Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
— War of 1812 —
After the stinging defeat at Bladensburg and invasion of Washington, Americans rallied to save Baltimore. All available able-bodied men were called to build defenses. Black and white, slave and free, united to dig earthworks across Hampstead Hill and adjacent heights.
British land forces approaching on September 13, 1814, stopped at the sight of the well-armed defenses. Deciding that storming the American stronghold would be too costly, the British army retreated.
Baltimore's Heroes-Credit for the defenses goes to Major General Samuel Smith and Commodore John Rogers. Smith coordinated the overall effort. Rodgers commanded Hampstead Hill, including a bastion where the pagoda now stands
(Inscriptions near the images on the left) Major General Samuel Smith by Rembrandt Peale, ca. 1817-18-image courtesy Maryland Historical Society and Commodore John Rogers by John Wesley Jarvis, ca. 1814-image courtesy National Gallery of Art.
"(Baltimore) was...defended by extremely Strong Works on every Side, and immediately in front of us by an extensive Hill on which was an entrenched Camp and great quantities of artillery, and ...at least... 15 to 20,000 Men." -British Rear Admiral George Cockburn to Vice Admiral Alexander F.I. Cochrane, September 15, 1814.
(Inscription at the bottom) The Gathering of the Troops on Hampstead Hill by Thomas Ruckle-image courtesy Maryland Historical Society.
| HM Number | HM1IDA |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail series |
| Tags | |
| Placed By | National Park Service-United States Department of the Interior |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Monday, December 15th, 2014 at 1:02pm PST -08:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 18S E 363431 N 4350154 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 39.29000000, -76.58360000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 39° 17.4', W 76° 35.016' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 39° 17' 24" N, 76° 35' 0.96" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 410 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 101-199 S Patterson Park Ave, Baltimore MD 21224, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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