The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-09-06
to lombard our Notifications.
Plans Frustrated.

Beginning with April, 1913, the cit
liens of Baltimore had worked tire
lessly to perfect it's defenses-a period
of preparations that proved to be our
salvation-and when General Stricken
learned that the British had landed
at North Point he sent the fifty
Sixth, Twenty Thirty-ninth
and Fifty-first Regiments to meet
them at the narrowest part of the
peninsula at point between the head
waters of Bear creek and Back river
Here General Ross was killed, the adj
vance was checked and the proposed
plan of the British to make a june
ture of their fleet and their army be-
fore Baltimore was frustrated.
That evening the British army re-
turned to their transports and the
feet, which had moved up the river
and taken its position, began the bonn
bardment of Fort McHenry. The en-
trance to the harbor had been closed
by boats that had been sunk in the
channel and heavy iron chain had
been stretched from the Lazaretto to
the fort. Our troops fell back to pro-
tect the defenses around the water
front At daylight on the morning of
September Is the British fleet opened
fire on Fort McHenry, which they
bombarded until 7 o'clock on the
morning of September IA, when they
stopped firing and began to drop down
the river and got under way.
Surprise Attack Fails
Before daylight on the morning of
September IA the enemy attempted a
surprise attack from the rear by send
ing a regiment Of men in boats up the
main branch of the Patapsco between
the fort and what is now Wagner's
Point, but Captain Hancock's company
of the Twenty second Regiment, which
was patrolling that position, heard
their muffied oars and lighted hay
rick, which threw them in full view of
siX-gun battery and Fort Covington,
further up the river. The terrible
crossfre from these batteries sunk a
number of their boats and they were
forced to return to their ships.
When the British army was in camp
at Upper Marlboro preparing for its
attack on Washington, Admiral Cock
burn had made his headquarters at the
house of DR.. Beanes, the leading ply
stefan of that town, under agreeable
conditions of mutual courtesy, but
when their army had returned to their
ships from the pillage of Washington,
small groups of stragglers began to
appear, who plundered homes as they
went DR.. Beanes put himself at the
head of a small body of citizens, who
pursued and arrested some of them,
and when this news was conveyed to
the English commander a detachment
was sent up to release the prisoners
and to arrest Dr.. Beanes. Francis
Scott Key, personal friend of DR..
Beanes, hearing of this, obtained per-
mission from the President to inter
cede for DR.. Beanes.
Held During Attack.
Key was instructed to go to Balti-
more and report to John S. Skinner,
the Government agent for flags of
L, 10
Key. They sailed down the bay and
found the British fleet off the mouth
of the Potomac river preparing for the
expedition against Baltimore. Explain
ing his mission, Key made strong
plea for DR.. Beanes and told of the
care and attention that had been given
to the English wounded until the Brit
ish commander relented and promised
that they would release him after the
attack on Baltimore, but in the mean
time neither he nor DR.. Beanes would
be permitted to leave the fleet. They
were quartered on the frigate Sur
prise, which was commanded by Sir
Thomas Cockrane, son of the fleet
commander, and the British sailed for
Baltimore.
Arriving at the mouth of the Pa
tapsco, Admiral Cockrane shifted his
flag to the Surprise in order that he
might be able to move farther up the
river to superintend the attack on
Fort McHenry, and Key and DR..
Beanes were sent back on board their
own vessel accompanied by a guard
of marines to keep them from landing.
Key Wrote Song.
They were fortunately placed in
position where they could see the flag
of Fort McHenry from the deck of
their vessel, and Key remained on
deck during the whole bombardment,
watching every shell as it fell. While
the bombardment continued, he knew
that the fort withstood the attack,
but suddenly the bombardment was
stopped by the British who feared that
they might hit their men who were at
tempting to pass the fort to make the
attack from the rear, and he wondered
if the fort had surrendered. When the
dawn broke he was pacing the deck
o,J ,,roc roliouo6 70 find that HOrr