Hymns - The Star Spangled Banner

July 03, 2008 04:33 pm

— Francis Scott Key was born on Aug. 1, 1779, to a well-established Maryland family in Fredrick. His birth took place on the family estate of Terra Rubra. He attended grammar school, high school and later graduated from St. John’s College in Annapolis at age 17. By 1805, at age 26, Key had established a law practice in Georgetown, Md. By the time he reached age 35, he had appeared many times before the U.S. Supreme Court. The site of his house on M Street is now a Memorial Park.
Francis Scott Key was a religious man and was involved in the Episcopal Church. Although he was opposed to the war, he served for a brief period in the Georgetown Light Field Artillery (1813-1814). During the Battle of Bladensburg, Key assigned field positions to American Troops.
In August 1814, Key’s friend, Dr. William Beanes, was taken prisoner by the British troops soon after its departure from Washington. Key left for Baltimore to obtain the services of Col. John Skinner, the government’s prisoner of war exchange agent. Together they sailed down the bay on a truce ship, and met the British fleet. Key used his lawyer skills and successfully negotiated the doctor’s release, but he, Dr. Beanes and agent Skinner were detained by the British until after the attack on Baltimore.
Key’s vessel was eight miles below the fort during the bombardment, under the watchful eye of a British war ship. It was at this time that he witnessed the British attack on Fort McHenry, after which he was inspired to write the “The Star Spangled Banner.” The date was Sept.13, 1814. After witnessing the valiant defense of Fort McHenry by American forces, Francis Scott Key said, “Then in that hour of deliverance, my heart spoke. Does not such a country and such defenders of their country, deserve a song?”
After the war, Key served as a U.S. District Attorney and continued his work in the Episcopal Church, writing several hymns. On Feb 11, 1843, he died with pleurisy while visiting his sister in Baltimore. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fredrick, Md. The flag he so honored flies there day and night, and also at Fort McHenry as a reminder of those events in September 1814 that gave birth to our anthem and pride in our nation.
In 1931, Congress enacted legislation that made The Star Spangled Banner the official national anthem.

Stories Behind the Hymns is taken from “104 Of My Favorite Hymn Stories, Vols. I and II,” written by Warren Shiver of Biscoe. He can be reached by e-mail at wshiver99@embarqmail.com or by snail mail at P.O. Box 775, Biscoe, NC 27209. Visit www.myfavoritehymnstories.com for more information on purchasing the books.