bombs bursting in air

...In 1804 (English inventer William Congreve) realized that rockets exert no reactive force -- none of the "kick" of a cannon. That especially suited them to use at sea.

After failed tests against French shore installations, Congreve managed to burn most of the city of Copenhagen -- a hapless bystander in the Napoleonic Wars. From then on, English rockets played an important part in war against the French.

But, in the War of 1812, England turned the full fury of Congreve's rockets on us -- from Bangor, Maine, all the way to New Orleans. It was Congreve's rockets that burned Washington in 1814...

The English also tried to take Baltimore, but they failed when their rockets couldn't take out Fort McHenry, guarding the city.
-via John H. Lienhard -University of Houston

The lyric bombs bursting in air comes from Defence of Fort McHenry, a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry in the Chesapeake Bay by the British Royal Navy during the War of 1812 (1812-1815).

Key had come to Baltimore to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beanes, a civilian prisoner of war, and witnessed the bombardment from a nearby truce ship. From 7 am. of September 13, 1814 more than 1,800 bombs, cannonballs, and the new Congreve rockets had lit the sky. Key had observed that the fort’s smaller 'storm flag' continued to fly, but once the shell and Congreve rocket barrage had stopped, he would not know how the battle had turned out until dawn. By then, the storm flag had been lowered and a larger flag had been raised. (An oversized American flag, 40’x30’ had been sewn in anticipation of the British attack on the fort.)

Key was inspired by the American victory and the sight of the large American flag flying triumphantly above the fort, infact so moved as to write a poem using the back of a letter he had in his pocket. He later completed the poem and entitled it Defence of Fort McHenry. This would be renamed The Star-Spangled Banner.

the grand union flag

[Break from the usual programming. The 10engines lab is almost spitting distance from the below landmark, Prospect Hill, thus the interest... info cobbled together from a variety of sources, crosschecked, but please feel free to jump in. Photo via nsub1's flickr.]

This Grand Union Flag (aka The Cambridge Flag or Continental Colors) is commonly accepted as the first American flag. The flag design wasn't sanctioned by the Continental Congress, but was a design that George Washington and others liked. It combined the British crosses of St. Andrew and St. George with 13 red and white stripes (to represent the 13 colonies). At that time, most Americans were fighting for respect and representation, thus the continued sign of loyalty to the crown.


The Grand Union was first flown by ships of the Colonial Fleet on the Delaware River, but on January 1, 1776, George Washington ordered that the flag be raised on a schooner mast (sometimes referred to as the liberty pole) placed on Prospect Hill (then called Mount Pisgah... can't imagine why they changed it) in what is now called Union Square (get it) in Somerville, MA. On that new year's day the Continental Army was laying siege to Boston which had been taken over by the British Army. Washington ordered the Grand Union flag hoisted above his base at Prospect Hill "in compliment of the United Colonies."


Meanwhile in Boston, the Loyalists (supporters of Britain) had been circulating a recent King George speech, offering the Continental Army favorable terms if they laid down their arms. These Loyalists were convinced that the King's speech had impressed the Continentals into surrendering —the Loyalists mistook the flying of the Grand Union flag over Prospect Hill as a show of surrender to King George. In fact, the Continentals knew nothing of the speech until later; Washington wrote in a letter dated January 4, 1776, "By this time, I presume, they begin to think it strange we have not made a formal surrender of our lines."

A new flag was needed... The Grand Union Flag remained the de facto national flag and ensign of the Navy until June 14, 1777 when the Continental Congress authorized the Stars and Stripes.