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War of 1812

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War of 1812: Battle of Ft. McHenry
Stephanie Bame
HIS/115
Patrick Gleaves
02/20/2014

12th of September

To all my Family,

The tour here is rough at times, but I am proud to stand next to those who believe what I believe in. We have just received word that the British burned down and looted the White House. We are now preparing for them to make their way towards the Baltimore Harbor. This is not going to be an easy battle for any of us, but we are doing what we have to do.

14th of September Although we were able to hold the British at North Point, the British Naval forces turned their focus on us here at Ft McHenry. Last night was one of the darkest nights yet, we were getting fired at from 19 British ships as far as we could count in the darkness. The only light we had was from the firing of cannons and guns, because all of the lights in the city where to be extinguished, thank god all of their cannons did not cause any significant damage to our barricades. We were unable to fire back, but we did manage to shoot down an attempt to land more British soldiers. On this day, we have to be thankful that the British did turn their ships away from the harbor and retreat. Now it is time for rest and the restoration of these areas. This has not been an easy few days, but I will write to you again soon.
Yours Truly.

I think the most significant part of this battle in American history would be the defense and defeat of the British, but also the drafting of the Star Spangled Banner. I did not know how to write this in a letter but Frances Scott Key was on board a truce ship, and saw the American Flag flying high through the dark of night, and through the lights of the cannons. This inspired him to write the Star Spangled Banner, originally called “Defense of Fort McHenry”, and was sung to the tune of an old British drinking song.

References
http://baltimore.org/arts-and-culture/war-of-1812/

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