Richard D. L. Fulton
The Battle of Baltimore
If I took the place, I should have been the greatest man in England. If I lost, my military character was gone forever.”
~Colonel Arthur Brooke, British officer in command of the British advance onto Baltimore.
On September 13, 2014, the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a “forever” stamp featuring Fort McHenry, as part of commemorating the 200th anniversary of the British siege of the fort that occurred on September 13, 1814. The first day of issue cancellation was actually conducted by the USPS …. within the fort.
According to the USPS, the stamp “depicts the battle from the vantage point of a group of soldiers manning a cannon, in defense of Fort McHenry. The stamp art also gives prominence to ‘the rockets’ red glare’ immortalized within ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ lyrics.”
The Battle of North Point
On the morning of September 12, the British landed 4,700 troops at North Point, located north of Baltimore Harbor, which advanced on a position held by 3,000+ troops of the Maryland militia under the command of Brigadier General John Stickler. (The overall defense of Baltimore was overseen by Major-General Samuel Smith).
The British commenced their attack by firing rounds of Congreve rockets, in the wake of which their infantry then advanced, thereby assaulting Stickler’s defensive position, flanking Stickler’s left flank, and then attacking the center of his line.
After a short engagement, Stickler and the militia fell back, and occupied a second line of defense to thereby await a second British assault. However, ensuing heavy rain forestalled any further British attacks for that day.
The Battle of Hampstead Hill
On the morning of September 13, Colonel Arthur Brooke, along with more than 4,000 British troops, decided to assail a line of militia earthworks – that being fortified mounds of earth and trenches – created for the purpose of defending against an attack on Baltimore from the east. The line of earthworks stretched from the outer harbor to Belair Road.
The particular focus of the British assault of the militia’s line of defense was a portion that had been established on Hampstead Hill, which today is represented by the high ground in the northwest corner of what is presently known as Patterson Park.
The militia line was under the command of American Navy Commodore John Rodgers, and, unbeknownst to the British, more than 10,000 militiamen, supported by 100 cannons, lying in wait, behind the earthworks.
During the course of the ensuing attack, Colonel Brooke found that he could not break the American line. Around 3 a.m. on September 14, 1814, Brooke decided that a land battle for Baltimore could not be won, and ordered a general retreat, and decided that Fort McHenry must be forced to surrender as the result of a naval bombardment.
The Siege of Fort McHenry
The British warships began shelling Fort McHenry around 6 a.m. on September 13 in conjunction with their land invasion attempts, but with Colonel Brooke’s retreat in the early hours of September 14, the bombardment commenced in earnest.
The fort itself was manned by 1,000 soldiers, commanded by Major George Armistead.
The siege of the fort lasted for nearly 24 hours, during which time British warships and “bomb vessels” fired more than 1,500 cannonballs, shells, and rockets, though inflicting only slight damage.
Convinced that the fort could not be captured, the British fleet fired their final shot at Fort McHenry at 7:30 a.m. on the morning of September 14, 1814…. and withdrew.
The total casualties of the British effort to capture Baltimore had amounted to 46 British deaths, including the death of their commanding officer, Major General Robert Ross, and 300 wounded. The Americans suffered 28 deaths, 250 wounded, and 50 captured.
Of course, the Americans gained a national anthem when Francis Scott Key, who had witnessed the siege of Fort McHenry while in-custody aboard a British ship, had written a poem entitled “Defence of Fort M’Henry (sic)”… which was subsequently set-to-music, and thereby became America’s National Anthem.
Numerous sources were used in writing this article (including the USPS, National Park Service, Britannica, and American Battlefield Trust). The source for Colonel Arthur Brooke’s opening quote was Maryland Historical Magazine, Winter 2013, “Captain Henry Thompson’s First Baltimore Horse Artillery in the Defense of Baltimore in the War of 1812” by Nelson Mott Bolton and Christopher T. George.
Fort McHenry/War of 1812 First-Day-of-Issue cover.