the star spangled banner song and the war of 1812

Key saw the flag through the rain and smoke, then immediately began work on a poem.

On the morning of the 14th, the American commander had the Pickersgill flag (which was not flown through the night) raised as proof that McHenry had not fallen. He spent a rainy night observing the British bombardment from several miles away and had no way of knowing if the Americans had managed to hold the fort. Permission to take the prisoner was granted, but Key could not do so until the battle subsided. At that time a Washington attorney, Francis Scott Key, visited the British fleet to secure the release of an American physician. The British attack on Fort McHenry did not occur until September 13, 1814. The finished product was so large, 30 by 42 feet, that final assembly had to be accomplished in a brewery. A local seamstress, Mary Young Pickersgill, was hired to fashion a large flag to be flown over the fort in defiance.

From the beginning of the War of 1812, American military leaders were certain the British would attack Fort McHenry, which guarded the city of Baltimore.

The star spangled banner song and the war of 1812