It was simply raised according to the 1808 U.S. In 1913, the National Star-Spangled Banner Centennial Commission in Baltimore asked to borrow the flag for their celebration. He had successfully negotiated with the British for the release of an American prisoner but was held onboard because an assault was imminent. No, Mary Pickersgill did not make a mathematical error. They said 'We want to send a man out to discuss this with you.' The narrator refers to Fort Henry, which did not exist. 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. The flag currently has only fourteen starsthe fifteenth star was similarly given as a gift, but its recipient and current whereabouts are unknown.[7]. The American colonies had prisoners and the British had prisoners and the American government initiated a move, they went to the British and they said 'Let us negotiate for the release of these prisoners.' For the next 50 years, with the exception of a brief move during World War II, the Star-Spangled Banner was displayed in what is now the Arts and Industries Building. No, Mary Pickersgill did not make a mathematical error. United States victory. another account of the battle of Fort McHenry. He said 'That's, that's a large fort.' Victoria "Tory" Altman is an Education Specialist in the Office of Education Outreach. In 1814, the United States flag had 15 stars and 15 stripes. (Man's voice) There was a lawyer once, his name was Francis Scott Key. He says 'It's predominantly not a military fort.' Despite a stalwart initial defense, the Americans begin to give way to the British regulars. While the Star-Spangled Banner was in Preble's care, Georgiana allowed him to give away pieces of the flag as he saw fit. On September 7, 1814, Key, accompanied by American prisoner-of-exchange officer John Skinner, boarded the Tonnant, flagship of the British fleet, where Beanes was being held. [46], Due to environmental and light damage, a four-phase restoration project began in May 1999. The privateers were armed, and their work was legally sanctioned. Quick Facts about the Star-Spangled Banner Flag. Each of its 15 stars measures about two feet across and each of its 15 stripes are about two feet wide. Over the next several years, they clipped 1.7 million stitches from the flag to remove a linen backing that had been added in 1914, lifted debris from the flag using dry cosmetic sponges and brushed it with an acetone-water mixture to remove soils embedded in fibers. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! He said 'If you will, scan the horizon of the sea,' and as he looked he could see hundreds of little dots and he said 'That's the entire British war fleet.' During that conflict, the British conducted frequent raids on American towns and harbors along the Atlantic coast, including forays into Chesapeake Bay. No, that's not true: The video posted and shared many times on social platforms is filled with major historical inaccuracies and is about as fictional as a "Game of Thrones" episode. He has published several books and numerous articles. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. 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. The failed bombardment of Fort McHenry forced the British to abandon their land assault on the crucial port city of Baltimore. The ship carried Colonel John S. Skinner, U.S. State Department prisoner exchange agent, and 35-year-old Georgetown attorney Francis Scott Key. This could have resulted from metal buckles or straps or tacks on belts used to hold the flag. 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. Using a storm flag in those conditions would have been standard practice. The Battle of Fort McHenry was fought September 13/14, 1814, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815). After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans once more felt their homeland might be under real physical threat. 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. [34][36][37] The flag was restored by Amelia Fowler in 1914. Around 3:00 p.m., he attacks the American positions. Volunteers dug huge entrenchments east of town, and the city militia drilled regularly. The final poem, called The Defense of Fort MHenry, was printed and later set to the tune of a popular song. How long did the star-spangled banner wave? TheBritish army broke camp andbegan its retreat; the last of thefailed naval barges returned to thefleet. [53] The framed remnant came with a faded, hand-written note attesting it was "A piece of the Flag which floated over Fort McHenry at the time of the bombardment when Key's (sic) composed the Song of the Star Spangled Banner, presented by Sam Beth Cohen. 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. At that time, it was the practice to add one star and stripe for each new state joining the Union. Despite attempts to fire back, the British ships were just out of range of the Fort's cannons, and so by 11:00 a.m., General Armistead gave orders to slow things down to save ammunition. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Flag Officer Andrew Foote were commissioned to lead a joint expedition to seize the twin forts. Mary Pickersgill (born Mary Young; February 12, 1776 - October 4, 1857) was the maker, along with thirteen-year-old Grace Wisher, her African American enslaved servant, of the Star-Spangled Banner hoisted over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.The daughter of another noted flag maker, Rebecca Young, Pickersgill learned her craft from her mother, and, in 1813, was . These ships fire exploding mortar shellsat high angles into the fort. These flags can be gifted through . He said 'How are you going to do that?' The imposing Fort McHenry, at the mouth of the inner harbor, provided the linchpin for the American defenses. The prayer 'God, keep that flag flying where we last saw it.'. Thanks to these early and exhaustive plans, the British were repulsed at Fort McHenry in 1814 and abandoned their Chesapeake Campaign. Fifteen stars and fifteen stripes (one star has been cut out) Raised over Fort . No, Key was a lawyer in Washington, D.C. Everything was made ready at Fort McHenry to defend Baltimore. [40][41], In 1964, the flag was moved across the National Mall to the newly opened Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History). Today, it's in a special low-light chamber where you can see it 364 days per year. Rewriting history is a dangerous thing, although the consequences of digesting this particular mythology may not lead to destruction. But by 9:30 a.m., Admiral Cochrane knew his fleet would be mired for the foreseeable future those shore batteries, coupled with a chain-mast boom, sunken vessels, U.S. gun boats and the Lazaretto Battery, presented a formidable harbor defensive line and any infantry assault would lack naval support. The British forces did not place "an ultimatum upon the colonies." Several of these cuttings from the Star-Spangled Banner have been located over the years, including about a dozen that are owned by the American History Museum. Their bodies were removed and others took their place. During the Battle of Baltimore on September 13 and 14, 1814, heavy thunderstorms over Fort McHenry prevented the flying of the flag we know today as the Star Spangled Banner. It then remained in a safe-deposit vault in New York City until Appleton loaned it to the Smithsonian in 1907. "It seemed as though mother earth had opened and was vomiting shot and shell in a sheet of fire and brimstone," Key wrote later. At Lead Stories, we are pro-fact. Those marks tell the flag's story.". The ships got closer, Francis Scott Key went back up top and he said 'Men, I will shout down to you what's going on as we watch.'. 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. He (Key) said 'You can't shell that fort.' "I gave the flag to the National Museum with the firm and settled intention of having it remain there forever," he wrote, "and regarded the acceptance of the gift by the Authorities of the Museum as evidence of their willingness to comply with this condition", Eben asked Walcott to ensure that any "citizen who visits the museum with the expectation of seeing the flag be sure of finding it in its accustomed place.". [42][43] It was hung in Flag Hall, a three-story central atrium designed for this purpose. [21] It reportedly decorated the hall of the Baltimore Athenaeum during a memorial service for Lafayette in 1834. For example, it claims the song was written during the American Revolution, although it was penned more than three decades later in September 1814 -- in the final months of the War of 1812. He convinced the British to release Beanes. As World War II began, plans were made to protect a number of the Smithsonian's most precious objects. Commissioned by Major George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry. He said 'The war is over, these men will be free anyway.'. It is on exhibit at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. The Star-Spangled Banner has a sibling, and we have no idea where it is. In the twilight hours of Friday, September 16, the President was released and docked alongside Hughes Wharf at Fells Point. It was another chapter in the ongoing War of 1812. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. 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. At 30 by 42. The newest bomb ships of the Vesuvius class were three-masted vessels carrying a massive central weight of 325 tons, with a length of 102 feet, ideal for heavy weather and shore bombardment. A Brief History of Steamboat Racing in the U.S. Texas-Born Italian Noble Evicted From Her 16th-Century Villa. Between 12th and 14th Streets [44] Years of accumulated dust were carefully vacuumed from the front and back of the flag. Without this can be done it will only bethrowing the Men's lives away:. ", 2400 East Fort Avenue At that time, it was the practice to add one star and stripe for each new state joining the Union. On August 19, 1813, the flag was delivered to Fort McHenry. the British fleet, consisting of ships of the line, heavy frigates, and 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. [32][33], The Armistead family occasionally gave away pieces of the flag as souvenirs and gifts.[6]. "We didn't want to change any of the history written on the artifact by stains and soil. The Baltimore Patriot newspaper soon printed it, and within weeks, Key's poem, now called "The Star-Spangled Banner," appeared in print across the country, immortalizing his wordsand forever naming the flag it celebrated. It will be here within striking distance in a matter of about two-and-a-half hours.' From the early morning hours on September 14, Fort McHenry had withstood a sustained attack by the British fleet, commanded by Admiral Cochrane. Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), The Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired our national anthem, A View of the Bombardment of Fort McHenry. In 1873, Georgiana loaned the flag to George Preble, a flag historian who until that time had thought the flag was lost. Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Visitor Center. He said 'It's full of women and children.' It was Fort McHenry, a star-shaped fort perfectly situated on the Baltimore Harbor. The United States declared war on Britain in June 1812 to protect free trade and sailors rights. Heading into a conflict against a country with such superior naval power was a daunting prospect for the young nation. The death toll suffered at the fort was four, with 25 wounded. Key took quarters for the night at the Indian Queen Hotel, bringing with him the rough draft of a poem he had composed during his ordeal. inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet. Most people assume that this grand banner flew through the rockets red glare.. George Washington never said that. It has fifteen horizontal red and white stripes, as well as fifteen white stars in the blue field. [38][39], During World War II, from 1942 to 1944, the flag, along with many other objects in the Smithsonian's collection, was kept for safekeeping at a warehouse at Shenandoah National Park. 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. Given the scale of the attack, he was certain the British would win. I've often been fighting back tears during the National Be Y's 7/3/16 7:55pm 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. Accordingly, he launched a late evening diversionary barge attack on the western shore, the backdoor of the American land defenses. Since there were no groups of American soldiers in the cargo hold, there was no such conversation between Key and the prisoners. Is Fort McHenry free? Key put his thoughts on paper while still on board the ship, setting his words to the tune of a popular English song. As the sloop tossed in violent waves, Key could only see the red glare of the enemys rockets and the sound of bombs bursting in air. He thought it unlikely that the Americans could hold out against such a volley of gunfire. Cochrane sent hisnote around nightfall, without any expectationhe would receive a response before the plan hehad in hand would require him to act. For the next 27 hours, in driving rain, the warships hammer the fort. The hissing rockets and the fiery shells glittered in the air, threatening destruction as they fell,later recalled a young British sailor, in a description that sounds straight out of a poem, Whilst to add solemnity to this scene of devastation, the rain fell in torrents the thunder broke inmighty peals after each successive flash of lightening, that for a moment illuminated the surrounding darkness.But with no coordinated infantry assaults, Cochrane began to draw down his thrust. That night, Key finalized the four stanzas of the Defense of Fort McHenry., Three days later, the poem was printed on a broadside alongside the melody to a popular English tavern 1780 tune, To Anacreon in Heaven.A thousand copies were distributed to the garrison of Fort McHenry: A young militia soldier wrote his family We have a Song composed by Mr. Key of G[eorge] Town which was presented to every individual in the fort.By mid-autumn, further pnntmgs contained musical notations and a new title: The Star-Spangled Banner.. Every purchase supports the mission. 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 . [29][30], Georgiana Appleton died in 1878 and left the flag to her son, Eben Appleton. Made in Baltimore, Maryland, in July-August 1813 by flagmaker Mary Pickersgill. That morning the American defenders lower their battered storm flag and raise the large, 30 by 42-foot garrison flag that Major Armistead ordered a year earlier from local flag maker Mary Pickersgill. How and when this occurred is unclear. He said 'The thing that sets the American Christian apart from all other people in the world is he will die on his feet before he will live on his knees.'. He said 'All of the gun power, all of the armament is being called upon to demolish that fort. Join us online July 24-26! "The Star-Spangled Banner resonates with people in different ways, for different reasons," says Kathleen Kendrick, curator for the Star-Spangled Banner preservation project. Historians are not sure how the Armistead family came into possession of the flag, but upon Armistead's death in 1818, his wife Louisa inherited it. Eben immediately wrote to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,Charles D. Walcott. Baltimore, Huge, vibrant, and rich in history, most Americans are familiar with the story of this particular flag: It's the one that flew overFort McHenrythe morning after the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that would one day become our national anthem. 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. Support Outdoor Classrooms at Seven Key Battlefields. 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. They were infamous bomb ships, with names that hawked of their ominous purpose HMS Devastation, Meteor, Aetna, Volcano and Terror capable of hurtling a 200-pound shell one mile high before it plunged in its downward arc over the Patapsco River to its target. All that he (Key) could hear was the men down below praying. The British were more concerned with defeating Napoleon in Europe than fighting a minor war with the United States. Key, a 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet was detained on the British ship Tonnant off the cost of Baltimore when the bombardment began. But not everyone was a fan. 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. She received another $168.54 for sewing a smaller (17 by 25 feet) storm flag, likely using the same design. If you want fictional war accounts, we recommend Game of Thrones. We're launching interpretation of African American history at 7 key battlefields, located in 5 states, spanning 3 wars. [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 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. In the fourth and final phase of the project, curators, scientists, and conservators developed a long-term preservation plan. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. On the back of photograph it states: "Nat. Let me tell you a story. When Louisa died in 1861, she passed the flag down to their daughter Georgiana Armistead Appleton over the legal objections of their son. After the death ofCol. George Armistead, who was commander of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, the flag passed to his daughter Georgiana Armistead Appleton. 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. 2. In fact, the number of stars on the flag actually grew during the war from 34 to 36. 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. Spotted something? He said 'Well, Mr. Key,' he said, 'tonight we have laid an ultimatum upon the colonies. 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. Lead Stories is a U.S. based fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or The fort suffered only light damage from the 1,500 cannonballs, rockets and shells fired upon it. They carried with them. But a missing 15th star has never been found. You can also view this Smithsonian Channel video on YouTube. [42], A conservation effort was undertaken in 1982 to protect the flag from damage due to dust and light. The colonies were engaged in vicious conflict with the mother country, Britain. But when he sees the large flag flying over the fort on the morning of September 14, he knows the fort held. A large flag, but one not unusual for the time. The restoration was completed in 2008 at a total cost in excess of $21 million. How it ended United States victory. 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. The flag was stitched from a combination of cotton and dyed English wool bunting. In February 1815, the storm flag was lost to history after being replaced by a new one from the Schuylkill Arsenal in Philadelphia. 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. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN. Francis Scott Key said he remembered what George Washington had said. 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. Although this flag has been around for 200 years now, there is more to this story that begs to be told. Advertising Notice 1. While ordering his men to drive off the American riflemen, Ross is shot in the chest and dies a few hours later. Command of the land forces passes to Col.Arthur Brooke. Often lost in the near-mythic symbolism attached to this moment in the American consciousness is the fact that Fort McHenrys commander, Major George Armistead, did not order the flag hoisted in a special act of triumph or defiance. The Confederate Army eventually adopted the Confederate battle flag in order to avoid potentially lethal confusion. This family tradition continued through 1880 with Armistead's grandson giving away the last documented piece, says Thomassen-Krauss. He said 'We will still honor our commitment to release these men, but it will be merely academic after tonight, it won't matter.' Chafingat the need to coordinate with an officer so junior to his rank, all Cochrane could do was reiterate his assessment and make his disapproval known, hoping that it would sway Brooke. On the night of Saturday the 10th inst. 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. Francis Scott Key said what held that flag at that unusual angle were patriots' bodies. The hours passed slowly, but in the clearing smoke of "the dawn's early light" on September 14, he saw the American flagnot the British Union Jackflying over the fort, announcing an American victory.