As I said, today I visited Fort McHenry, and it was wonderful! I was greeted by Old Glory, of course:
She is so beautiful! I was reminded of Michael W. Smith's song, "There She Stands" -
When the night
Seems to say
All hope is lost
Gone away
But I know
I'm not alone
By the light
She stands
There she waves
Faithful friend
Shimmering stars
Westward wind
Show the way
Carry me
To the place
She stands
Just when you think it might be over
Just when you think the fight is gone
Someone will risk his life to raise her
There she stands
There she flies
Clear blue skies
Reminds us with red
Of those that died
Washed in white
By the brave
In their strength
She stands
When evil calls itself a martyr
When all your hopes come crashing down
Someone will pull her from the rubble
There she stands
We've seen her flying torn and tattered
We've seen her stand the test of time
And through it all the fools have fallen
There she stands
By the dawn's
Early light
And through the fight
She stands
She does stand. She is still waving over the land of the free and the home of the brave, no matter that there are those who want to pull her down.
Anyway - back to Fort McHenry. There's an EXCELLENT video by the History Channel (I spoke about it here) that is well worth watching.
The War of 1812 is actually America's second war for independence. Britain was taking our sailors off of merchant ships and impressing them into British service (one of the many factors of the war), and we didn't take too kindly to that. Another little factoid most people don't realize about this "forgotten" war, is that the Battle of Baltimore - the most famed battle, and the one which inspired our National Anthem - didn't actually take place until September, 1814. So, our fondness for playing the 1812 Overture is actually a mistake on this point, besides the fact that it was written to celebrate the victory of Russia over Napoleon's French army...
As you leave the Visitors' Center, there is a large statue of the brave man who commanded Fort McHenry that fateful night.
When he arrived in Baltimore in 1814, he commissioned a huge flag from Mary Pickersgill. He wanted a "a flag so large that the British would have no difficulty seeing it from a distance" and that is the flag which Francis Scott Key saw flying proudly the morning after the battle.
Consider the situation: in August of 1814, Washington had been sacked, President Madison had been forced to flee the city, and our fledgling country was in disarray. The Major probably knew that a rallying point - a glorious symbol - was desperately needed.
I doubt, however, that he had any inkling of the critical importance that flag would have in our country's history. Neither could he have imagined the inspiration it has provided to our nation down the years.
Here is the front entrance to Fort McHenry. To the left, out of frame, is the ravelin, which protected the front gate so troops could move out into battle safely. It also stored ammunition, and provided a base to catch any attackers in the defenders' crossfire.
Here's a picture from inside the ravelin, looking up and out. The grate to the right blocks a doorway that leads into an ammunition room. The angle of the stairs as well as the depth below grade helped to protected any powder from exploding due to a stray mortar.
I probably ought to have taken a picture from the outside, but, well... Ooops...?
This is one of the cannons which surround the fort. Most aren't from the Battle of Baltimore, but instead they're dated to the Civil War. Fort McHenry was fortified by the Union forces, but it never came under attack by the Confederacy.
It's actually quite interesting - the technology was pretty sophisticated. You can see the tracks at the lower left of the picture, which helped swing the gun from side to side. Some time after the Civil War, if I recall correctly, these guns were upgraded with "hydraulic" pistons. When the gun was fired, the recoil would slam it to the back of its frame. The pressure which the recoil built up in the piston would move the gun up to the load/fire positions. This made the process of load-fire-repeat much faster and more efficient.
Look at the size of those critters, though - pretty impressive, huh?
How about some video? This is a video I took from the top of one of Fort McHenry's bastions -
I took another from the interior of the fort as well:
Fort McHenry it truly inspiring, and you really need to go and visit yourself. If you're quiet and really listen, you might hear the voices of the men who served here. They would whisper their stories in your ear, they would tell of blood and fear and courage.
They would remind you of why they fought and died - and ask you to love and serve the country for which they sacrificed.
Men and women throughout America's history have stepped forward and lived this verse of "America the Beautiful" -
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife.
Who more than self the country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
Do you love your family, your country, more than yourself? Do you understand and cherish America's founding concepts of duty, service, self-control, honor and courage?
Will America - will we - return to God our Savior and Provider, God who has blessed us beyond compare, and allow Him to refine our gold?
Will we be able to answer "YES!" to Francis Scott Key's question:
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Kat,
Thanks for such a wonderful post. I really enjoyed it.
Posted by: Azygos | July 05, 2007 at 09:42 PM