June 14, 2021 – On June 10, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard placed the Francis Scott Key Memorial Buoy in the Patapsco River at the approximate spot where Key wrote a poem early on the morning of Sept. 14, 1814 during the War of 1812. Following a 25-hour barrage of fire from British ships, Key saw the American flag raised over Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The Americans had successfully defended the fort and the harbor. Seeing the flag raised inspired Key to write a poem. Years later that poem became America’s national anthem – The Star-Spangled Banner.

Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) was a prominent lawyer who was not in favor of the War of 1812. But during the war, he was asked to gain the release of an American the British had taken prisoner. On Sept. 13, 1814, Key met British officials on a truce ship in Baltimore harbor to negotiate the prisoner’s release. They came to an agreement. But the British kept Key on the ship as the Battle of Baltimore raged. The British attacked Fort McHenry with a barrage of fire from ships in the harbor. Their goal was to take control of Baltimore following their successful attack on Washington D.C. where they set fire to the White House and the U.S. Capitol building. That attack sent a strong message but their main goal was to interrupt trade by controlling key ports. The British wanted Baltimore but their primary goal was to capture and control the port of New Orleans and thus, trade on the Mississippi River.

After a 25-hour battle, on the morning of Sept. 14, Key was not sure which side controlled the fort and thus, the harbor. Then he watched the American flag raised over the fort. The previous year, the fort’s commander had paid Mary Pickersgill to make two flags for the fort – one large garrison flag (30 x 42 feet) and a smaller storm flag (17 x 25 feet).

Key was so inspired at the sight of the large garrison flag, he wrote a poem – The Defence of Fort M’Henry. The poem was published and also set to music (To Anacreon in Heaven) becoming a popular patriotic song. The song was renamed The Star-Spangled Banner. In 1931, Congress declared it the national anthem.

Mary Pickersgill’s home in Baltimore is now The Star-Spangled Flag House with a museum. The exterior museum wall is an American flag made of glass the exact size of the garrison flag (30 by 42 feet). On display in the museum are small pieces of the original flags Mary sold to the fort. Original documents reveal the fort paid Mary $577.44 for the flags. That was a lot of money in 1813 and still is even today!

Star-Spangled Buoy

The buoy sits between the Francis Scott Key Bridge and Fort McHenry. It is set every summer and removed just before the winter. It has been an attraction for boaters and for tourists for decades, the Coast Guard said in a press release.

“Of our 69 seasonal buoys we service, this Francis Scott Key Memorial Buoy bears a special significance commemorating his site of inspiration,” Lt. Justin Strassfield, commanding officer of the James Rankin, said in a press release. “We’re proud to do our part aiding safe navigation for recreational boaters, commercial mariners on the Chesapeake Bay, and Chesapeake watermen fishing for oysters and crabs, among many other things.”

Flag Day

June 14 is Flag Day to honor the adoption of the Star and Stripes as the official flag of the United States of America. On June 14 1777, about one year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress adopted the flag. George Washington asked Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia resident, to sew the new flag.

Fort McHenry was built during the American Revolution to defend Baltimore. It was not used during the war but before the War of 1812, the fort was expanded and officially named Fort McHenry in honor of President George Washington’s Secretary of War, James McHenry. From the air, the fort’s star shape and location at Locust Point are easily seen. In 1813, the Fort McHenry commander asked Mary Pickersgill to sew two flags for the fort. Mary’s mother knew Betsy Ross and had moved to Baltimore from Philadelphia. In Baltimore, the mother-daughter team started a flag making business.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Why was Francis Scott Key watching the Battle of Baltimore from a ship in the harbor?

2. What inspired Key to write a poem about the flag?

3. When did The Star-Spangled Banner song become the national anthem?

4. Why did the British attack Baltimore?

INQUIRY QUESTIONS

1. Why was it a real possibility that the British would take control of Baltimore?

2. What do you think would have happened if the British took control of both Baltimore and New Orleans and won the War of 1812?

3. Do you think it was common in 1813 for women to own a business?