Flag waves over Fort McHenry in Baltimore MD. Fort McHenry above the Patapsco River on 4th July, USA
Image details
Contributor:
Picture Architect / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2G59P17File size:
113.4 MB (5.4 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
9782 x 4051 px | 82.8 x 34.3 cm | 32.6 x 13.5 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
4 July 2014Location:
Ft McHenry Baltimore Maryland USAMore information:
The failed bombardment of Fort McHenry forced the British to abandon their land assault on the crucial port city of Baltimore. This British defeat was a turning point in the War of 1812, leading both sides to reach a peace agreement later that year. Fort McHenry, a large star fortress built in 1800, guards Baltimore’s inner harbor at a bend in the Patapsco River. The British plan to land troops on the eastern side of the city while the navy reduces the fort, allowing for naval support of the ground troops when they attack the city’s defenders. The British land a combined force of soldiers, sailors, and Royal Marines at North Point, a peninsula at the fork of the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay, on September 12, 1814. After landing unopposed, they advance toward Baltimore. The Maryland militia commander, Maj. Gen. Samuel Smith, orders Brig. Gen. John Stricker to delay the advance by provoking an engagement. Around midday, while the British halt for a meal, Stricker orders 250 riflemen and cannon to draw the British toward his forces. Ross, hearing the skirmishing, rides forward to assess the situation. While ordering his men to drive off the American riflemen, Ross is shot in the chest and dies a few hours later. Command of the land forces passes to Col. Arthur Brooke. Brooke collects the main body of the British troops and presses forward. Around 3:00 p.m., he attacks the American positions. The American defenders hold initially, inflicting heavy casualties and resorting to firing scrap metal from their cannon because of a lack of canister. Despite a stalwart initial defense, the Americans begin to give way to the British regulars. The Americans withdraw to Baltimore and Brooke halts for the rest of the day to consolidate his forces. This delay gives the American defenders in Baltimore time to bolster their defenses.September 13. The Americans assemble 10, 000 men and 100 cannon astride the Philadelphia Road, blocking the British advance toward Baltimore