FLAG OVER FORT MCHENRY

Flag over Fort McHenry

Two days after Plattsburgh, another critical gateway came under fire when British warships bombarded Fort McHenry, guardian of Baltimore’s inner harbor. Through the night of September 13th, rockets and mortar shells arched over the star-shaped fort as its garrison endured a carefully timed bombardment meant to break their will and clear the way for an assault. The British fleet stayed just beyond the fort’s main guns, while smaller craft probed for weaknesses in the defenses. At dawn on September 14th, the large garrison flag still flew over the fortifications, signaling that the position had held and that Baltimore’s harbor remained closed to the enemy. An American lawyer, watching from a ship in the harbor, turned the sight of that flag at first light into a poem that would later become the national anthem. The defense of Fort McHenry became a symbol of resilience under fire and a point of pride for generations of service members.