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
INTRODUCTION YOU KNOW THE NATIONAL ANTHEM O Say can you see I bet you could hum it right now You’ve probably sung it at a sporting event or during the beginning of a concert Maybe you’ve watched the Olympics and heard the anthem play when an American American wins gold Most if not all countries have a national anthem a song that represents them Many anthems have words Some proclaim proclaim values such as courage and loyalty that describe the country’s citizens France’s popular anthem La Marseillaise is a call for citizens citizens to fight for freedom against oppression The British anthem is a prayer for the health of the reigning king or queen Anthems inspire patriotism and pride in one’s country The United States of America’s anthem unlike most tells the story of a historic event While many Americans know the words they don’t all know the story This book tells that story through the eyes of people who lived it including Mary Pickersgill Thomas Kemp George Cockburn Francis Scott Key Samuel Smith and Alexander Cochrane They lived very different lives yet their stories would become woven together into one grand narrative At the center of the story is a flag that would one day be called the Star Spangled Banner Many years ago it flew over a fort in the city of Baltimore during a battle with Great Britain The Battle of Baltimore was one of many battles during the War of 1812 a confusing name because although the war began that year it lasted until 1815 During the war fighting took place in various parts of the North American continent mostly in four main areas along the Canada United States border and into southern Canada at spots along America’s western boundary in the Chesapeake Bay region and along the Gulf Coast in the South vi
A news bulletin in the form of a poster called a broadside announced the declaration of war against Great Britain June 22 1812 vii
