Upon news of his arrest become known, a group of Americans led by lawyer Francis Scott Key visited the British to negotiate his release. Upon receiving confirmation of the good character of Beanes, the British released him. During their return home, the group was made to wait in a boat in the Chesapeake Bay at Baltimore for the outcome of a battle at nearby Fort McHenry. The American victory inspired Key to pen "Defence of Fort M’Henry" about the battle and its outcome. That poem, an indirect result of Beanes' actions, ultimately became the national anthem of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner".