Extrait du livre The Rockets' Red Glare
The Rockets' Red Glare by Peter Alderman and Bea Moritz Flowerpot Children's press
The Rockets' Red Glare
Our national anthem is sung at sporting and military events all across the country, but have you ever stopped to think about what the words really mean? Who wrote the lyrics that so many Americans know by heart? Where did the author get the inspiration for this patriotic song? A trip back through history to the choppy waters of the Chesapeake Bay will reveal the answers to these and many more questions about our nation’s song.
In the early 1800s, Britain was at war with France. Britain decided to prevent the United States from sending goods to France by stopping and searching U.S. vessels bound for France. Many Americans were captured and forced to work on British ships. It was then that U.S. President James Madison asked Congress to declare war on Britain. This became known as the War of 1812. By 1814, the war had found its way to the coast of the United States, in the Chesapeake Bay… Waves splashed against the shore, and the sky above was blanketed with thick clouds as occasional rays of sunlight streamed through the mist. The small United States government boat, The Surprise, with the white flag of truce fluttering high from the center mast, knifed its way through the water. Francis Scott Key, a young Baltimore lawyer, never imagined that friendship, loyalty, or patriotism would place him on such a perilous mission...
As the waves tossed their vessel, Mr. Key wondered if he and his friend Colonel Skinner could succeed in their mission. Their friend, Dr. William Beanes, had been captured and was being held prisoner by the British forces. Armed only with courage and official papers provided by President Madison, Mr. Key hoped to negotiate for his friend’s release. After all, Dr. Beanes was not a soldier, but a private citizen. He had even entertained British officers of the flagship, and had treated the wounds of some of the British military. However, those deeds might not be remembered with combat ready to erupt any minute. Mr. Key and Colonel Skinner were finally alongside the anchored British flagship, the H.M.S. Tonnant. Their hearts beat with nervous anticipation. They climbed onto the ship’s deck—and were graciously received by Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane. The Admiral reviewed the papers carefully and agreed to allow Dr. Beanes to go free, under one condition: that Mr. Key and his entourage promise not to go back to shore where they could warn the U.S. troops of the impending assault, but instead to take their sloop out of harm’s way and wait until the battle subsided. The Admiral added that they should take a good look at their red, white, and blue flag, for they would not see it the next morning. Mr. Key and his companions boarded their craft and gazed at the U.S. flag waving over the fort. As their boat surged through the waters, away from the impending battle, they wondered if the Admiral would be correct—that they would not see their waving flag the next morning. Mr. Key feared for the soldiers at Fort McHenry. He feared for his brother-in-law who was stationed there. He knew that the fort was undermanned. He knew that warding off an assault by such a powerful British navy would take great courage...
