Next morning, the British guns fell silent as a giant flag was raised above Fort McHenry. But whose? Straining to see in the light of the early dawn, he was able to count fifteen red and white stripes and fifteen stars on a field of blue.
Overcome by emotion, he penned a few lines in his notebook. His words resonate today just as powerfully as did the glaring rockets and bursting bombs of 1814.
At Fort McHenry this morning, park rangers showed us bombs like those that were shot over the harbor and helped us unroll an exact, full-sized replica of the flag that was flown 201 years ago. (Yesterday, we saw the original on proud display at the Smithsonian.)
When we sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" within the fort walls, it was with greater understanding and appreciation for Key's immortal words. "Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
 |
| The original flag as we saw it on the Smithsonian. Over the years, pieces were snipped and given as souvenirs before the Smithsonian acquired and preserved it. |
