John P. takes a few minutes from the craziness of the roadtrip to guide you through the twists and turns of history at Fort McHenry in Baltimore.
Fort McHenry – Streaming Across America, The Series, Episode #7
June 30, 2012 By
Dave lives near Seattle, Washington, surrounded by evergreen trees and flat panel displays. His special gadget interest is eReaders and the pursuit of the perfect digital reading experience. He is the Editor-in-Chief of GeekBeat.TV.
The British and the French were having a war? John P – have you never heard of The War of 1812?
Baltimore was a big port for Privateering [state sponsored Pirating] and the British wanted to control the port. The Americans had scuttled [sunk on purpose] ships at a narrow point to the harbor so the British couldn’t sail through it.
The rest is correct. Francis Scott Key watched the siege all night to see if the Americans would raise a white flag of surrender, which would give the British the port. The British cannons had a longer range than the cannons at the Fort so the Americans couldn’t hit them back. If the Fort took a direct hit, all their ammunition would explode. Luckily, the Americans didn’t surrender and the British sailed away.
John P. needs to take a really good history course! Fort McHenry was involved in the War of 1812 which was between the United States and Britain. He should be ashamed!