The Star Spangled Banner was penned 200 years ago today. Here are some star spangled facts I learned on my trip to Fort McHenry in Baltimore last month. How many did you know?
1. The Star Spangled Banner was written during the War of 1812 and less than a month after the British burned Washington, DC. The arson began on August 24, 1814. The Star Spangled Banner was written on September 14, 1814.
2. Francis Scott Key was not a songwriter. He was a lawyer.
3. In fact, the Star Spangled Banner was not originally a song. It was a poem. The tune is actually “To Anacreon in Heaven.” Key’s words were put to this melody.
4. Key was being held by the British as he wrote the song. Not technically a prisoner, he was onboard a US truce ship. He had sailed out to the British fleet to negotiate the release of a friend. He was successful in his negotiations but the British feared that he overheard their plans to attack Baltimore. The Americans (Key, his newly released friend – Dr. William Beanes, and U.S. Commissioner General of Prisoners John S. Skinner) were put back on their US ship, but were tethered to a non-fighting British ship until after the battle was over.
5. The regular defenders of Fort McHenry were the 103 men of the U.S. Corps of Artillery. The night of the battle only 60 were present. The others were sick, had deserted, or were being disciplined. The majority of the fighting force ended up being citizen soldiers who likely would have lost everything if their city was captured.
6. The flag Key saw was 42 x 30 feet. Major George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry, wanted to make sure the British could see it. The actual flag is on display in the Museum of American History here in Washington, DC.
7. Fort McHenry never saw an active battle again. Instead, it was used as a prison in the Civil War. From 1917-1923 it was known as U.S. Army General Hospital Number 2 attending to WWI veterans. In 1925 Congress made Fort McHenry a national park. In 1939 it was re-classed as a national monument and historic shrine. It is the only site in the nation to bear this double distinction.
There’s more to the story of Fort McHenry and the Star Spangled Banner. Come visit or learn more here: http://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm
