Existing comment:
Bombarding the Fort:
Of the over 50 warships of the British invasion fleet, only 17 made up the bombardment squadron. However, their weaponry was surprisingly powerful. Each of the five bomb ships could fire 190-pound shells over a mile high and two miles distant, dropping them over the fort where they exploded. The ship HMS Erebus fired Congreve Rockets that could set an entire building on fire. Although these shells were very inaccurate, they had a great psychological impact. Francis Scott Key described such weapons with the words, "the Rockets' red glare, the Bombs bursting in air."
(1) Replica of a British Congreve Rocket:
Developed by William Congreve, these rockets were introduced in 1804. The iron cylindrical case filled with black powder was a propulsion unit. Its fiery trail blazing across the sky was the "Rockets' red glare" of Key's song. The warhead contained gunpowder, burning tar and shrapnel.
(2) Congreve Rocket casing:
England, about 1812
Similar to those fired at Fort McHenry, this rocket was launched from HMS Menalaus and destroyed the farmhouse of a Mr. Frisby in Kent County in Maryland's Eastern Shore. To claim compensation from Congress, Frisby hired Georgetown lawyer Francis Scott Key and won his case.
(3) Bomb fragment
England, about 1812
Fragment of an exploded British mortar shell, one of the "Bombs bursting in air." At up to 190 pounds when whole, these shells were five times heavier and much more destructive than the biggest cannonballs available to the American defenders.
(4) Bomb fragment
England, about 1812
Another fragment of an exploded British mortar shell, one of the "Bombs bursting in air" over Fort McHenry. Note the scorch marks on the outer side.
(5) Carcass shell
England, about 1812
Fired from the HMS Volcano, this type of shell was a fire bomb. Its holes allowed a burning stick mixture of tar and resin to spill out. The British hoped to burn the city of Baltimore with such shells. |