The original battle scarred American Flag that flew over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry during the failed bombardment by the British fleet in September 1814 signaling that the end of the War of 1812 was in sight and America would keep its fledgling independence from Crown colonial rule forever. The garrison sized flag still proudly waving after the British retreat and visible to poet Francis Scott Key at the sound of the Fort’s morning gun prompted his ode to a “Star Spangled Banner” which was destined to become America’s National Anthem.
The above photo is the last time it was displayed in public at the Philadelphia Naval Yard before being permanently retired to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC for conservation. …further facts here 👇