As the sun began to rise, he ordered the fort's small storm flag lowered and replaced with the standard garrison flag measuring 42 feet by 30 feet. Save 42 Acres
To take the city, Ross and Cochrane planned a two-prong attack with the former landing at North Point and advancing overland, while the latter attacked Fort McHenry and the harbor defenses by water.On September 12, 1814, Ross landed with 4,500 men on the tip of North Point and began advancing northwest towards Baltimore.
The combined fleet then moved up the bay and quickly trapped Commodore Joshua Barney's gunboat flotilla in the Patuxent River. Central to this defense was the large star fort built in 1800, Fort McHenry, which guarded the inner harbor at a bend in the Patapsco River. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. This was far stronger defenses than the British expected, and outnumbered the British force of 5,000 2 to 1. By the late 19th century Fort McHenry was of little military value. Because of this, naval support would be needed to dislodge the American forces. The British plan was to land troops on the eastern side of the city while the navy reduced the fort, allowing for naval support of the ground troops when they attacked the city’s defenders.The British landed 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. The British were more concerned with defeating Napoleon in Europe than fighting a minor war with the United States. In the resulting While Brooke's men suffered in the rain, Cochrane began moving his fleet up the Patapsco River toward the city's harbor defenses. Over 1,500 cannonballs, shells, and rockets were fired at the fort, but only inflicted light damage thanks to fortification efforts before the battle. Brooke collected the main body of the Bri… Yet, when Key saw the large flag flying over the fort there could be no mistake, the fort held. Overseeing the troops around Washington was Brigadier General William Winder, a political appointee from Baltimore who had been captured at the Marching from Benedict to Upper Marlborough, the British decided to approach Washington from the northeast and cross the East Branch of the Potomac at Bladensburg.
Two years later the City of Baltimore held the centennial celebration of the Battle of Baltimore. His men soon encountered American forces under Brigadier General John Stricker. In effort to break the stalemate, the British attempted to move around the fort after dark.
Casualties and Losses Major Significance of the Battle British English *North Point: *North Point: -24 killed - 42–46 killed -139 wounded -279–295 wounded -50 captured *Fort McHenry: *Fort McHenry: -4 killed -24 wounded -1 wounded *Total: *Total: -28 Under orders not to attack unless with a high chance of success, he began probing Smith's lines but was unable to find a weakness. This flag, ordered a year earlier by Major Armistead from local flagmaker Mary Pickersgill, was raised every morning at reveille, but earned a special significance on the morning of the 14th.Baltimore lawyer Francis Scott Key, held aboard the British warships during the bombardment, feared that the fort had succumbed to the bombardment.
Early in the afternoon, Rear Admiral George Cockburn, thinking the fort had been badly damaged, moved the bombardment force closer increase the effectiveness of their fire.As the ships closed, they came under intense fire from Armistead's guns and were compelled to draw back to their original positions. While ordering his men to drive off the American riflemen, Ross was shot in the chest and fell mortally wounded, dying a few hours later. Situated on Locust Point, the fort guarded the approaches to the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco which led to the city as well as the Middle Branch of the river. Mistakenly thinking they were safe, this assault force fired signal rockets which gave away their position. Militarily, Baltimore was a far more important city than Washington D.C. because of its thriving port. The harbour entrance was blocked by a large chain and scuttled hulks.
Fort McHenry was a key fort to defending the river access to Baltimore. During the night, Cochrane ordered a landing party to slip past the fort and try to draw troops from the force opposing Brooke. British losses were around 330 killed, wounded, and captured, most of which occurred during the ill-fated attempt to move up the Middle Branch. Sewn by local seamstress The sight of the flag and the ineffectiveness of the 25-hour bombardment convinced Cochrane that the harbor could not be breached. Arriving in August, Cochrane's reinforcements included a force of around 5,000 men commanded by Major General Robert Ross. Every purchase supports the mission.The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education.The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
In the Patapsco, Cochrane was hampered by shallow waters which precluded sending forward his heaviest ships. Fort McHenry would have to be eliminated.Defending Fort McHenry was a young Major, George Armistead, uncle of the Initially the British fleet exchanged fire with the forts cannon, but soon withdrew out of range.