In 1814 The British attacked Washington, DC. They set the Capital building on fire, the White House and other public buildings. Then they left to their ships in the Chesapeake Bay.
British General Robert Ross and Admiral George Cockburn led British to attack on Washington. They then planned to attack Baltimore. But many people from Baltimore expected the attack from the British so they immediately started to prepare for it. A lot of people built defenses around the outer sides of Baltimore. Baltimore was protected by Fort McHenry. The guns and cannons could prevent British ships from reaching the city.
In the center of Baltimore flew a large American flag. The flag could be seen by the soldiers defending the city and by the British warships. The flag was also seen by a young American named Francis Scott Key. Key was a lawyer who had once thought of a life of religious work. He was also a poet and writer. He opposed war. But he loved his country and joined the army in Washington to help defend it. …show more content…
Francis Scott Key knew the doctor and asked the President to release him. President Madison asked, and Key agreed to carry it to Admiral Cockburn. Key also carried letters from wounded British soldiers in American hospitals. In one of the letters, a British soldier told of the excellent medical care he was being given. But Cockburn would not permit the doctor or Key or a man who came with him to return to land until after the attack. So Francis Scott Key watched from a British warship as the shells and rockets fell on Fort