Existing comment:
Outer Battery:
This complex of earthen embankments and masonry structures has been the site of Fort McHenry's heaviest artillery since about 1840. The US Army kept this battery heavily armed during the Civil War to discourage any Confederate attempts to take Baltimore through naval attack or civil insurrection.
The large cannon you see today were mounted after the Civil War and are not associated with the famous 1814 bombardment. The big guns remained in service as late as 1912 but were never fired in battle.
A network of brick paths will lead you through the outer battery. The twelve Rodman guns still in place are well-preserved examples of coastal artillery dating from the Civil War through the 1890s. Beneath the earthworks are magazines and bombproofs designed to protect ammunition and personnel from enemy fire. |