The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-13
TODAY IN HISTORY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13. 1910.
The Bombardment Of Fort McHenry'
September 10.

1t was on the night OF September 10,
1914, tnat Lhe BRUSH navy oombsraSa ~
! Fort McHenry, and gave eraneiS Sco, tu
nous song. The Star Spengled Banner,
Fort McHenry was established as a mil mn :
tary post in l79i. II occupied Wheieionc hesetSa
Point. Patapsco river, Md, II Is ah9u,
! three miles from Baltimore It's site
was first occupied for military purposes
In 1775. In 1894 1t was established as 4
permanent fortlfcation. and was named
after James McHenry. one OF Washing
tons private secretaries during tne re'o-
| luton. and secretary OF war. li9o;
Following the attack on Washlhs,t,oiii'
In which the British burned the capital
they felt confident that the task would oe
ain easy one OF taking the larger and
richer city Of Baltimore After making
raid up the Potomac and plunderlne
Alexandria, they sailed up the Chesa-
Patapsco on September IL But the cry
had not been idle. The fate OF the capltal
had taught the people much -neeaeo
lesson. Led by the mayor they threw
up enbankmenis on all sides, and erected
batteries; while the militia poured INTO
the city. till fourteen Thousand were pres
cnt and ready for duty. , eva,
General Ross. who had boasted that
he would make Baltimore his winter
quarters, ard who didn't care If ~
rained militia" landed at the dawn @ OF
day. and began his march toward the
city 1t was fourteen miles and tlVe
were traversed without an obstacle, when
Ross met General StricEer With three
thousand men to dispute the right OF
way. a hot skirmish known as the
battle of North Point, ensued, The Brit
lsh drove the Americans back; but !,
took three hours to do this. and II cost
three hundred men, and among the dead
was General Ross, in whose breast had
lodged a musket bullet from one of the
dcSpsed militia.
4 large fleet under Admiral Cochrane
had meantime blocked up. the Patapsco,
but failed 10 pass the guns OF Fort Nc
shells into the city. All day and far into
the night the bombardment continued;
but at dawn the American flag WAS stlI
waving from the walls OF the fort.
1t was on that night that young Fran
els Scott Key had rowed to the, British
fleet under flag of truce to beg the
parole OF friend. Or. William Beanes.
General Ross finally consented to the re-
lease OF DR. Beanes. but said that the
parole must be detained during the at
tack on Baltimore; Key, and his com
the exchange of prisoners, were trans
ferred 10 the frieate Surprise. command
ed by the admirals son. Sir Thomas
Cockburn. and soon afterwards returned
under guard OF British soldiers to their
own vessel, whence they witnessed the
engagement
Fort McHenry was distinctly seer
through the night by the glare of the bat
tie, but before dawn the firing ceased,
and b, the prisoners nors o anxonsy d M ~r,Ghed TO
Kev's feelings. when he found that the
Stars and Stripes had not been hauled
down, gave birth tonight ninety-six
years ago to our national song. He
wrote The Star Spanged Banner
hastily on the back OF an envelope. and
rcwrote and corrected the proofs the
following day upon his arrival in Balti-
more.
Key gave the copy to Captain Benja-
min Fades who had It put into type |
and carried copy to an old tavern next |
to the Holiday Street theater where the |
actors were accustomed to assemble The |
words were arranged TO the tune of |
'-&nacreou in Heaven" and one Of the |
actors. Ferdinand During sang them for |
the first time In a short time they were |
IA mlllar all over the United States
On September 13 the battle of the |
Plains Of Abraham. Canada. took place, |
in which James Wolfe. the British gem
eral killed In 1859. IL is also the |