The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-13
KEYS OWN STORY OF HIS SONG

ceived, but that he Ross) felt hm.r
| bound to make return for the kuIu..
shown his wounded officers at E..dou,
burg. and on that ground only wvu
release him. Key was told. huy,ye.
| that neither he nor any one else Won
be permitted to leave the fleet for son
days; that they must he detained unf
| the conclusion Of an attack ON Bait.
more then about to be made
Admiral CoChrane courteous'v apu,
gized for not being able to accommodl.
Key and Skinner on the flagship wh.c
in addition to its fun company W.
overcrowded with officers ana men r.,
the British land forces. adding. bow
ever, that they would be cared for
the frigate Surprise, commanded
his son, Sir Thomas Cochranc, ana &
this frigate the two Americans wei
transferred.
Before leaving the flagship Key had
talk with Dr. Beanes. The prison,
had had no change of clothing sine.
his capture he was constantly tr,ttr
with indignity by the crew. and n
officer would speak to him. In ~h0I
he was being treated not as a prison.
OF war. but as a culprit. Before Ion.
hey and skinner Were placed on boar,
the Surprise, where they remained uu.
I'll the fleet had got under way ana
reached the Patapsco. where prepaid.
lions wcr" made for landing troops. a..
this time Admiral Cochrane shifted u..
Nag To the frigate, so he could muy,
further up the river and superint.u.
personally the attack on Fort McIIrurl.
Key and skinner were then put on board
| their own little vessel the Nudrr
| being accompanied by guard who's,
business 1t was 10 see that they did u..
| land and apprise the Americans Co.,
what was happening on the British tl,,.
Ih'N were permitted to take DR. H,au,.
| with th-m To the Minden and thm-H.
themselves fortunate when the carte,
was anchored In a position from Wh.D.
| thtN could distinctly see from its dro
| the nag lying over Fort Mcll.ur
| This was on September 10, 1914 I,..
| the scene of the bombl rdment tM.
night was described with much ANNA.
| ton 10y k"y a few days later, when N.
stopped at Mr.. Taney's home.
All night long he and skinner stlv,H
| ON deck watching every shell Il.
ieaped from the British guns from ,h.
| moment II was fired until it fell tuu
| listening with GREATNESS interest q.
near II an explosion followed. WMlr
| the commandment continued they knew
| 'le Tort mad not surrendered Bur
| shortly before dawn the firing Suldrul'
ceased. What had happened? Hal
the fort surrendered or had the atit,I,
been abandoned?
Back ana forth along the deck or
the Mlhden Key paced during the r,..
| hldlhdtf ni the night, his hopes and
| I"dIS growing more intense with each
| passing moment, and every little Wn.l,
| turning his eyes toward the east fui
| me earliest coming of dawn Back and
| forth ne paced until there came am 100.
Is'ant When objects at a distance d.ul.
| couId be perceived. Quickly tn two wrn
| turned their glasses ON the fort uucor-
| tam as 10 whether they should -,,
mere the stars and Stripes OF the 'l-
OF me enemy. At last light came. und.
| as MI. fancy relates. they saw fIir
Our flag is stll there"
| In the forvor of the moment E.y
began writing ON the deck of IN, I..I.
| Minden. All around he saw land t...,.
OF the enemy retreating To their ships.
| lie happened to have "A letter ion l.-
pocket. and pulling it out wrote OH .t,
| back the lines of a song of oNulfIf.rl
| which seemed to he bursting it, uly
| from his very soul. lie finished tHl~
original version while being nut l-..r,
| from the Mindcn in small boat That
night he reached Baltimore, and -,..-
| 10 hotel Immediately wrote oul 'Tlr
| star Spangled Banner" in its ur...u'
form, The following morning. Sop. me-
| her =, he carried il to a friend ..-,
Nicholson of Baltimore. who w.. 500
pleased that he at once sent i o.. %
printer and had copies struck oil . .l,
IRON of handhill To he distributed foo
the people of the city.
| Such is Francis Scott KEYS own .ry
! OF now he wrote "The star SpU ID
Tanner as gathered from chief ..Hr
| fancy. A great deal of discussulu .ts
arisen over the question as to VIII, A. aps
| the original version of the SOM .I'
! which Key noted down In brief ul lr
back of a letter while ON the deck uI .1r
Minden or tn" ampliii"d version u. ir
while going ashore in a small boat ir 'r
complete and final copy he wrote oIf 20
the Baltimore hotel that night of S,r-
/ temhe> II following the battle ana ~. h
ne handed to Judge Nicholson the u,Nt
morning. 1t seems To be pretty "a 70
authenticated that "Thc Star Span .I
Banner" was first sung ON the s'r"Hs
/ OF Baltlmor" the day Judge Nicho,suns
handbills were distributed and that u''
long aftcrward it was sung on th"
stage, on" Of the Baltimore newspip. BE-
! claimed In have made the first puhl.'f-
| tion of it on September II, hut on Noe
half of another it is claimed that puH-
lication was made almost a week earlier.