The Events of September 13, 1814, Inspired Key to Write the Star-Spangled Banner

The Battle of Baltimore on September 13, 1814, was far from a minor clash—it was a crucial moment in the War of 1812, with the British looking to score another major victory after burning Washington, D.C. Their next target? Baltimore, Maryland. Their strategy was simple but brutal: they planned to hammer Fort McHenry, which protected the entrance to Baltimore's harbor, with enough firepower to break through the American defenses. Once the fort was down, they could sail into the harbor and launch a full attack on the city.

This is where Francis Scott Key, a lawyer by trade, gets pulled into the action. He wasn’t on the battlefield but found himself in the middle of these historic events for a different reason. His friend, Dr. William Beanes, had been captured by the British, and Key boarded a British ship to negotiate his release. However, after the talks, the British weren’t ready to let him go—they didn’t want him running off to warn the Americans about their plans. So, they kept him on board, where he ended up with a front-row seat to one of the war's most intense battles.

On the night of September 13, Key watched as the British unleashed a relentless assault on Fort McHenry, raining down bombs and rockets throughout the night. But despite the ferocity of the attack, the fort’s defenders held their ground and refused to surrender.

The moment that left a lasting impression on Key came the next morning, on September 14. As the first light of dawn broke, he saw something that stirred deep pride and relief—the massive 30-by-42-foot American flag still flying over Fort McHenry. The British had failed to take the fort, and that flag became a powerful symbol of American resilience and defiance.

Moved by what he witnessed, Key quickly jotted down a poem he called "Defence of Fort M'Henry." His verses celebrated the endurance of the American spirit, and those "broad stripes and bright stars" he saw in the sky that morning would later become immortalized in the song we now know as "The Star-Spangled Banner."

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