Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-05-12

until the br1tish nad MADE their purpOSeu
attack upon the city. For some days they
were on a frigate but when the fleet
reached the Patapsco Mr.. Key, Mr.. Skin
ner and DR.. Beanes were sent on board
their own vessel. with a guard to prevent
them from landing It was from the deck
of this vessel that they watched with pain
full suspense the bombardment of the fort
When they heard the cannonade, cease
some time before day they had no means
Of learning from the enemys ships whether
the fort had surrendered. And it was dur
ing this period of anxiety that Mr.. Key,
waiting for the dawn in order to see
whether 'our flag was still there con-
ceived the idea OF THE Star Spangled
Banner"
In the Civil War.
Next In historical Importance to Fort Nc
Henry's glorious record in 1914 is its share
In the civil war. At the headquarters for
the union soldiers who controlled Baltimore
at a time when a majority OF the people
of the city were believed to be sympathiz-
ers with the confederacy, the guns which
were in the earlier war used to defend
Baltimore were now trained upon the city.
Having anticipated the outbreak of hostil-
tiles by several months by sending a larger
garrison here in January, 1861, the Wash
ington authorities increased It after the
memorable 10Th Of April, and kept It large
during the war In the months OF Lees
two invasions of Maryland, in 1862 and 1868,
and again when Early made his famous
raid in 1864 and Colonel Harry Gilmor's
cavalry ventured to within a few miles OF
Baltimore, the union authorities suspected
that there might be an uprising of SYM
pathizers with the south in the city and
tpta - Ha Of
direction, as well as those OF the several
newly constructed Notifications and OF a
feet of gunboats motorboats and converted
revenue cutters ordered to take up stations
thereat various points in the harbor. For
tunately, there was no necessity to fire
them.
A darker chapter in Fort McHenry's
civil war history was the execution OF
several southerners as spies. The record
OF those thus put to death Is not com
plete. On May q, 1854, Andrew Laypole,
condemned by court-martial as a spy, was
hanged in the fort. He "made short
speech from the gallows denying that he
was a felon, then prayed fervently and
died bravely" Only eight days before
Eugene Lamar and William B. Compton,
confederates who had been sentenced to
be hanged, made their escape from the
fort with three other prisoners. On Au-
gust % four alleged spies and blockade
runners were sentenced to be hanged, but
their execution was stayed. On Septem-
Der p, however, George w. Mcdonald
(alias NJ M. Dunning) was executed there,
according to the military code, for having
deserted from a Maryland cavalry regi-
ment This is the last news item Of this
character before the end Of the war.
At the outbreak OF the war with Spain
in 1898 the old fort acquired a temporary
new activity. Brigadler General e. b.
williston then commandant, was given the
organization OF one of the new regiments,
and for a time the barracks were full A
regimental band added to the liveliness
OF the post and dress parades attracted
many visitors. But this glory was transi-
tory. The regiment was ordered away.
and Fort McHenry fell back on a hand
full of artillerymeu. Already It was fully
realized that Il could never again defend
Baltimore from foreign foe. The huge
smooth-bore cannon that had frowned so
ominously from the ramparts for years
were worse than useless beside the recent
inventions OF long-range guns, range-fnd-
ers and disappearing gun carriages. Far
Their down the Patapsco where It Joins
the bay. new forts TO contain these new
inventions Of warfare were already under
way. And on August II, 1905, came the
surrender OF its supremacy to the COM
pleted Fort Howa& by the transfer OF
headquarters thither-Baltimore News.