Flag - The Federalist [29][30], Georgiana Appleton died in 1878 and left the flag to her son, Eben Appleton. The most-viewed version of the video is a post (archived here) published on July 4, 2014, under the title "Our National Anthem." How the flag that flew proudly over Fort McHenry inspired an anthem and made its way to the Smithsonian. The short video below introduces a method used by Amelia Fowler, who was hired in 1914 to help preserve the flag. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. To the best of our knowledge, the British did not specifically target the flag. Now, as preparations for a British attack proceeded, the three-story-tall flag waved atop the 90-foot flagpole at Fort McHenry, its bold red, white and blue geometry unmistakable. By 10:00 a.m. that morning, both the cloud cover and the threat of rain increased over the area. American Lawyer Francis Scott Key, held on a British warshipfor a prisoner negotiation during the frightening siege, feared that the fort had succumbed to the bombardment. In fact, military posts traditionally lower the American flag at night. The ammunition used by these ships later inspire Francis Scott Keys famous lines and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air.. Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas; catalog "Political & Americana Auction, November 30, 2011; New England Historic Genealogical Society, Dictionary definition of "garrison flag" at www.merriam-webster.com, Naval Telecommunications Procedures: Flags, Pennants, and Customs, August 1986, section 304, p. 3-1 at www.ushistory.org, "The Star-Spangled Banner: Making the Flag", "The Star-Spangled Banner: Family Keepsake", "The Star-Spangled Banner: Congratulations", "The African American Girl Who Helped Make the Star-Spangled Banner", "A hundred years ago: The centennial of the Star-Spangled Banner", "Star-Spangled Banner becomes permanent part of USNM collection", "The 'Star-Spangled Banner' goes on view in grand style", Science News "Old Glory, New Glory: The Star-Spangled Banner gets some tender loving care", "Smithsonian Seeks $300,000 to Save Dorothy's Ruby Slippers", Washington POST "Reopening, in All Its Old Glory", "Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas: Brady Camera and Kennedy Rocker Take Top Bids in Americana Auction", Interactive image of original flag which includes a zoom to view detail, Research project to preserve the flag's fabric using LED technology, The original flag at the National Museum of American History, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Star-Spangled_Banner_(flag)&oldid=1148360196, This page was last edited on 5 April 2023, at 18:21. Having worked on historic flags for the United States Naval Academy, Fowler had patented a method of supporting fragile flags with a linen backing that required a honeycomb pattern of stitches. Then, in that hour of deliverance and joyful triumph, my heart spoke, and Does not such a country and such defenders of their country deserve a song?' This British defeat was a turning point in the War of 1812, leading both sides to reach a peace agreement later that year. At 4:30 a.m., the American batteries fell silent, followed at 7:30 a.m. by the last British bomb to arc over the Patapsco River toward Fort McHenry. It can cause a student to incorrectly answer an American history test question and might make you look foolish when discussing history with better-informed friends. Is Fort McHenry free? "STAR-SPANGLED BANNER" "The Star-Spangled Banner," the national anthem of the United States, was inspired by the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in the harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815). Please read this story before you angrily message this writer with accusations he is anti-American. The British plan to land troops on the eastern side of the city while the navy reduces the fort, allowing for naval support of the ground troops when they attack the citys defenders. This response would not reach ColonelBrooke until noon, when he had advanced within two miles east of the American lines while he and Cockburn surveyed the American lines. These are some typical questions people have about customs and rules surrounding African American History Curatorial Collective, the flag's most recent conservation check-up, why the national anthem is so hard to sing, a nationwide sing of the national anthem on Flag Day (June 14, 2014), When lightning strikes: The making and meaning of a patriotic symbol, Rene Fleming's Super Bowl gown: A curatorial jackpot, Pointers from the Flag Code, just in time for Flag Day. Their vessel had been held in security by Cochranes flagship HMS Surprise out of range of the American guns. Our FREE Virtual Teacher Institute is the can't miss online educator event of the summer. George Armistead was born April 10, 1780, in Newmarket, Virginia. The stars are arranged in vertical rows, with five horizontal rows of stars, offset, each containing three stars. These ships fire exploding mortar shellsat high angles into the fort. In February 1815, the storm flag was lost to history after being replaced by a new one from the Schuylkill Arsenal in Philadelphia. With the construction of the conservation lab completed in 1999, conservators began their work. "Georgiana was the only child born at the fort, and she was named for her father," says Thomassen-Krauss. On the morning of September 14, the American defenders lowered their battered storm flag and raised the large, thirty by forty-two foot, garrison flag. By noon, Brooke had come within two miles east of the American lines, surveying any opportunities for an infantry breakthrough, but found none. "Louisa wanted Georgiana to have it.". [11][12], Pickersgill made the flag with assistance from her daughter, two nieces, and an African American indentured servant, Grace Wisher.[13]. "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.". Did dead bodies hold up the flag at Fort Mchenry? The bombardment turned to Fort McHenry on the morning of September 13, and continuous shelling occurred for 25 hours under heavy rain. Star-Spangled Banner Back on Display Join us online July 24-26! It was, of course, the huge American flag that flew over Baltimore's Fort McHenry on a hot summer night in 1814. Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Lead Stories LLC: You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. And what he found had happened was that flag pole and that flag had suffered repetitious direct hits, and when hit had fallen, but men, fathers, who knew what it meant for that flag to be on the ground, although knowing that all of the British guns were trained on it, walked over and held it up humanly until they died. The larger of the two flags would be the Great Garrison Flag, the largest battle flag ever flown at the time. Quick Facts about the Star-Spangled Banner Flag. It has fifteen horizontal red and white stripes, as well as fifteen white stars in the blue field. It was eventually retitled The Star-Spangled Banner. The composition was sung at patriotic gatherings and political events for more than a century before President Herbert Hoover proclaimed it the national anthem of the United States in 1931. which was built in 1798. The Star-Spangled Banner, or the Great Garrison Flag, was the garrison flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the naval portion of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The final poem, called The Defense of Fort MHenry, was printed and later set to the tune of a popular song. 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. Privacy Statement Georgiana, herself, had given away cuttings of the flag to other Armistead descendants, as well as family friends. 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. 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. 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. He (the British admiral) said 'Don't worry about it.' In 1912, Georgiana Armistead Appleton'sson Eben Appleton decided to give the Star-Spangled Banner to the Smithsonian as a permanent gift. In 1873, Georgiana loaned the flag to George Preble, a flag historian who until that time had thought the flag was lost. Fort Henry Battle Facts and Summary | American Battlefield Trust From the early morning hours on September 14, Fort McHenry had withstood a sustained attack by the British fleet, commanded by Admiral Cochrane. 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. It is she who is thought to have sewed the red upside-down "V" on the flag, beginning the stitches for the letter "A." Their bodies were removed and others took their place. Join us online July 24-26! The British attack on Baltimore had began in earnest. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. Why were the citizens of Baltimore so well prepared for a British attack? It is a made-up quote, according to scholars at Washington's presidential library. Bombardment of Fort McHenry Part 2 The narrator is apparently minister David C. Gibbs Jr. [28], In 1877, the flag was exhibited at the Old South Church in Boston for the nation's first Flag Day celebration. Although states seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America, the U.S. flag remained unchanged. Around 3:00 p.m., he attacks the American positions. There were about 25 American casualties. The larger of the two flags had stripes two feet wide, and stars 24 inches from point to point. George Armistead | American Battlefield Trust For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Directives from London were clear that once troops went ashore, combat decisions belonged with the army rather than the navy, but such guidance had not anticipated that those soldiers might be under the command of a mere colonel. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. [34][36][37] The flag was restored by Amelia Fowler in 1914. He said 'That's, that's a large fort.' (Image:93-13286-2 and SIA2008-2449.). We go, however, to a ball game, we stand in our church services, and we sing the words of that song and they float over our minds and our lips and we don't even realize what we're singing. 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." The Star-Spangled Banner, or the Great Garrison Flag, was the garrison flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the naval portion of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812.