Existing comment:
Did Francis Scott Key really see the flag?
Key stated that he saw "the flag of our country" waving over the fort the morning after the battle. Other eyewitness include Private Isaac Munroe, a soldier at the fort who remarked that the large flag was hoisted at 9:00am as the fifes and drums played, "Yankee Doodle." One British eyewitness, Midshipman Robert Barrett, Royal Navy, wrote of seeing "a superb and splendid ensign" over the fort the morning after the attack.
Was this the largest flag ever flown?
No, in 1802 Armistead ordered a flag for Fort Niagara that was 36 x 48 feet. Three years after the War of 1812, the Secretary of War issued ordered that garrison flags were not to exceed 20 feet hoist by 40 feet fly.
Why does the flag have fifteen stripes?
The flag was altered by the Second Flag Act of 1794. The additional stars and stripes represent the new states of Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792).
Do the colors red, white and blue have an official meaning?
There is no official evidence for the symbolism attributed to the flag colors. However, many Americans find meaning in the belief that red stands for valor, white for liberty and blue for justice or loyalty. |