Early in the bombardment a shell crashed on the fort’s magazine, which was packed with about 300 powder barrels. There was more than a little luck involved. Few buildings at the fort suffered direct hits, and the garrison, scattered behind sunken walls, held firm. The pitch of the swells whipped up by the wind made it difficult to aim the shells. Over the course of 25 hours, they fired at least 1,500 shells, more than 133 tons, not to mention 700 to 800 rockets.Ī big reason the bombardment failed was the heavy rain that was falling, which doused the fuses on some of the bombs. The British predicted it would only take a couple of hours before the fort surrendered. They had five bomb ships firing a constant barrage, including explosive shells as big as 200 pounds. The British unleashed an astonishing amount of firepower at Fort McHenry. Why did the bombardment of Fort McHenry fail? Over the years some have questioned whether Key could have seen the flag, but in my mind, there’s very little doubt. The sketch clearly shows the American truce ship positioned on the edge of the bombardment squadron. There’s also a very intriguing contemporary sketch of the bombardment done by a Maryland militia officer watching from the bombardment from American lines at Hampstead Hill. But there’s also a letter suggesting that the British admiral commanding the attack wanted Key closer at hand to help negotiate the fort’s surrender. From that distance, the flag would have been visible, particularly with a spyglass. One likely spot is near the mouth of Bear Creek, about four miles from the fort. It’s certainly possible the vessel moved over the course of the bombardment. The exact location of the truce ship he was aboard has never been pinpointed. That’s one of the great mysteries of this story. Where was Francis Scott Key during the bombardment? What could he see? Leave questions and comments for Vogel to respond to in the comments section, and read an excerpt from Vogel’s book, “Through the Perilous Fight:Six Weeks That Saved the Nation.”
As the Washington area marks the bicentennial of the War of 1812, Steve Vogel answers questions about the war, the Star Spangled Banner and Francis Scott Key.
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