The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-09-12

L
to end. During the first operations on
that coast Admiral Cockburn and sew
eral officers of the British army occu-
pied as their headquarters house at
Marlborough, belonging to an aged
physician of the place, Dr. Beanes,
whom they detained as prisoner. lest
he should send the news of their land
ing to Baltimore. He was a particular
friend of Mr.. Key and of his family.
Hearing that the doctor was about to be
carried off by the enemy. Key obtained
permission from the commanding Gen.
eral of the American forces TO go to the
British feet under flag of truce, and
make an attempt TO procure the old
gentleman's release. In letter to his
mother, written just as he was about to
start upon this errand of friendship, he
wrote:
II hope to return in about eight or
ten days, though it is uncertain. as do
not know where to find the fleet"
He set sail from Baltimore about the
third of September, and found the Brit
ish fleet at the mouth of the Patuxent
bound for the attack on Fort McHenry.
He went on board the vessel of Admiral
Cochrane, to whom he stated his err
rand, and asked for the release of DIR.
Beanes. The Admiral received him
with the utmost civility, but informed
him that he could not comply at pres
ent with his request, and was obliged
even to detain Key himself and his ves-
sci until the operation upon Fort Nc
Henry was concluded.
The Admiral's vessel being over
crowded, he sent the American gen tie
men on board of the frigate Surprise,
commanded by his son, Sir Thomas
Cochrane, where they spent the night,
and thus moved on to the attack.
During the bombardment of the fort.
Mr.. Key and his friends, including DIR.
Beanes were sent on board their own
little vessel under guard of marines,
and thus they were afforded an oppor-
unity to witness the action.
OF all the thousands of human beings
within hearing of that bombardment,
there was probably not one so fitted by
nature and education to be moved by it.
Francis S. Key. then tbirty-five years of
age. a lawyer in good standing at the
distinguished bar of his native State,
was son of John Ross Key, an officer
in the army of the Revolution. He had
been noted from his youth up for the
ardor of his patriotism, and he had at
tempted more than once to celebrate in
verse the gallant deeds of his country
men. He had habit of dashing down
lines and stanzas that occurred to him
on any old scrap of paper that came
first to his hand, and several of his
poems were gathered up by his friends
from the litter of his Office.
| All day the bombardment continued
| without ceasing. During the whole
night they remained on deck. following
with their eyes the continuous arcs of
fire from the enemy's ships to the fort.
The anxiety of the poet, and the little
| company of Americans about him, grew
only more intense when darkness COW
cred the scene, and they could form no
conception of the progress or the proba-
BILE issue of the strife.
Suddenly, about three in the morn
ing. the firing ceased. As they were
anchored at some distance from the
British vessels, they were utterly at
loss to interpret this mysterious silence.
Had the fort surrenderedp
As they walked up and down the deck
of their vessel in the darkness aud 81
lence of the night, they kept going to
the pinnacle to look at their watches to
see how many minutes more must elapse
before they could discern whether the
flag over Fort McHeery was the STAR
spangled banner, or the union jack of
England.
The daylight dawned at length. With
thrill of triumph and gratitude, they
saw that 'our flag was still there"
They soon perceived from many other
signs that the attack, both by land and
sea. had failed, and that Baltimore was
safe. They could see with their glasses
the wounded troops carried on board
the ships, and at last the whole British
army re-embarking.
few minutes after the dawn of that
glorious day, when the poet first felt
sure of the issue of the battle, the inn
pulse to express his feelings in verse
rushed upon him. He found in his
pocket a letter. and he wrote upon the
back of it the first lines of the song. In
the excitement of the hour he could not
go on with his task, but he wrote some
further brief notes and lines upon the
letter. Some lines he retained in his
memory without making any record of
them. When his guard Of marines left
him free to hoist anchor, and sail for
the city, he wrote out the song on the
way, very nearly as it now reads, and
on reaching his hotel in Baltimore he
made clean copy of it. The next
morning he showed it to his brother-in-
law. Judge Nicholson. Chief Justice of
Maryland. who, Judge as he was, had
commanded company of volunteers in
Fort McHenry during the lombard
ment.
We may be sure that such a Judge
read the song with no critical eye. So
delighted was he with it, that he sent it
round to printer, Benjamin Edes, who
had also commanded a company of
troops in the late operations. An APP
prentice. Samuel Sands, who was living