Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry has been designated a national monument.
The barracks at Fort McHenry.
Named after the second U.S. Secretary of War James McHenry, the fort was completed in 1803.
On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on the British Empire, marking the start of the War of 1812 (1812-1815).
In August of 1814, the British Empire would lay siege to Washington D.C., occupy the city, and set fire to the White House, Capitol Building, and Supreme Court.
Entrance to Fort McHenry.
Having immolated these symbols of American sovereignty, the Empire turned its sites north on Baltimore.
On September 13-14, the British launched a naval assault on the port city.
Unwilling to approach the city's shore for fear of coming within firing range of Fort McHenry's cannons, the British fleet bombarded the fort from a distance.
As dawn broke on September 14, it become apparent to terrified civilians watching the conflict from elevated locations throughout Baltimore that the fort remained standing.
The resilience of the fort inspired Francis Scott Key, who watched the battle from sea, to compose the Star Spangled Banner.
This sea battle and a separate land battle fought between American and British forces at North Point together comprise the Battle of Baltimore.
The fort was also used as a prison during the Civil War (1861-1865).
In 1861 members of the Maryland legislature were imprisoned here by the north in order to prevent them from passing an Act of Secession and removing Maryland from the Union.
And the Union army detained almost 7,000 Confederate soldiers here after the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.
View of the Patapsco River from which the British fleet bombarded the fort.
The approach to Fort McHenry.
Written By: Aiden Singh Published: July 18, 2020