On Post at Fort McHenry in Baltimore

Welcome to being “on post” at Fort McHenry.

Fort McHenry Exterior

The above photograph, “Fort McHenry Exterior,” is offered on canvas or as a framed print in sizes up to 60″ x 40″ by Bill Swartwout Photography. The scene was captured at the approximate area where you entering the grounds of the original fort at the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.

Edge of The Post at Fort McHenryThe narrative from this placard reads:
Welcome! You are Now “On Post”
Fort McHenry, like military bases today, comprised many buildings. If you were here in 1814, you would be standing of the edge of the outer frill field. Behind it stood two buildings: a gun shed, where small field cannons were stored, and a stable for officers’ horses (foundations outlined in brick). A brick tavern sat just outside the entrance gate near those structures.

Fort McHenry - On Post - placard

The image on the placard above depicts: In 1814 two main roads led from the fort. One went to the city, and the other to the government dock. The scene above depicts an autumn day in 1814. The British have long since departed but the garrison remains on alert.

For more detail and to shop related Fort McHenry photographs visit Bill Swartwout Photography.

An Act of Defiance and Symbol of Perseverance

The Stars & Stripes fly over the Parade Ground

Once hoisted as an act of defiance and a symbol perseverance, the American Flag flew over Fort McHenry at the conclusion of the Battle of Baltimore.

Stars & Stripes over the Parade Ground

At the base of the [newly donated replica] flag mast near the entrance to the Interior Parade Ground of Fort McHenry is a placard with the following description:

In Full Glory Reflected

9:00 a.m., September 1814

Act of Defiance - In Full Glory Reflected placardThe bombardment has ended; the battle is over. As the rain clouds pass and the rays of the sun shine on the fort, the garrison, tired and relieved, stands upon the parade ground. All eyes stare at the large 30 x 42 foot American flag. Carefully kept dry throughout the stormy night, it is now hoisted as a special act of defiance and symbol of perseverance.

Seeing this flag from several miles away inspires Francis Scott Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner”.

“At this time the morning gun was fired, the flag hoisted, and Yankee Doodle played…
Private Isaac Munroe, Baltimore Fencibles, 1814.”

For this and other fine art photographs of Fort McHenry click Bill Swartwout Photography.

Stars and Stripes Flying over Fort McHenry

Stars and Stripes as a National Icon

Storm Flag at Fort McHenry

Inside the Vistor Center at Fort McHenry there are many displays with narrative about The Fort and our U.S. Flag. Here is one such description:

Stars and Stripes as a National IconIt reads: As American nationalism grew in the 1800s and early 1900s, so did the use of the flag as a national icon.

The Stars and Stripes had not been so widely used in the early years of the Republic, but its association with “The Star Spangled Banner” made it more popular. In 1848 the U.S. Army began carrying the flag into battle, and during the Civil War the Stars and Stripes was a highly visible symbol of the hope for a reunified nation.

In 1890s new patriotic organizations promoted flags for schools, the introduction of the Pledge of Allegiance and regulations against “misuse” of the flag. In their eyes the flag was a bulwark against threats to American identity from mass immigration and organized labor.

By the 1960s the American flag was seen by some to reflect a narrow and exclusive vision of American identity. In protest they burned or defaced flags, prompting Congress to criminalize such behavior in 1968. This legislation was repealed after the Supreme Court rules that flag burning was an expression of free speech. These struggles over the flag’s meaning are testaments to its enduring power as a national symbol. 

For fine art photographs of Fort McHenry click HERE – BillSwartwoutPhotography.com.

Storm Flag Flies Over Fort McHenry

Dramatic View: Fort McHenry Storm Flag

Baacklit Storm Flag at Fort McHenry

This “Storm Flag” is a replica of the original flag with 15 stars and 15 stripes and measures 17 ft. by 25 ft. This dramatic view is created by the strong, but nor overpowering, back-lighting by an afternoon sun. Bill (Bill Swartwout Photography @ USPictures.com) was actually standing in the enormous shadow of the flag when he captured this magnificent photograph. Click HERE for more details.

Colorful Stars & Stripes over Fort McHenry

When dawn broke in the morning…

Colorful Stars and Stripes

…at “the dawn’s early light” – Francis Scott Key could see the flag still flying over the fort. He was inspired by the sight to begin penning the words to The Star Spangled Banner that, of course, became the National Anthem of our United States of America. Click HERE for more detail.