In 1813 with the defeat of Napoleon’s armies in Europe, nearly 14,000 battle-tested British troops began to make the trip across the Atlantic to bolster England’s war effort in North America. The Chesapeake region of Northern Virginia and Maryland was seen as a target of great significance for the British, given the location of the Yankee capitol of Washington D.C. and the long-standing belief amongst the British navy that the harbors in the area—most notably Baltimore—was a refuge for American pirates and privateers who had been a constant nuisance to the British maritime fleet. Furthermore, British capture of the port of Baltimore would be a crippling blow to the trade and prosperity of the entire area.
With the Canadian border reinforced by British forces and there being no imminent threat of American offensives, the British mobilized for a campaign in the Chesapeake. In March the British tightened its blockade of the Chesapeake and then began raiding towns and villages up and down the bay. Following the humiliating defeat of United States forces defending Washington D.C. in August 1814, the British felt emboldened to continue their successful campaign to capture the largest and most strategically important city in the region—the city of Baltimore. The Americans had stubbornly resisted moving troops from New England and New York along the Canadian border throughout the late summer months, even as the capitol was threatened, captured, and finally burned. The British continued to hope troops would now be brought south from the Canadian border if they continued their successful campaign to threaten Baltimore.
However, unbeknownst to the British military in the region, Washington D.C. had been so easy to overwhelm and conquer due in part to the American Secretary of War’s persistent belief that Baltimore had been the target of the British army all along. While the redcoats were pillaging Washington, militia forces were working hurriedly to build up the defenses of Baltimore against a future attack. More than a mile of earthworks was constructed to guard the city’s port approach while at the same time ship hulls were sunk in the harbor to restrict movement of British ships should they attempt to land in the harbor.
On September 12, 1814, the British fleet appeared within view of Baltimore. Just 5 miles from Baltimore, US forces were positioned to stall the movement of British troops moving by land towards Baltimore. In the ensuring Battle of North Point, 3,000 American soldiers successfully slowed the advance of nearly 5,000 British regulars. At the height of the battle, British commander Robert Ross was fatally wounded, passing command down to Colonel Arthur Brooke, a much less experienced and seasoned leader. The following day the British forces continued their land advance towards Baltimore—encountering fierce resistance when they stumbled upon the entrenched line of nearly 15,000 American militia and 100 cannons. To counter such stiff resistance guarding the city, Brooke called for artillery support from the British fleet occupying the harbor; however, firepower from Fort McHenry did not allow for the ships to come within support distance. While Brooke futilely attempted to outflank the land defenders, the British navy dueled in a fierce contest of arms with Fort McHenry. Early on the morning of September 14, Brooke ordered his troops to withdraw and re-board the British transport ships.
The Star Spangled Banner
While Brooke was attempting to storm the American defenders by land, Fort McHenry, commanded by Major George Armistead, withstood a 25-hour naval artillery bombardment from September 13-14. Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane, leading the British naval fleet, saw Fort McHenry as the key to the defense of the city—if it should fall then the British troops on land would probably be able to capture the town. After nightfall on September 13 Cochrane attempted to send landing parties ashore near Fort McHenry in the hopes of drawing US troops away from Brooke’s British forces. Unfortunately for the redcoats, however, the city’s defenders spotted the landing crafts and opened a deadly fire that thwarted any chances of a successful landing. On the morning of September 14 the British fleet ended its bombardment, signaling that both its land and water offensives had failed.
Prior to the attack on Baltimore, a local lawyer, Francis Scott Key, under a flag of truce boarded a British ship in the harbor in the hopes of negotiating the release of an American civilian prisoner. When the bombardment of the harbor suddenly began, Key was forced to stay aboard the ship in British custody through the duration of the fight. Upon awakening in the early dawn hours of September 14, Key looked towards Fort McHenry and saw its defenders raising a 30’ by 42’ battle flag above its walls—signaling that the Americans had withstood the fierce bombardment. Armistead reported that, despite the intensity and duration of the fight, his forces had experienced only four men killed and 24 wounded. Inspired by the fort’s resistance, Key began penning the verses to a poem that recounted the struggle—a poem that was eventually set to music and, in 1931, became the United States national anthem, entitled “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Bibliography
Walter R. Borneman, 1812: The War That Forged a Nation (New York: Harper Perennial, 2004).
Christopher T. George, Terror on the Chesapeake: The War of 1812 on the Bay (Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Books, 2000).
John Stagg, Mr. Madison’s War: Politics, Diplomacy and Warfare in the Early American Republic, 1783-1830 (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1983).
“Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Statement,” National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, Northeast Region, March 2004.
Joseph A. Whitehorne, The Battle for Baltimore 1814 (Baltimore: Nautical & Aviation Publishing, 1997).
Historic Sites of the Baltimore Campaign:
North Point State Park8700 North Point Road
Edgemere, MD 21219
410-477-0757
Website
This state park is comprised of over 1,300 acres of land, including an extensive part of the “Defenders Trail” that passes through the park—retracing the route taken by American troops as they delayed British forces on the advance to Baltimore.
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine2400 East Fort Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21230-5393
410-962-4290
www.nps.gov/fomc
The Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine’s main focus is the preservation and interpretation of Fort McHenry. A visitor center provides an orientation film, The Defense of Fort McHenry, which is shown three times per hour, and historic exhibits detailing multiple aspects of the bombardment of the fort. Visitors also have the option of taking self-guided tours of the fort and surrounding area.
The Star Spangled Banner Flag House844 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-837-1793
www.flaghouse.org
The home of Mary Pickersgill—the maker of the American flag that would eventually inspire Francis Scott Key’s poem—the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House offers visitors an interior that has been extensively restored to the way it would have appeared in the early 19th century. Additionally, there are historic exhibits that detail the history of the flag that was flown over Fort McHenry, as well as living historians who provide historic interpretation of the time period during the War of 1812.
Francis Scott Key Memorial BridgeI-695 at Hawkins Point
Baltimore, MD 21226
Website
Opened in 1977, the Key Memorial Bridge crosses the Patascpo River allegedly at the same location where Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry.
Battle Monument
Calvert Street at Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21226
Website
Completed in 1825, the Battle Monument is dedicated to the 39 men who were killed in the Battle of Baltimore during the military encounter at North Point and the bombardment of Fort McHenry.
Leone-Riverside ParkE. Randall and Johnson Streets
Baltimore, MD 21230
Once the site of the American artillery battery that helped to repel attempts by the British to flank US troops during the Battle of Baltimore, this location is now a public park offering outdoor sporting facilities.
Maryland Historical Society201 West Monument St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-685-3750
www.mdhs.org
The Maryland Historical Society contains an expansive library of historical documents and artifacts that are available for those wishing to do a wide range of studies. Additionally, the MDHS also showcases its vast holdings of material through museum exhibitions hosted on location.
Methodist Meeting House and Hospital Site2440 North Point Road
Dundalk, MD 21222
Website
The site of an encampment for American militiamen prior to the Battle of North Point and later a British encampment as the redcoats advanced toward Baltimore, a monument is accessible to the public.
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