About That Controversial Third Verse of the 'Star-Spangled Banner'

From the June 12, 2022, Twisted Sifter.

You've heard the "Star-Spangled Banner" countless times in your life.  It was written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key as a poem after he witnessed the U.S. flag flying high and proud over Baltimore's Fort McHenry after a long night of bombardment in the War of 1812.

But, we only hear the first of three verses and some folks today have a real problem with one part of the third verse.  Who was Key talking about when he wrote:  "Their blood has washed out their foul footstep's pollution.  No refuge could save the hireling and slave from terror of flight  or the gloom of the grave."?

According to the Library of Congress, Key could have been talking about how the British recruited escaped slaves to fight Americans in the war and Key could have seen them as enemies just like British soldiers.

It should be noted that Key was a lawyer and later in life helped slaves fight for their freedom.  (He also owned slaves.)

--Brock-Perry

Richard Hill Gets His Due-- Part 3: His Story

Historian Hern Adams of Portland, Maine, has found information on the life of Richard Hill, including newspaper accounts of his death. 

Hill was born about 1792, but it is not clear if he was born in Portland or moved there later in life.  records show that during the War of 1812, he served on the  U.S. Gunboat  47 with the New York Flotilla.

"The U.S. Navy was not segregated then, and that might have been the first time in his life that Hill was on equal footing with his co-workers," Adams said.  His gunboat was probably in  Baltimore Harbor on  September 14, 1814, when the British shelled Fort McHenry.  "Both Hill and Key witnessed one of the iconic moments of U.S. history," according to Adams.

I have not been able to find if Gunboat 47 was at the battle.

After the war, he returned to Portland and worked as a common laborer.  He was one of 400 Blacks who lived in  neighborhoods  at the foot of Munjoy Hill.  At one point, he applied for and received 160 acres of government land in the Ohio hills as an 1812 veteran.  Adams said Hill probably sold it for a fraction of what it was worth.

That was the only veterans benefit he ever received (well, now he has the government-issued headstone, even with the incorrect death date).

--Brock-Perry

Richard Hill Gets His Due for War of 1812 Service-- Part 1

From the September 15, 2002, Central Maine.com "War of 1812 veteran gets his due" by Beth  Quimby, Portland   Press Herald.

Taps was finally played for Richard Hill on Saturday, some 151 years after his death.  He was a black War of 1812 sailor and these military honors were delivered at the so-called "Colored Ground" burial area at Portland, Maine's Eastern Cemetery.

Hill is believed to have witnessed the British attack on Fort McHenry in 1814 which led to Francis Scott Key writing the words to what is today known as the "Star-Spangled Banner."

He and his grave site were forgotten after his death in 1861 at the hands of his son, who murdered him outside their home on Munjoy Hill.  Unfortunately, all is not yet correct with him as his new stone is engraved with his death year as being 1881.

Military honors were  provided by the Harold T. Andrews American Legion Post 17 of Portland and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6859 0f Portland.

His new stone was paid for by the  federal government and stands  beside Portland's black American Revolutionary War veterans at Congress and Mountfort streets.

--Brock-Perry

Black War of 1812 Sailor Richard Hill gets His Due in Portland, Maine

From the September 15, 2012,  WMTW Channel 8, ABC, Portland (Maine)  "War of 1812 veteran gets his due." 

Yesterday, I included the name Richard Hill, a seaman on the Gunboat 47 in the New York Flotilla during the War of 1812, who is buried at Portland, Maine's Eastern Cemetery.

Seaman Richard Hill, a black man who fought in the War of 1812,  has finally received honors at Portland, Maine's Eastern Cemetery,  150 years after his death in 1861.

The honors were delivered Saturday by the local American Legion and veterans of Foreign Wars posts.

His new headstone, paid for by the federal government,  stands beside the graves of Portland's Black American Revolution veterans who are buried in the historic cemetery.

The Portland Press-Herald newspaper said Larry Glatz of  South Portland came across Hill's name while researching Portland residents who served in the country's federal forces during the War of 1812.

Richard Hill is believed to have witnessed the British attack on Fort McHenry which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner."

He was killed by his own son in 1861.

His gravestone says that he served on Gunboat 47 of the New York Flotilla.  I can't find out anything about this gunboat.

--Brock-Perry

University of Kentucky's Protest Against 'Star Spangled Banner'

From the Jan. 24, 2021, Lexington (Ky) Herald-Ledger "UK's protest an action that dates back to national anthem's 'very origins' by Jerry Tipton.

It was a peaceful protest  during the playing of the National Anthem at Florida earlier this month.  The whole University of  Kentucky basketball team, including coaches, kneeled during the National Anthem.

Mark Clague, an associate professor of musicology at the University of  Michigan has written a book about the anthem "Singing Citizenship: A Political History of the  Star-Spangled Banner" which is being published early next year.

He said the anthem was originally written as a poem, entitled "The Defence of Fort McHenry," written by Francis Scott Key who witnessed  the famed battle.

"It's a political song from the get-go.  Francis Scott Key's  song is a call for unity.  It's a call for a central government that can defend itself.  Neither of those things were  true of the United States in 1814."

--Brock-Perry

The Jewish Patriots of Fort McHenry-- Part 1

From the June 3, 2020, Jewish Press  by Sail Singer.

The Battle of Baltimore is probably better known as the Battle of Fort McHenry, but it was fought both on the sea in the British bombardment of the fort and the land attack on defenses.  But thanks to that poem by Francis Scott Key, the fort's role is better known.  Of course, "The Defence of Fort McHenry" whose words were put into our National Anthem.

Baltimore was defended by about 1,000 volunteer citizen-soldiers, including several Jews  who made important contributions to ensure that "the star-spangled banner yet wave[d]."  There is no definitive list of Jews who fought at Fort McHenry, or even the War of 1812 for that matter, but it is known that many Jews did serve on the American side in that war (out of a probable total population of just 10,000 in the country at the time).

According to the book"A History of Jews in the United States," there is a definite record of 43 Jews who served in the military during the war, and a special group in Baltimore who enlisted in the home defense  force of the city when it was attacked.

--Brock-Perry

First Printing of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' Goes to Auction at a Fraught Time-- Part 1

From the June 2, 2020, WBUR by Andrea Shea.

"We all know  the words penned by Francis Scott Key more than 200 years ago.  As school children, we sang about the dawn's early light and the rockets red glare.  We've heard countless celebrities and millions of sports fan belt it out how--even through it all-- our flag was still there.

"Professional football players (and many others) have refused to participate in that tradition as an act of cultural dissent  against racial  oppression and police-involved killings of unarmed black Americans.  Now, after a pain-filled weekend of peaceful-turned-violent protests against enduring racial  injustice  and deadly inequality, people across the nation are stoking questions about what freedom and patriotism mean in 2020."

But, now, one of the few original newspaper printings of Keys' lyrics are going up for auction online at Christie's Auction House.  It opens for bid on June 2 and runs through June 18.

The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester owns two of the three original copies known to exist.  They are putting one up for sale and never would have believed this would happen at the same time as a pandemic and wide spread social unrest.

What is at auction is a September 20, 1814, copy of the Baltimore Patriot & Evening Advertiser.

--Brock-Perry

Sept. 14, 1814: By the Dawn's Early Light, "The Star-Spangled Banner"

On this date in 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote his poem "The Defence of Fort McHenry" after witnessing the British bombardment of Baltimore's McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1812.

It was later set to music and renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and, you know the rest.

--Brock-Perry

Westminster Burying Grounds-- Part 2: Notables Buried There

Some notable people buried at Westminster Burying Grounds:

JAMES CALHOUN--  (1743-1816)  Last mayor of Baltimore Town, First mayor of the City of Baltimore.

EDWARD JOHNSON--  (1767-181839)--  Mayor of Baltimore during the British attack in September 1814.  Chairman of the "Committee of Vigilance and Safety."

PHILIP BARTON KEY--  (1818-1859)--  Son of Francis Scott Key.    Shot and killed by  Daniel E. Sickles, his lover's husband in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, D.C.,  27 February 1829.   (I wrote about this in my Saw the Elephant blog this month.  Sickles and his lawyers used temporary insanity as a reason.  Sickles later was a general in the Civil War.)

JAMES McHENRY-- (1753-1816)--   Signer of the U.S. Constitution, Secretary of War and namesake for Fort McHenry.

--Brock-Perry

Private Walter Farnandis, Defender of Fort McHenry-- Part 2

In those days, , infantry militia service was compulsory for men, but men of means often opted  to serve in self-equipping artillery or cavalry units that were considered a cut above the common infantry.  Walter was one of those men of means who mostly made up the Baltimore Fencibles.

And this unit was even more special as they were the only militia unit who were a part of the Fort McHenry garrison at the time of the attack.  As such, they participated in the famous Battle of Baltimore, defending Fort McHenry (and the famed Star-Spangled Banner) against the British Royal Navy during the 25-hour bombardment. that inspire Francis Scott Key to write our "National Anthem."

He is listed as a private in the Baltimore Fencibles in Monumental City, Baltimore.

After the battle, he made a small fortune in the dry goods business.  Upon his death in 1856, he was able to give each of his eight children $10,000.  That $80,000 would be equivalent to $1.8 million today.

--Brock-Perry

The Star-Spangled Banner Flag-- Part 4: 25-Hour Bombardment and Gifted to the Smithsonian

The British fleet bombarded Fort McHenry for 25 hours between September 13-14, 1814.  When they were unable to force the fort to surrender, the attack ended and they sailed off.  The flag was still flying.

This so impressed Francis Scott Key that he wrote his famous poem "The Defence of Fort McHenry."  This became the "Star-Spangled Banner" that we know today.

The flag that flew there at the end of the bombardment became a significant artifact, yet remained in the possession of Major Armistead and later, his family.  He was promoted to brevet lieutenant-colonel for his action.

Eben Appleton, his grandson, inherited the flag in 1878.  In 1907, he loaned it to the Smithsonian Institution and in 1912 made it a formal gift.

--Brock-Perry

The Star-Spangled Banner Flag-- Part 1: The Great Garrison Flag

From Wikipedia.

The Star-Spangled Banner Flag is also referred to as the Great Garrison Flag and flew during the naval portion of the Battle of Baltimore.  This is the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write his poem "Defence of Fort McHenry."

This was retitled using words near the end of the first stanza.  It was set to music to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven" by John Stafford Smith.

When it became apparent that the British were going to attack Baltimore, the fort's commander, Major George Armistead expressed the desire for a very large flag to fly over the fort.

General John S. Stricker and Commodore Joshua Barney placed an order with a prominent Baltimore flagmaker to make two large flags.

--Brock-Perry

Fabric from "Star-Spangled Banner" Goes To Auction-- Part 2: Two Pieces

Major George Armistead had commissioned a local Baltimore woman named Mary Pickersgill to make two flags for Fort McHenry.  The largest one was flown the morning after the British bombardment.  This is the one that inspired Francis Scott Key to write his poem.

The majority of the flag (after the pieces of fabric were cut off) was donated to the Smithsonian by Armistead's family.

This two by 3.25-inch white segment of the flag and a red 1.5 by 1.25-inch swatch are being offered for $40,000.

--Brock-Perry

About That "Star-Spangled Benner"-- Part 3: After the Battle

Francis Scott Key's "Defence of Fort McHenry" was published in newspapers and then set to music.  The "Star-Spangled Banner" was recognized as the National Anthem in 1931.

Over the years, souvenir seekers snipped away bits of the flag.  This is how the museum in Fayetteville came to get the snippet they have on loan.

The main part of the flag is now in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C..

The "You're a Grand Old Flag" exhibit opened May 22 and will continue until July 8.

The exhibit also contains a 48-star flag (the one used in World War II) and a 40-star one.  But the scrap of the Fort McHenry flag is drawing the most attraction.

--Brock-Perry

About That Famous "Star-Spangled Banner"-- Part 2

The scrap of that famous flag is on loan to the Airborne & Special Operations Museum from the Star-Spangled Flag House & Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.  It is in a frame and under glass with a card and envelope from Laura Emory, who died in 1967 at the age of 78.  The scrap was found among her personal effects.

The flag flew over Fort McHenry during the British bombardment of the fort September 13-14, 1814.

The bombardment and flag flying was witnessed by Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet who then was inspired to write the poem "Defense of Fort McHenry.

--Brock-Perry

About That Famous "Star-Spangled" Flag-- Part 1: And a Quiz on Your U.S. Flag Knowledge

From the June 13, 2018, Fayetteville (NC) Observer "This scrap of flay inspired the 'Star-Spangled Banner'"

The Airborne & Special Operations Museum at Fort Bragg, located by Fayetteville has a very special fragment of a flag in its "Grand Old Flag" exhibit. It is a small scrap of the famous flag that flew over Fort McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key to write what today is the "Star-Spangled Banner," our National Anthem.

This article also included a quiz "How much do you know about the American flag?"  It consists of 12 questions, some easy, others really hard.  I got nine correct, even though I had lucky guesses on some of them.  They will even rate you.  I rated "Real Patriot."  Not to brag, BUT....

Type in the name of the article and pick the one by the Fayetteville Observer in your search.

--Brock-Perry

Colin Kaepernick and the War of 1812-- Part 3: Colonial Marines

Francis Scott Key was the son of a prominent Maryland plantation owner and owned several slaves himself.  Yet, he was opposed to slavery as an institution, but very anti-abolitionist.  He strongly opposed to freeing the slaves and instead wanted a colony set up in Africa for their relocation.

During the course of his law practice, Key represented many slave owners who sued for the recovery of their "property" in cases of escaped slaves.

Historians say that the part about the "hireling and slave" refers to former slaves who joined the British for pay and/or freedom.

During the Battle of Baltimore, as the attack became known, Key was held captive on a British ship and his guards were freed black men.  The British referred to these blacks as the "Corps of Colonial Marines."  Some died during the battle, bringing about the "terror of fight or gloom of the grave."

At Least This Show of Disrespect For the Country That Enable Colin to Make All That Money Covers Up a Little Bit His Ineffectiveness As a QB.  --Brock-Perry

The Colin Kaepernick War of 1812 Connection-- Part 2: "The Hireling and Slave"

There is some disagreement as to what Francis Scott Key meant by "hireling and slave."  He can't answer himself as he died in 1843.  His poem, "The Defence of Fort M'Henry,"on which the National Anthem is based, was written during the War of 1812 at the September 1814 Battle of Baltimore.  he was so happy to see the U.S. flag still flying defiantly over Fort McHenry after the night before's British bombardment.

But, what did Key mean by "the hireling and slave?"

Francis Scott Key was a Baltimore-born lawyer practicing in Washington, D.C..  He is noted for having participated in the conspiracy trial of Aaron Burr. and his many arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

The Colin Kaepernick War of 1812 Connection-- Part 1: "Land of the Free?"

From the August 31, 2016, Sports Grid "Forgotten Third Verse of the National Anthem Shines New Light on Kaepernick Protest" by Rick Chandler.

A huge fuss is being made about San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick's protest over the National Anthem.  His protest may have been motivated by the largely forgotten third verse of the song, part of which reads:

"No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of fight or gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Of course, the United States in 1814 was not really a land of the free what with slavery and all.  Fort McHenry protected  Baltimore Maryland.  Maryland still had slavery.

But, Wait, Theer Is More.  --Brock-Perry

Fort McHenry Stamp-- Part 5: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Maryland native Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old lawyer, witnessed the massive display of firepower from the deck of an American flag-of-truce vessel.  he had just completed negotiations with the British for the release of an American prisoner confined aboard a ship in the British fleet.

On the morning of September 14, Key realized that the bombardment had been a failure when he saw the British squadron withdrawing downriver.  The garrison flag was run up over the fort at 9:00 a.m., confirming the post was still in American hands.

Key was so moved that he wrote "The Defence of Fort McHenry" to the tune of an old English song, and it quickly gained wider recognition under the title "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Actually, I always heard he was on a British vessel during the battle and that he wrote it as a poem that someone put to the tune.

--Brock-Perry