CONTENTS Epilogue Places to Visit Timeline Glossary Notes Bibliography Acknowledgments Image Credits Index 142 148 150 152 154 160 163 164 165 List of Characters Preface Introduction 1 A Sitting Duck 2 A Suitable Ensign 1813 3 American Prizes 4 The Great Bandit 5 Under a Flag of Truce 6 A Plan of Action 7 No Love for Americans 8 North Point 9 Rockets Red Glare 10 Moment of Inspiration iv v vi 1 11 25 39 59 67 79 91 113 127
List of CHARACTERS AMERICAN BRITISH MAJOR GEORGE ARMISTEAD the commander of Fort McHenry DR WILLIAM BEANES a physician and leading resident of Upper Marlboro Maryland THOMAS KEMP a ship builder and shipyard owner in Fells Point Baltimore FRANCIS FRANK SCOTT KEY a lawyer from Georgetown MARY PICKERSGILL a Baltimore business woman JOHN SKINNER a prisoner exchange agent MAJOR GENERAL SAMUEL SMITH a Maryland senator and lifelong Baltimore citizen in charge of the defense of Baltimore BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN STRICKER the leader in charge of the American army at North Point MIDSHIPMAN ROBERT BARRETT a fifteen-year-old sailor COLONEL ARTHUR BROOKE General Ross’s second in command VICE ADMIRAL SIR ALEXANDER COCHRANE the top British military leader in the Chesapeake Bay REAR ADMIRAL SIR GEORGE COCKBURN the second in command of the British naval forces in the Chesapeake Bay after Cochrane arrived LIEUTENANT GEORGE ROBERT GLEIG an eighteen-year-old Scottish soldier MAJOR GENERAL GEORGE ROBERT ROSS the British army commander in charge of land forces These two British admirals Cochrane and Cockburn have similar names Because it is nonfiction the names can’t be altered so pay special attention to keep the characters apart iv
PREFACE EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK IS true and all the characters were real people The book is based on historical historical evidence Historians try to put a puzzle together from the many pieces of historical evidence they find while doing research Sometimes there are questions and holes in the story for which the evidence doesn’t provide answers What did Thomas Kemp look like No portrait or description description exists Or where were he and Mary Pickersgill during the Battle Battle of Baltimore They didn’t leave a record of their activity or if they did the record has been lost What did the former slaves who fought for the Americans think What did the formerly enslaved people who sided with the British think Most enslaved people were not taught to read and write so few written records provide this kind of information Charles Ball is an exception and I wanted to include his story because he provides provides a first-person perspective I chose to tell this story from different perspectives because all history events can be viewed from more than one angle At times historical evidence evidence contradicts itself and historical witnesses offer different versions of the story When there is a contradiction historians must weigh the validity of each source and decide which evidence is stronger or which voices to include Every person and event in the past is complex and layered layered and worth looking at from multiple directions That’s why history is so fascinating I have attempted to show you some of the questions that historians ask and to provide a glimpse into the detective work that I think makes researching the past so fun Be sure to read the Notes section for additional information v
