Maryland

Rockets' Red Glare: the War, the Song, and their Legacies

Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial CommissionMore than 700,000 people every year visit Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, the site that inspired our national anthem. In this series, WYPR tells stories of the War of 1812: the people, the places, and the song.This series has been funded in part with State Funds from the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.

Your Maryland - "The Burning of Havre de Grace"

WYPR - 88.1 FM Baltimore | By Ric Cottom

Published May 1, 2014 at 12:00 AM EDT

Courtesy Brown University Library

On a beautiful morning in May 1813, the people of Havre de Grace awoke to a terrifying sight.

Out on the bay were the towering masts of a British fleet, and rowing toward them were landing craft filled with Redcoats. Admiral Cockburn, “the scourge of the Chesapeake,” had brought his reign of terror to the place the Marquis de Lafayette had named "Harbor of Mercy". As his raiders swept ashore, the American militia fled, leaving only one defiant Irishman standing in their way. This is his story.