The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-08-03
Highest Of all in Leavening Fower-Laest Govt Report
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SO crippled the daring vessels that
some of them had to be towed out in
their hasty retreat.
From midnight till morning Key
could know nothing of the fortunes of
the fight. At such close quarters dense
smoke enveloped both the ships and
the fort, and added to the bIackness of
the night.
After the failure to ascend the north
branch of the Patapsco. the firing slack
ened Now and then sulIen and
spiteful gun shot its flame from the
side of British vessel. Key, pacing
the deck Of the cartel ship, to which
he had been transferred. could not
guess the cause of this. The slacken-
ed fire might mean the success of the
land attack, in which case it would
not have been necessary to waste any
more powder on the fort. Again, it
might be that the internal rain of shells
had dismantled the little fort itself,
and the enemy was only keeping up a
precautionary fire until daylight en-
abled HIM to take possession.
The long hours we've nearly unbear-
able. Key had seen the fate of Wash
ington, and anticipated the fate of Bal
timore.
At seven the suspense was unrelaxed.
The firing from the fleet ceased. The
large ships loomed indistinct and silent
in the mist. TO the west lay the silent
fort, the white vapor heavy upon 1t.
With eager eyes he watched the distant
shore. till in rift over the fort he dim
ly discerned the flag still proudly de
family. In that supreme moment was
written 'The Star-Spangled Banner
The British ships slowly dropped
down to North Point. DIR. Beanes went
home to Upper Marlborough, very
thankful as he saw the yarl-arm of the
Surprise melt ont Of sight, unburcened
OF all national airs, it breathes the
purest patriotism. Those of England,
Russia, and Austria are based upon a
sentimental loyalty long outgrown by
this asrarian and practical age. The
"Marseillaise" is d stirring call to arms,
and upholds only the worst-the pas
slonate miitary-side Of nations
character. THE Star-Spangled Ban
ner," while it is animated, patriotic,
defiant, neither cringes nor boasts; it is
as national in its spirit as it is ade-
quate in the expression of that spirit.
Believing, then, that Keys poem will
be the national air of succeeding gen.
erations of Americans, the facsimile of
the original draft IS reproduced
by the kindness of Mrs. Edward Ship
pen, granddaughter of that Judge
Nicholson who took the first copy of
the poem to the "American" office and
had 1t set up in broad-sheet form by
Samuel Sands, a printers apprentice of
twelve. lie was alone in the Office, all
the men having gone to the defense of
the city. 1t is writt-n in Keys hand.
The chang made in drafting the copy
will be seen at once, the principal one
being tha, Key started to write ''They
have washed out in blood their foul
footsteps pollution,' and charged it
for s:Their blood has washed out their
foul footsteps pollution. In the sec.
ond stanzs, also, the dash after '''Tis
the star-spangled banner makes the
change more abrupt, thu line more
spirited and the burs, Of feeling more
intense, than the usual semicolOn. The
other variations are uhimportant. Some
of them we're made IN 1910 when Key
wrote out several copies for his friends.
The song, in its broad she:t form,
Was soon sung in all the camps around
the city. When the Baltimore theatre,
closed during the attack, was reopen
ed, Mr.. Hardinge, one of its actors, was
announced t, sing "a new song by a
gentleman of Maryland" The same
modest title of au horship prefaces the
song in the sAmerican." From B.ltl-
more the air was carried sou h, and
was played by one Of the regimen'al
bands at the battle of New Orleans.
Tue tune OF 'Anacreon in lIeaven"
his been objected to as ''forelgn;' but
in truth it is an estray, and Keys and
the American peoples by adoption. 1t
is at lea American enough now to be
known to every school-boy; to have
preceded Burr to New Orleans,
and Fremont to the Pacific: to have
been the inspiration Of the soldiers OF
three wars; and t. have cheered the
hearts of American sailors in peril OF
enemies on the sea from Algiers to
Apla Harbor. If the cheering of the
CaAiope oy the crew of the Trenton
binds closer together to-day the citizens
of the two English speaking nations
should its companion scene, no less
thrilling, be forgott,n-when the Tren-