If you have time at some point to watch this it gives a great explanation of how the Anthem come about. http://www.footygi.com/view_video.php?viewkey=013ac554571fbd180e1c
Overall it was a pretty good video, sounded like a presentation given at a church. The ending is guaranteed to tug at the heart! I highly recommend that if you get to the Baltimore Harbor you stop and visit Fort McHenry. Also they just opened the Smithsonian again with that glorious Banner complete after a complete refurbishment. I saw them working on it in the past but have not seen the complete refurbishment yet.
WOW! Seabee, Thank you for sharing. I hate to admit what he did in the video that plenty of Americans have no idea how that song came about. It pains me when I hear it and people seem to have no regard for it or the flag. As a veteran of a couple of wars, I thank God for America and for the men and women who serve. Thanks again...
It is moving, but they did take exceptional literary license with the presentation of the history. There were only 16 ships firing, they started the attack at dawn, they fired from an extreme range to prevent return fire, there were four Americans killed and 24 wounded, and most of those deaths were connected with a gun crew suffering a direct hit. One was a woman killed while bringing supplies to the defenders, too.
you spend all your time discrediting or discounting things all the time? What is your point? I guess you were there during this battle... One point of concern... did they take the Flag down? Did they do what they could to keep our Flag flying. Where is the relevence of how far off the coast they were? Does it really matter? You must have it scorched in your brain to analyze whatever you come across.
Just pointing out the truth. I suppose that small thing has been so abused in the rush to support whatever one wishes to support it really does not matter to some any more/ No, but military history is a hobby of mine. No, but it does nothing to misrepresent the truth of what they actually did and may actually make it seem less important. Keeping the flag flying was not their concern. Keeping the British ships and troops from doing to Baltimore as they did to Washington was the real duty and one they did well. The farther offshore the less the accuracy of the bomb ships so "targeting" a particular flagpole is impossible in reality. I believe less than 1/4 of the bombs actually hit the fort and the accuracy of the rocket ship was never suggested by anyone. The American guns had a range of 1.5 miles and that kept the British at bay and protected the city from being burned like Washington. Only the five bomb ships and one rocket ship were capable of firing on the fort while remaining outside of the range of the American guns. Does the truth matter? Yes, it does to me. Does it to you? It is the nature of my vocation and my nature in general to seek the truth.
