George Henry Preble George Henry Preble ( 25 February 1816 – 1 March 1885 ) was an American naval officer and writer , notable for his history of the flag of the United States and for taking the first photograph of the Fort McHenry flag that inspired " The Star - Spangled Banner " . Biography . He was born in Portland , Maine into a seafaring family ; his father was sea captain Enoch Preble , whose brother was the noted Commodore Edward Preble . George entered the Navy as a midshipman on 10 December 1835 , serving on the until 1838 . He was in the Florida war in 1841 , and was on the for its circumnavigation of the world in 1843 - 1845 , taking ashore the first American force to land in China . In the Mexican – American War , he participated in the capture of Alvarado , Veracruz , and Tuxpan . He became master on 15 July 1847 , and lieutenant on 5 February 1848 . While serving on the frigate , he went with Matthew C . Perry to Japan in 1853 , during which Preble surveyed various harbors in the Far East . After a period as lighthouse inspector and at Charlestown Navy Yard , he served on the , 1859 – 1861 , then took command of the steam - gunboat , serving with David Farragut on the Mississippi River , was promoted to commander on 16 July 1862 , and given command of the steam - sloop blockading Mobile Bay . When the Confederate cruiser eluded him , Preble was dismissed from the Navy , but was reinstated after the captain of the " Florida " testified that superior speed alone had saved him . Additionally , each of the officers on the " Oneida " testified that Preble had done no wrong . According to their accounts , the " Florida " appeared at around 5 : 00 PM on September 4 , 1862 bearing the ensign of a ship of the English Navy . Preble was in command of the " Oneida " and the " Winona " . Because the other ships were in for repairs , the usual complement of six ships had been reduced to two . The " Winona " had been dispatched to chase another blockade runner and was returning from that chase when the " Florida " began her run . One of the " Oneida ' s " iron boilers had been shut down for repairs leaving only one in operation . ( One of the officers stated that the Navy ' s choice to use cheaper iron rather than steel was the actual cause of the problem . ) When the " Florida " began her run , Preble moved to place the " Oneida " in front of the " Florida " . At 6 : 00 PM , he ordered shots fired across her bow . Believing that the ship was English , two warning shots were fired over her bow and a third shot into her forefoot ( The part of a ship at which the prow joins the keel ) instead of the customary single warning shot . All three shots were fired within three minutes of her being in range of the " Oneida ' s " guns . When the " Florida " did not stop , Preble ordered the fourth shot be sent into the enemy ship . This shot missed , at which time the " Florida " lowered her false ensign , and made directly for Fort Morgan . It was not until this point that Preble could be sure that the ship was a Confederate vessel . With one boiler out of commission , the " Oneida " was unable to keep pace with the " Florida " , which escaped into the bay . However , the " Oneida " kept up fire on the ship for 29 minutes until it was safely under the protection of Fort Morgan . In addition to the speed issue , the reports state that there were some visibility issues that contributed to poor marksmanship of the " Oneida ' s " gun crew . After being reinstated , Preble commanded the sailing sloop , only to have the " Florida " escape him once again , off Madeira . After the war , Preble commanded the steamer , and rescued 600 passengers from the wrecked steamer " Golden Rule " . He was at the Boston Navy Yard from 1865 to 1868 , where he was promoted to captain on 16 March 1867 , then commanded the screw steamer until 1870 . He became commodore on 2 November 1871 , commanded the Philadelphia Navy Yard from 1873 to 1875 , became rear admiral on 30 September 1876 and retired in 1878 . Preble died while living near Boston , Massachusetts , on 1 March 1885 . Writing career . Preble was also known as a writer on naval and historical topics , and as a collector of naval documents . His extensive personal library of books and documents related to the sea are located in The George Henry Preble Collection at the Navy Department Library . He was also active in various learned and genealogical societies of the time . In 1868 , he published a genealogical history of the Preble family in America , which included his biography and portrait , as well as that of his famous uncle , Edward The book also set forth a defense of his actions that led to his dismissal from the Navy , as well as the efforts of himself and others that led to his exoneration and reinstatement . In 1872 , he published his " History of the American Flag " , which is still cited as a source . He also took care of the original " Star - Spangled Banner " which had flown over Fort Henry , and had the flag sewn to a piece of sailcloth in order to preserve it .