Okla-homey
9/14/2010, 06:45 AM
September 14, 1814: Key composes "The Star-Spangled Banner"
192 years ago today, attorney Francis Scott Key composes the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" after witnessing the massive British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1812.
The British had entered Chesapeake Bay on August 19, 1814 and in just 5 days invaded and pillaged the our Capital, burning down both the Capitol building and the recently completed White House. The fires were visible 40 miles away in Baltimore -- which was soon to be in the British cross-hairs as it too was to be assaulted by both land and seaborne "Lobsterback" forces.
Earlier in 1813, Major George Armistead (US) the commander of Fort McHenry (and the Port of Baltimore) had requisitioned a flag so big "the British would have no trouble seeing it from a distance." The actual flag he received was 30 by 42 feet and cost $405.90. The flag was made from 400yards of wool bunting and each of its 15 stars measured two feet from point to point.
As an aside, 49 years after the British attack on Baltimore, Major Armistead's grandson, Confederate General Lew Armistead led a Virginia brigade in the failed assault of the Federal center in "Pickett's Charge" on the third day at the battle of Gettysburg. Lew Armistead died of wounds he suffered in the charge.
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/8973/cccccccccccccccccjstbald7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Lew Armistead at the end of his long walk at the head of his division during "Pickett's Charge" -- more properly called "Longstreet's Assault" because it involved an entire corps and not merely George Pickett's Virginia division.
Now, back to our story. Immediately prior to the British attack on Baltimore, a group of Baltimore townsfolk had asked the young hotshot lawyer, Mr. Francis Key, for his assistance in obtaining the release of the town doctor. Dr. William Beanes was being held as a prisoner by the Brits and the town needed him back.
Key, aged 35, had a well established law practice in Georgetown, a suburb of Washington, D.C. By 1814, he had appeared many times before the U.S. Supreme Court and had been appointed the United States Attorney for the Baltimore District.
http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/8749/154510808qm.jpg
Francis Scott Key
Mr. Key along with Col. John Skinner, an agent for prisoner exchange, sailed under a flag of truce on the 3rd of September to meet with the British leadership to pray for Dr. Beane's release. Producing a pouch of letters from wounded British prisoners praising the care which Dr. Beanes had provided them, Key and Skinner were able to secure the release of Dr. Beanes from British custody.
However, the group would not be allowed to leave just yet. Given the massive sea attack soon to be launched by the British, the American party of Key, Skinner and Beanes was not allowed to return to Baltimore immediately. They had observed the enemy's preparations for the imminent assault and the British didn't want them returning home and blabbing about it.
On September 13th, ten days after meeting with the British, the men had front row seats to observe the big attack aboard a Royal Navy warship.
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/4715/mchenry8bh.jpg
The beautiful and pristine flag raised over the fort the morning Key strained to see was not flown during the bombardment. Instead,they used a smaller flag during the actual bombardment. After the bombardment ended, the fort's garrison raised the enormous flag Major Armistead had recently received in a gesture of triumph. Hence, this image of the morning of Sept 14th depicts a flag untattered by the British naval gunfire being raised and loosed to the breeze.
At dawn on Sept. 14th, after a tense and sleepless night watching the bombardment and seeing the giant US flag flying over Ft McHenry thus signalling the Brit's had failed, Key was inspired. The amateur poet wrote a few verses on the back of a letter while sailing back to Baltimore. Later in his lodgings at the "Indian Queen" hotel, he finished it.
Key's poem ultimately became our National Anthem. It was printed in a newspaper, the Baltimore Patriot on September 20th, and the Baltimore American the next day and followed by a dozen more American newspapers in the following weeks.
You should keep in mind, this was in an era when newspapers reigned supreme for not only publishing news of events, but also the disemination of ideas and political thought. They were also the only printed matter many people ever routinely encountered and as such, they were the 19th century equivalent of TV, talk radio, the innerweb and magazines -- all rolled into one. Thus, when American papers took up the poem, it was as widely distributed as possible.
Set to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven," an English drinking song written by the British composer John Stafford Smith, it soon became popular throughout the nation.
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/5272/starbanner9ya.gif
The Star Spangled Banner: this Flag became the official United States flag on May 1,1795. Two stars were added for the admission of Vermont and Kentucky and was to last for 23 years. The five Presidents who served under this flag were; Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, Madison,and Monroe. This flag was the only U.S. Flag to have more than 13 stripes. The image above is representative of the actual flag that flew over Fort McHenry on that day and which is now preserved in the Smithsonian Museum. You can notice the "tilt" in some of the stars just as in the original Star Spangled Banner.
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/2681/3song5np.jpg
Throughout the 19th century, "The Star-Spangled Banner" was regarded as the national anthem by the US armed forces and other groups, but it was not until 1916, and the signing of an executive order by President Woodrow Wilson, that it was formally designated as such. In 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a Congressional act confirming Wilson's presidential order.
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/9272/uc05112x4jz.th.jpg (http://img364.imageshack.us/my.php?image=uc05112x4jz.jpg)
One of fewer than half a dozen surviving copies of the poem written in Key's hand before his death. This one's in the National Archives.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2764/cccccccccccccccccccccccccstarspangledbanneruo9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The great flag on display at the Smithsonian in Washington
http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/8513/insane7zo6zb.jpg
192 years ago today, attorney Francis Scott Key composes the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" after witnessing the massive British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1812.
The British had entered Chesapeake Bay on August 19, 1814 and in just 5 days invaded and pillaged the our Capital, burning down both the Capitol building and the recently completed White House. The fires were visible 40 miles away in Baltimore -- which was soon to be in the British cross-hairs as it too was to be assaulted by both land and seaborne "Lobsterback" forces.
Earlier in 1813, Major George Armistead (US) the commander of Fort McHenry (and the Port of Baltimore) had requisitioned a flag so big "the British would have no trouble seeing it from a distance." The actual flag he received was 30 by 42 feet and cost $405.90. The flag was made from 400yards of wool bunting and each of its 15 stars measured two feet from point to point.
As an aside, 49 years after the British attack on Baltimore, Major Armistead's grandson, Confederate General Lew Armistead led a Virginia brigade in the failed assault of the Federal center in "Pickett's Charge" on the third day at the battle of Gettysburg. Lew Armistead died of wounds he suffered in the charge.
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/8973/cccccccccccccccccjstbald7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Lew Armistead at the end of his long walk at the head of his division during "Pickett's Charge" -- more properly called "Longstreet's Assault" because it involved an entire corps and not merely George Pickett's Virginia division.
Now, back to our story. Immediately prior to the British attack on Baltimore, a group of Baltimore townsfolk had asked the young hotshot lawyer, Mr. Francis Key, for his assistance in obtaining the release of the town doctor. Dr. William Beanes was being held as a prisoner by the Brits and the town needed him back.
Key, aged 35, had a well established law practice in Georgetown, a suburb of Washington, D.C. By 1814, he had appeared many times before the U.S. Supreme Court and had been appointed the United States Attorney for the Baltimore District.
http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/8749/154510808qm.jpg
Francis Scott Key
Mr. Key along with Col. John Skinner, an agent for prisoner exchange, sailed under a flag of truce on the 3rd of September to meet with the British leadership to pray for Dr. Beane's release. Producing a pouch of letters from wounded British prisoners praising the care which Dr. Beanes had provided them, Key and Skinner were able to secure the release of Dr. Beanes from British custody.
However, the group would not be allowed to leave just yet. Given the massive sea attack soon to be launched by the British, the American party of Key, Skinner and Beanes was not allowed to return to Baltimore immediately. They had observed the enemy's preparations for the imminent assault and the British didn't want them returning home and blabbing about it.
On September 13th, ten days after meeting with the British, the men had front row seats to observe the big attack aboard a Royal Navy warship.
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/4715/mchenry8bh.jpg
The beautiful and pristine flag raised over the fort the morning Key strained to see was not flown during the bombardment. Instead,they used a smaller flag during the actual bombardment. After the bombardment ended, the fort's garrison raised the enormous flag Major Armistead had recently received in a gesture of triumph. Hence, this image of the morning of Sept 14th depicts a flag untattered by the British naval gunfire being raised and loosed to the breeze.
At dawn on Sept. 14th, after a tense and sleepless night watching the bombardment and seeing the giant US flag flying over Ft McHenry thus signalling the Brit's had failed, Key was inspired. The amateur poet wrote a few verses on the back of a letter while sailing back to Baltimore. Later in his lodgings at the "Indian Queen" hotel, he finished it.
Key's poem ultimately became our National Anthem. It was printed in a newspaper, the Baltimore Patriot on September 20th, and the Baltimore American the next day and followed by a dozen more American newspapers in the following weeks.
You should keep in mind, this was in an era when newspapers reigned supreme for not only publishing news of events, but also the disemination of ideas and political thought. They were also the only printed matter many people ever routinely encountered and as such, they were the 19th century equivalent of TV, talk radio, the innerweb and magazines -- all rolled into one. Thus, when American papers took up the poem, it was as widely distributed as possible.
Set to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven," an English drinking song written by the British composer John Stafford Smith, it soon became popular throughout the nation.
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/5272/starbanner9ya.gif
The Star Spangled Banner: this Flag became the official United States flag on May 1,1795. Two stars were added for the admission of Vermont and Kentucky and was to last for 23 years. The five Presidents who served under this flag were; Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, Madison,and Monroe. This flag was the only U.S. Flag to have more than 13 stripes. The image above is representative of the actual flag that flew over Fort McHenry on that day and which is now preserved in the Smithsonian Museum. You can notice the "tilt" in some of the stars just as in the original Star Spangled Banner.
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/2681/3song5np.jpg
Throughout the 19th century, "The Star-Spangled Banner" was regarded as the national anthem by the US armed forces and other groups, but it was not until 1916, and the signing of an executive order by President Woodrow Wilson, that it was formally designated as such. In 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a Congressional act confirming Wilson's presidential order.
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/9272/uc05112x4jz.th.jpg (http://img364.imageshack.us/my.php?image=uc05112x4jz.jpg)
One of fewer than half a dozen surviving copies of the poem written in Key's hand before his death. This one's in the National Archives.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2764/cccccccccccccccccccccccccstarspangledbanneruo9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The great flag on display at the Smithsonian in Washington
http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/8513/insane7zo6zb.jpg