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 Scourge of the Chesapeake"

WYPR - 88.1 FM Baltimore | By Ric Cottom

Published May 8, 2014 at 4:59 PM EDT

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England

When Rear-Admiral George Cockburn of the Royal Navy arrived in the Chesapeake in the spring of 1813, he was a naval hero of sterling reputation and a household name in Britain.

He departed later that summer with a price on his head and the towns and farms of the Chesapeake in smoking ruins. This is how it happened.