Early military installations and defenses of the United States began to appear prior to, during, and after the Revolutionary War. Many of these structures were built along waterways and near ports and port cities as a means to defend the country from any new attack. Many defense structures were built with both land and sea defense in mind. A great example of early American defense design exists at the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore, Maryland.
This fort is in the five-pointed star design. A design created in the late 1500s when gunpowder and cannons became serious threats to traditional defense methods. The star shape also provides numerous points, or bastions, from which every other defense point could be seen, meaning the fort and surrounding areas could be observed and guarded by only five men if necessary.
But the design of this fort is not what makes it famous. It was during the only attack on the fort, in the War of 1812, that British warships bombarded Fort McHenry for more than 24 hours in what is known as the Battle of Baltimore, which brought the fort its everlasting celebrity. The British navy fought to enter Baltimore Harbor, but American defenses prevented them. They were able to approach Fort McHenry and fire on it. Their naval resources and weaponry were equally matched to the American defenses and there were very few casualties. At dawn residents of the city, and a visiting lawyer named Francis Scott Key, saw the forts’ enormous American flag waving and intact. At that instant Key began to compose a poem he called “The Defense of Fort McHenry,” and which later became America’s national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”.
The fort continued to serve as a defense point of the city until the Civil War when it was used as a prison for Confederate soldiers. During World War I the fort was transformed into a military hospital, and then further converted into a Coast Guard station during World War II. In 1939 the park was designated a national monument.
Over the years the nation has increased in size and this is reflected in the design of the American Flag, adding new stars for every new state. It has become a long-standing tradition that when a newly-designed flag is flown for the first time it flies over Fort McHenry.
The fort is now a tremendously popular visitor’s destination with many regular events taking place. Many visitors to the park come to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore every September 13-14. Many historical reenactments and special events occur at the park throughout the year.
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