| Maryland, Baltimore — Armistead |
| | To
Col. George Armistead,
April 10, 1779 – April 25, 1818,
commander of this fort
during the bombardment
by the British Fleet,
Sept. 13-14 1814. War of 1812.
Erected Spet. 12, 1914
by the City of Baltimore,
Soc. War of 1812 contributing.
In commemoration of the gallant
defense of Fort McHenry
under the command of
Col. George Armistead,
which was the inspiration
of the National Anthem,
The Star-Spangled Banner. — Map (db m2595) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Bombproofs |
| | The arched chambers on either side of the sally port are identical bomb shelters for the fort's soldiers. They were built immediately after the bombardment of 1814, when it became obvious that such places were needed. Fortunately, Fort McHenry was never shelled again, and the bombproofs were never used for their intended purpose.
Contrary to popular belief, the underground rooms in and around the star fort are not "dungeons," despite their iron gates and dark narrow entrances. Bombproofs and . . . — Map (db m12246) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — British Bomb |
| | Fired by the British Naval Forces during the bombardment of this fort Sept. 13-14, 1814 when by the light of “Bombs bursting in air” the National Anthem – The Star Spangled Banner had its birth. — Map (db m10882) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Civil War Guardhouse |
| | Fort McHenry has had several guardhouses. This one, built in 1835 and enlarged in 1857, is one of the best preserved buildings in the star fort. Soldiers on duty in this room guarded military offenders in the adjacent cells.
During the Civil War, Fort McHenry served as a transfer point for Confederate prisoners of war, most of whom were kept in buildings and stockades outside the star fort. Hi-security prisoners were locked up here.
In the city, civil rights were suspended at times . . . — Map (db m2590) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Commanding Officer’s Quarters |
| | The rooms on the left end of this building stood as a separate structure during the 1814 period. this was the residence of Major George Armistead, commanding officer and “Hero of Fort McHenry.”
It was Armistead who directed the successful defense of Fort McHenry in 1814. He also ordered the making of a large flag to defy the attacking British—the same flag that inspired Francis Scott Key.
Armistead’s wife Louisa and their two year-old daughter probably did not stay here . . . — Map (db m2592) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Evolution of Fort McHenry |
| | After the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, Fort McHenry continued as a military post for more than a hundred years. The U.S. Army constructed buildings outside the star fort and modified existing structures to serve the needs of the time. During the Civil War, the lawn in front of you was the site of a detention center for Confederate prisoners-of-war. In the next century, as World War I came to an end, the fort property was transformed into a huge hospital complex to care for soldiers returning . . . — Map (db m10881) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Experimental Carriages |
| | Funds for developing new weapons decreased after the Civil War, forcing the Army to upgrade the cannon they already had.
These three 19-inch Rodman gun tubes were probably made during the 1870’s, but their carriages are improved versions developed about 1888. A large hydraulic cylinder returned the gun to its forward position after firing and recoil. Another innovation was the use of bumpers made of a material relatively new to gunnery—rubber.
The automatic return feature . . . — Map (db m2637) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Fort McHenry |
| | 1814 - 1914
1776
Whetstone Point shore battery
1794
Star Fort begun.
Later named for Washington’s Secretary of War
1795
Reservation partly acquired by the United States
1814
Gallant defence during British bombardment inspired the writing of The Star-Spangled Banner
1838
Full reservation ceded. — Map (db m2569) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine |
| | As a guardian of Baltimore’s harbor, Fort McHenry is the site of the sucessful defense of the city by American Forces during the British attack on September 12–14, 1814 which inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Fort McHenry is one of over 300 sites administered by the National Park Service. Plan to begin your experience at the Visitor Center located in the brick building adjacent to the parking lot. — Map (db m2568) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Mortars vs. Guns |
| | When the British attacked in 1814, guns of this type – but larger – were fired from the ramparts and the water batteries near the riverbank. They kept the British warships from entering Baltimore Harbor, but they could not shoot far enough to hit the vessels that were hurling bombs at the fort. According to the American Commander’s report, the British fired more than 1,500 bombs. These are the famous “bombs bursting in air” mentioned in our National Anthem. Displayed . . . — Map (db m10885) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — O Say Can You See? |
| | If you had been standing on this rampart with the American gunners on the morning of September 14, 1814, you would have had a close-up view of the dramatic scene Francis Scott Key described in our National Anthem.
About two miles downstream, half way to the large Francis Scott Key Bridge visible today, the British fleet had gathered to attack Fort McHenry. A few enemy ships sailed in closer by turns to fire their bombs and rockets. Francis Scott Key watched from the deck of a truce ship at . . . — Map (db m2572) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Orpheus |
| | The heroic bronze figure in front of you is not, as many suppose, a likeness of Francis Scott Key. The statue represents Orpheus, the artful poet, musician, and singer of Greek Mythology.
In 1914 Congress appropriated funds for a monument at Fort McHenry to mark the centennial of the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the defense of Baltimore. Orpheus with the Awkward Foot, the creation of sculptor Charles H. Niehaus, was selected from thirty four designs . . . — Map (db m707) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Outer Battery |
| | This complex of earthen embankments and masonry structures has been the site of Fort McHenry’s heaviest artillery since about 1840. The U.S. Army kept this battery heavily armed during the Civil War to discourage any Confederate attempts to take Baltimore through naval attack or civil insurrection. The large cannon you see today were mounted after the Civil War and are not associated with the famous 1814 bombardment. The big guns remained in service as late as 1912 but were never fired in battle. — Map (db m10891) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Powder Magazine |
| | Magazines are structures designed to protect gunpowder and ammunition from moisture, sparks and impact.
In 1814, a much smaller magazine stood here. During the famous bombardment, a British shell crashed into the roof, but miraculously failed to set off an explosion. Immediately after the battle, work began on a stronger magazine—the one you see today.
The brick walls and arched roof are so thick that the space inside accounts for only 10% of the buildings total volume. — Map (db m2593) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Remember 1814 |
| | Fort McHenry protected the water approaches to Baltimore for more than a hundred years, but was attacked only once. On September 13-14, 1814, British ships fired rockets and mortars at the fort for twenty-five hours. Fort McHenry withstood the bombardment, and when the smoke cleared the American flag was still waving where you see it now. Francis Scott Key watched these dramatic events from the deck of a truce ship down the river to your left. His description of the battle was immortalized in . . . — Map (db m10875) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Sailors Fighting Sailors — U.S. Chesapeake Flotilla vs. Royal Navy |
| | Sailors provided the backbone of Baltimore’s defense during the War of 1812. A strong detachment of U.S. Navy seamen defended trenches on the outskirts of the city while members of the U.S. Chesapeake Flotilla served Fort McHenry’s largest cannons in the Water Battery. Here, eighteen men strained to load, aim and fire each of the 12,000 pound cannons as enemy bombs and rockets burst overhead.
The 471 men of the U.S. Chesapeake Bay Flotilla protected local residents of the Chesapeake Bay . . . — Map (db m2588) |
| Maryland, Baltimore — Star-Spangled Banner |
| | By order of the President, the flag of the United States of America flies day and night here at the place where Francis Scott Key saw it when he wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Without words, the unfurled flag answers Key’s immortal question, “O say, does that star spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
The Star-Spangled Banner that Key saw here after the British bombardment is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution . . . — Map (db m2571) |
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