Of the 60 soldiers in Captain Frederick Evans' company, U.S. Corps of Artillery, 16 soldiers occupied this room, sleeping four to a bunk. To enhance an esprit de corps, the color yellow, signifying the artillery service, was used on the wood trim and on the soldiers' uniforms. The soldiers, whose names were inscribed on the bunks, served for five years or the duration of the war, and received $8 per month.
Recruiting Notice
Of these "reputable young men" who garrisoned Ft. McHenry, only a third were born in America. In addition to the land bounties that had encouraged them to enlist, others served with a sense of patriotism defending their new home.
General Floor Plan (1814 period) of the Enlisted Men's Barracks No 2.
Completed in 1805, this barracks, like No.1, contained rooms like this one, each with a fireplace and a small garret above. In 1829 all the buildings were raised to their present appearance. Each room contained 16 soldiers. For meals, "bread and soup are the items of a soldier's diet."
U.S. Corps of Artillery, 1814
By the summer of 1814, Fort McHenry's soldiers wore this uniform, reproductions of which may be seen in this room.
(Courtesy, The Company of Military Historians)
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