The Bombardment of Fort McHenry

With British land forces stalled north and east of the city by defenses dug by citizens and 15,000 American troops, eyes now turned on the British Navy. If the navy would be able to sail into the Baltimore harbor, land forces could be reenforced by Naval guns bombarding American defenses, or even the city itself. Standing between the British Navy and the City of Baltimore were the defenses of Fort McHenry and its 1,000 American defenders. To dislodge the defenders from the fort, one of the longest bombardments in North American history would commence with the fate of the city, and perhaps the nation, at stake.