Students help raise the large 15-star garrison flag at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Since the start of the War of 1812, it was only a matter of time before fighting would come to Baltimore. The city was the third largest in the United States, had an excellent deep-water harbor where a number of shipyards were located, and was the home base for many privateers—government authorized pirates who made a living by seizing British ships and cargo. To welcome the British when they finally arrived, the commander of Fort McHenry, George Armistead, commissioned a 30′ x 42′ flag from local flagmaker Mary Pickersgill, a flag “so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance.” After the British burned Washington, D. C., on August 24, 1814, there was no doubt that Baltimore would be next.

Two sizes of U. S. flags were flown at Fort McHenry (or at any fort for that matter). The larger flag, called the garrison flag, was flown when the weather was nice. A smaller flag, the storm flag, was flown during rain storms or times of high wind. The smaller size simply subjects less material to the winds and weighs less than a garrison flag after soaking up water. A wet garrison flag would be so heavy that it could snap a wooden flag pole.

Large 15-star garrison flag flies over Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Unfortunately, when the British finally began their attack on Fort McHenry just before dawn on September 13, 1814, Armistead was unable to fly his massive garrison fly due to heavy thunderstorms that plagued the day and continued into the night. It was the 17′ x 25′ storm flag that flew over the fort for the entire duration of the bombardment. Realizing they could not capture the fort, the British ceased the attack around 7 AM on the morning of the 14th, twenty-five hours after the bombardment began.

Francis Scott Key had been watching the battle from the perspective of the British. A few days earlier he had sailed out to the British fleet to negotiate the release of a civilian doctor who had been taken prisoner. Because he arrived as attack plans were being made, he was not allowed to return for fear that he would warn the American soldiers stationed around Baltimore. During the nighttime battle he could see Fort McHenry from the light of the explosions.

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

However, once the bombardment stopped, he had no idea what was going on. Had the Americans surrendered? Which country’s flag would be flying over the fort when the sun came up?

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Around 9 AM, with now clear skies, it was the United States garrison flag that flew over the fort.

Replica of the garrison flag flies over Fort McHenry

Armistead kept the garrison flag and passed it down to his descendants. When his wife died she left it to her daughter, and upon her death it went to her son Eden Appleton (Armistead’s grandson). During this time, pieces of the flag were often cut off and given away to friends and family as souvenirs. This resulted in about eight feet of the flag going missing. In 1907, Appleton loaned the flag to the Smithsonian Institute, then outright donated it to the museum five years later. The flag is now on display in the National Museum of American History. It is the most popular artifact on display. The storm flag was lost over time, its fate a mystery to this day.

Fort McHenry is one of only eight locations (or type of location) in the United States where the flag is required to fly 24 hours a day. The National Park Service flies a modern, 50-star flag during the night. This is the same flag that flies over any government building in the country. Each morning this is lowered and a replica of either the original garrison flag or the storm flag, complete with only fifteen stars and stripes (the number of states in 1814), is raised depending on the weather. In the late afternoon just before the park closes, the replica flag is lowered and the modern flag is raised once again.

The neat thing about the flag raising is that the flags are so big the Rangers need help. This is where park guests come in handy. When I visited on an early June morning, two school groups were at the park, and they were the ones that helped out. I assume this was pre-arranged to be part of their field-trip experience. I am also pretty sure that if your child wanted to join in that he or she would be allowed. It pretty much takes an entire school group to keep the garrison flag off the ground. If there are no organized groups, volunteers come from ordinary visitors, with an emphasis on children who are big enough for the task—middle schoolers will certainly do the trick. Of course, this does not prohibit adults from joining in on the fun.

Flag changes typically take place each day at 10 AM and 4 PM (5 PM on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer). If you plan to visit Fort McHenry, I highly recommend scheduling your stop to correspond with one of these times. However, keep in mind that times can always change, so be sure to get the latest schedule at the official Fort McHenry Ranger Programs web page before heading out to the park.