MD -- Fort McHenry Natl Monument -- Pictures From Outside Fort:
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FTMCHO_100705_001.JPG: Orpheus:
The heroic bronze figure in front of you is not, as many suppose, a likeness of Francis Scott Key. The statue represents Orpheus, the artful poet, musician, and singer of Greek mythology.
In 1914, Congress appropriated funds for a monument at Fort McHenry to mark the centennial of the writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the defense of Baltimore. "Orpheus with the Awkward Foot," the creation of sculptor Charles H Niehaus, was selected from thirty-four designs submitted in a national competition.
Orpheus is depicted playing the lyre, and stands twenty-four feed from head to toe. The marble base bears a medallion honoring Francis Scott Key, flanked by a procession of allegorical figures. The pedestal contains a time capsule filled with documents of patriotic and historic interest. In 1962, the statue was moved here from its original site near the fort's principal entrance.
FTMCHO_100705_012.JPG: Remember 1814:
Fort McHenry protected the water approaches to Baltimore for more than a hundred years, but was attacked only once. On September 13-14, 1814, British ships fired rockets and mortars at the fort for twenty-five hours. Fort McHenry withstood the bombardment, and when the smoke cleared the American flag was still waving where you see it now.
Francis Scott Key watched these dramatic events from the deck of a truce ship down the river to your left. His descriptions of the battle was immortalized in "The Star-Spangled Banner," the song that later became our National Anthem.
The fort had undergone many changes since 1814, yet many original structures survive in whole or part. Historic sites on this tour will help you to recall those unforgettable hours when Fort McHenry's defenders saved a city and inspired a song.
FTMCHO_100705_013.JPG: Fort McHenry in 1814:
The brick walls and earthen parapets of Fort McHenry have changed somewhat since 1814. Other structures have long since disappeared.
Many of the buildings inside the fort were modified for military purposes after 1814. Other structures were added later; these do not appear on the map.
Locations of several early buildings outside the fort are outlined in brick on the lawn.
FTMCHO_100705_029.JPG: Preservation of Earthworks:
Since 1813, earthworks like these once encircled the Star Fort to provide a safe passage for soldiers and to protect the brick walls from enemy artillery. In 1839, a post-rail fence was erected to protect the earthworks from erosion caused by grazing cattle, curious visitors and wandering soldiers. Today a similar fence helps park rangers protect these important features from continued erosion.
Please do not climb on these fragile resources.
"I have to the best of my ability, endeavored to preserve in good condition the slopes of this battery... On Sunday afternoons, at times the visitors are most numerous..."
-- Commanding Officer, January 1885
FTMCHO_100705_042.JPG: Sailors Fighting Sailors:
US Chesapeake Flotilla vs Royal Navy:
Sailors provided the backbone of Baltimore's defense during the War of 1812. A strong detachment of US Navy seamen defended trenches on the outskirts of the city while members of the US Chesapeake Flotilla served Fort McHenry's largest cannons in the Water Battery. Here, eighteen men strained to load, aim, and fire, each of the 12,000 pound cannons as enemy bombs and rockets burst overhead.
The 471 men of the US Chesapeake Bay Flotilla protected local residents of the Chesapeake Bay region and fought numerous battles with the Royal Navy before coming to Baltimore. Their combat experience and teamwork proved vital in repulsing the British ships.
"The houses in the city were shaken to their foundations for never, since the invention of cannon to the present day, were the number of pieces fired with so rapid succession."
-- 1814 newspaper report
"Bay and River craft men, seamen, ordinary seamen who have families, riggers, and naval mechanics out of employ will engage in this service."
-- Excerpt from an 1814 recruiting notice describing the type of men who joined the Flotilla
FTMCHO_100705_080.JPG: The Ravelin
FTMCHO_100705_124.JPG: Orpheus:
The heroic bronze figure in front of you is not, as many suppose, a likeness of Francis Scott Key. The statue represents Orpheus, the artful poet, musician, and singer of Greek mythology.
In 1914, Congress appropriated funds for a monument at Fort McHenry to mark the centennial of the writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the defense of Baltimore. "Orpheus with the Awkward Foot," the creation of sculptor Charles H Niehaus, was selected from thirty-four designs submitted in a national competition.
Orpheus is depicted playing the lyre, and stands twenty-four feed from head to toe. The marble base bears a medallion honoring Francis Scott Key, flanked by a procession of allegorical figures. The pedestal contains a time capsule filled with documents of patriotic and historic interest. In 1962, the statue was moved here from its original site near the fort's principal entrance.
FTMCHO_100705_148.JPG: Francis Scott Key
Born 1780
Died 1843
To Francis Scott Key, author of the Star-Spangled Banner and to the soldiers and sailors who took part in the battle of North Point and the defense of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.)
I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com
and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
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2010 photos: Equipment this year: I mostly used the Fuji S100fs until the third one broke and I started sending them back for repairs. Then I used either the Fuji S200EHX or the Nikon D90 until I got the S100fs ones repaired. At the end of the year I bought a Nikon D5000 but I returned it pretty quickly.
Trips this year:
Civil War Trust conferences (Lexington, KY and Nashville, TN), and
my 5th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including Los Angeles).
My office at the main Commerce Department building closed in October and I was shifted out to the Bureau of the Census in Suitland Maryland. It's good to have a job of course but that killed being able to see basically any cultural events during the day. There's basically nothing of interest that you can see around the Census building.
Number of photos taken this year: about 395,000..
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