It is my desire to have a Flag

Soon after his arrival at Fort McHenry in June 1813, Major George Armistead lost no time in preparing Fort McHenry's defenses. To the commander of Baltimore's militia, General Samuel Smith, Armistead offered a reassuring note:

"We, Sir, are ready at Fort McHenry to defend Baltimore against invading by the enemy. That is to say, we are ready except that we have no suitable ensign to display over the Star Fort, and it is my desire to have a flag so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance."

Armistead's request was taken to Mary Young Pickersgill, a Baltimore maker of "Silk Standards & Cavalry Colors, and other Colors of every description" at No. 60 Albemarle Street. With the help of her daughter, Caroline Purdy, Mrs. Pickersgill filled her commission. On August 19, 1813, Armistead had his flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes which measured 42' x 30'. In addition, a small storm flag was acquired that measured 17 x 25 feet.

September 1814: Two accounts tell a story

It is not known if the large flag was ever flown prior to the bombardment. Besides Key's account, two others survive to tell us the story of what happened on September 14, 1814, at 9 a.m., two hours after the bombardment had ended:

"... the morning gun was fired, the flag hoisted and Yankee Doodle played." Isaac Monroe, Baltimore Fencibles, September 17, 1814

"...as the last British ship hoisted her canvas to the wind, the Americans hoisted a most superb and splendid ensign on their battery...." Midshipman Robert Barrett, HMS Hebrus

The Flag after the Battle

The last known display of the battle flag at Fort McHenry appears to be in 1824, when the Marquis de Lafayette visited on his national tour of the country. With the death of Armistead's wife Louisa in 1861, the flag was bequeathed to their daughter Georgiana (born at the fort in 1817) who resided in Boston. In 1874, the flag was displayed and photographed for the first known time at the Boston Navy Yard. It looked as it does today. In 1907, the Armistead-Appleton family loaned the flag to the Smithsonian Institution with the bequest that it never be removed. In 1964 it was placed on display in the new National Museum of American History and Technology in Washington, D.C.

"Preserving The Legacy"