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130-547: More broadly, a garrison flag is a U.S. Army term for an extra-large national flag that is flown on Sundays, holidays, and special occasions. The U.S. Navy term is "holiday colors". With fifteen stripes, the Star-Spangled Banner remains the only official American flag to bear more than thirteen stripes. The flag was stitched from a combination of cotton and dyed English wool bunting. It has fifteen horizontal red and white stripes, as well as fifteen white stars in

260-471: A 10-degree angle in dim light. The Smithsonian has created a permanent exhibition to document the flag's history and significance, called "The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem ". Visitors are allowed a clear view of the flag, while it remains protected in a controlled environment. The National Museum of American History produced an online exhibition in conjunction with

390-533: A 13-year-old African American girl. In 1795, the number of stars and stripes was increased from 13 to 15 (to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky as states of the Union). For a time the flag was not changed when subsequent states were admitted, probably because it was thought that this would cause too much clutter. It was the 15-star, 15-stripe flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "Defence of Fort M'Henry", later known as " The Star-Spangled Banner ", which

520-761: A Standard" and asked for his "Ideas of the Plan of the Standard," adding that the War Board preferred a design they viewed as "a variant for the Marine Flag." Washington agreed that he preferred "the standard, with the Union and Emblems in the center." The drafts are lost to history but are likely to be similar to the first Jack of the United States . The origin of the stars and stripes design has been muddled by

650-583: A U.S. flag and Moon rocks to Mao Zedong during his visit to China in 1972. They are now on display at the National Museum of China . The U.S. flag took its first trip around the world in 1787–1790 on board the Columbia . William Driver , who coined the phrase "Old Glory", took the U.S. flag around the world in 1831–32. The flag attracted the notice of the Japanese when an oversized version

780-663: A claim during his own life when he sent a letter and several bills to Congress for his work. These claims are documented in the Journals of the Continental Congress and George Hasting's biography of Hopkinson. Hopkinson initially wrote a letter to Congress, via the Continental Board of Admiralty, on May 25, 1780. In this letter, he asked for a "Quarter Cask of the Public Wine" as payment for designing

910-435: A cleaning treatment for the flag following scientific analysis was the third phase. In the fourth and final phase of the project, curators, scientists, and conservators developed a long-term preservation plan. The restoration was completed in 2008 at a total cost in excess of $ 21 million. Following the reopening of the museum on November 21, 2008, the flag is now on display in a two-story display chamber that allows it to lie at

1040-654: A colonel of the Fort McHenry Guard to participate in Defenders' Day reenactments in 2003, which he repeated as Governor of Maryland during 200th Anniversary events in 2014, in addition to composing Irish-style musical ballads about the "Battle of Baltimore" and the War of 1812 performed by his Irish music band "O'Malley's March"!. (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to

1170-722: A custodian. This was a product of the administration of James Buchanan's Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, Buchanan was one of the "Old Defenders", having been one of the Pennsylvania Militia at the fort during the Battle of Baltimore and Davis would go on to become the President of the Confederate States of America. Seeing the opportunity, if not by plan, one of the Baltimore city secessionist militia units,

1300-610: A decisive blow with the establishment of the National Guard of the United States since the creation of the National Guard effectively removed the local state militia as an active muscular component of local politics. A famous photograph from the early 1880s, shows one of the last reunions of "The Old Defenders" as a group of a half-dozen old be-whiskered gentlemen, garbed in black cut-away coats, cravat ties and top hats with gold-knobbed canes sitting on chairs in front of

1430-413: A flag act specified an official arrangement of the stars in the canton, namely six rows of eight stars each, where each star would point upward. The U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, however, had already been using standardized designs. Throughout the 19th century, different star patterns, both rectangular and circular, had been abundant in civilian use. In 1960, the current 50-star flag was adopted, incorporating

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1560-567: A flag as of the supposed visit in June 1776. Furthermore, her grandson admitted that his own search through the Journals of Congress and other official records failed to find corroborating evidence for his grandmother's story. George Henry Preble states in his 1882 text that no combined stars and stripes flag was in common use prior to June 1777, and that no one knows who designed the 1777 flag. Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich argues that there

1690-457: A fleet of 19 ships attacked Baltimore. The bombardment turned to Fort McHenry on the morning of September 13, and continuous shelling occurred for 25 hours under heavy rain. When the British ships were unable to pass the fort and penetrate the harbor, the attack was ended. There is conflicting evidence as to which flag, the larger garrison flag or the smaller storm flag, flew over the fort during

1820-661: A later bombardment and attempted naval barge invasion. It was during this conflict, the Battle of Baltimore , that Fort McHenry was shelled by the British Royal Navy 's revolutionary newly constructed bomb and mortar ketches warships. Although the attacking fleet stayed out of the shorter range of McHenry's artillery, the Americans refused to surrender, and inspired Maryland lawyer and amateur poet from Frederick named Francis Scott Key , (1779-1843), after witnessing

1950-575: A painting by John Trumbull . Despite the 1777 resolution, the early years of American independence featured many different, hand-crafted flags. As late as 1779, Captain John Manley believed that the United States "had no national colors" so each ship flew whatever flag pleased the captain. Some of the early flags included blue stripes as well as red and white. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams , in an October 3, 1778, letter to Ferdinand I of

2080-766: A popular history of the American flag. Preble had the flag quilted to a canvas sail, and unfurled it at the Boston Navy Yard to take the first known photograph of it. He then put the flag on display at the headquarters of the New England Historic Genealogical Society for several weeks. It was then kept in the Society's vault until 1876, when it was taken to the vault of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania . It

2210-565: A story disseminated by the descendants of Betsy Ross . The apocryphal story credits Betsy Ross for sewing one of the first flags from a pencil sketch handed to her by George Washington. No such evidence exists either in George Washington's diaries or the Continental Congress's records. Indeed, nearly a century passed before Ross's grandson, William Canby, first publicly suggested the story in 1870. By her family's own admission, Ross ran an upholstery business, and she had never made

2340-415: A wave of "Flagmania". The Stars and Stripes, which had had no real place in the public conscious, suddenly became a part of the national identity. The flag became a symbol of the Union, and the sale of flags exploded at this time. Historian Adam Goodheart wrote: For the first time American flags were mass-produced rather than individually stitched and even so, manufacturers could not keep up with demand. As

2470-647: A white background. Hopkinson's sketches have not been found, but we can make these conclusions because Hopkinson incorporated different stripe arrangements in the Admiralty (naval) Seal that he designed in the Spring of 1780 and the Great Seal of the United States that he proposed at the same time. His Admiralty Seal had seven red stripes; whereas his second U.S. Seal proposal had seven white ones. Remnants of Hopkinson's U.S. flag of seven white stripes can be found in

2600-556: Is a longtime legal holiday on September 12, in the U.S. state of Maryland , in the City of Baltimore and surrounding Baltimore County . It commemorates the successful defense of the city of Baltimore on September 12-13-14, 1814 from an invading British force during the War of 1812 , an event which led to the writing of the words of a poem, which when set to music a few days later, became known as " The Star-Spangled Banner ", which in 1931

2730-687: Is also called nước Mỹ (or simpler Mỹ ) colloquially in Vietnamese before the name Měiguó was popular amongst Chinese, Hoa Kỳ is always recognized as the formal name for the United States with the Vietnamese state officially designates it as Hợp chúng quốc Hoa Kỳ ( chữ Hán : 合眾國花旗 , lit.   ' United states of the Flower Flag ' ). By that, in Vietnam, the U.S. is also nicknamed xứ Cờ Hoa ("land of Flower Flag") based on

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2860-511: Is called flower flag ginseng ( simplified Chinese : 花旗参 ; traditional Chinese : 花旗參 ) in Chinese, and Citibank , which opened a branch in China in 1902, is known as Flower Flag Bank ( 花旗银行 ). Similarly, Vietnamese also uses the borrowed term from Chinese with Sino-Vietnamese reading for the United States, as Hoa Kỳ from 花旗 ("Flower Flag"). Even though the United States

2990-637: Is now the American national anthem . The flag is currently on display in the exhibition "The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem" at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History in a two-story display chamber that protects the flag while it is on view. On April 4, 1818, a plan was passed by Congress at the suggestion of U.S. Naval Captain Samuel C. Reid in which

3120-400: Is that an Ohio teenager and later mayor of Napoleon, Ohio , named Robert G. Heft had designed the 50-star flag, but this was debunked by Alec Nevala-Lee in his investigative article "False Flag" on June 30, 2022. Before the publication of said article the myth had been cited as fact in numerous sources, including Misplaced Pages. On July 4, 2007, the 50-star flag became the version of the flag in

3250-465: Is that the design was inspired by the coat of arms of George Washington's family , which includes three red stars over two horizontal red bars on a white field. Despite the similar visual elements, there is "little evidence" or "no evidence whatsoever" to support the claimed connection with the flag design. The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington , published by the Fred W. Smith National Library for

3380-523: The Boston Courier and later retold by author and U.S. naval officer George H. Preble : When the thirteen stripes and stars first appeared at Canton, much curiosity was excited among the people. News was circulated that a strange ship had arrived from the further end of the world, bearing a flag "as beautiful as a flower". Every body went to see the kwa kee chuen [ 花旗船 ; Fākeìsyùhn ], or "flower flagship". This name at once established itself in

3510-603: The American Civil War . The third was the transition from parochial patriotism to national patriotism during the Civil War. Finally in the fourth phase, after the Civil War, the local militia disappeared (later reorganized into state National Guard with divided state and Federal authority / command structure by the 1880s) and the local parochial patriotic military units traditions were largely forgotten or replaced with new national patriotic ideas and traditions. In

3640-459: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . During the riot the 6th was attacked by an armed mob and fought its way west on Baltimore Street, the 6th broke and was chased by the mob through the downtown streets, and the 6th's armory was attacked and the remaining militia driven from their armory. The 6th Maryland was disbanded several years later and the unit blamed for all police and militia violence against

3770-470: The Battle Monument , turned to march on the fort. When the 5th reached the fort they found it already occupied by the 53rd. Thereby the secessionist militia from one part of the city lost the race to the fort to a pro-Union militia unit from another part of the city. The result was a non-violent standoff that was resolved when the secessionist militia marched back to its neighborhood and the conflict

3900-743: The British Union Flag in the canton . It first appeared on December 3, 1775, when Continental Navy Lieutenant John Paul Jones flew it aboard Captain Esek Hopkins ' flagship Alfred in the Delaware River . Prospect Hill was the location of George Washington 's command post during the Siege of Boston in the American Revolution . On New Year's Day in 1776, Washington conducted a flag-raising ceremony to raise

4030-592: The Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment . Both the stripes (barry) and the stars (mullets) have precedents in classical heraldry. Mullets were comparatively rare in early modern heraldry. However, an example of mullets representing territorial divisions predating the U.S. flag is the Valais 1618 coat of arms, where seven mullets stood for seven districts . Another widely repeated theory

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4160-548: The Continental Congress did not adopt flags with "stars, white in a blue field" for another year. It has historically been referred to as the first national flag of the United States. Often referred to as the Cambridge Flag and Grand Union Flag; the terms domain did not come into use until the 19th century. Although it has been claimed that the more recent moniker, Grand Union Flag, was first applied to

4290-494: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was composed of the 4th, 5th and 6th Maryland militia regiments. The former Confederate 5th Maryland being drawn from veterans of the 1st Maryland C.S.A., the 6th Maryland being composed of Union Army veterans and the 4th Maryland of indeterminate origins. Each militia unit had its headquarters and armory close to one of the large railroad stations. The 5th Regiment Armory above

4420-762: The Hoa Kỳ designation. Additionally, the seal of Shanghai Municipal Council in Shanghai International Settlement from 1869 included the U.S. flag as part of the top left-hand shield near the flag of the U.K. , as the U.S. participated in the creation of this enclave in the Chinese city of Shanghai. It is also included in the badge of the Gulangyu Municipal Police in the International Settlement of Gulangyu , Amoy . President Richard Nixon presented

4550-688: The President Street Station of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad on the east side of downtown to the Camden Street Station of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on the southwest side to continue on the rail line to get to Washington, D.C. to defend the national capital from recently seceded Virginia on Friday, April 19, 1861. The same units that attempted to prevent the movement of Federalized state militia troops through Baltimore were involved in

4680-471: The Siege of Fort Stanwix . Massachusetts reinforcements brought news of the adoption by Congress of the official flag to Fort Schuyler. Soldiers cut up their shirts to make the white stripes; scarlet material to form the red was secured from red flannel petticoats of officers' wives, while material for the blue union was secured from Capt. Abraham Swartwout's blue cloth coat. A voucher is extant that Congress paid Capt. Swartwout of Dutchess County for his coat for

4810-734: The Smithsonian Institution museums on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In 1907, Eben Appleton lent the flag to the Smithsonian, and it was put on display at the National Museum (now the Arts and Industries Building). In 1912, Appleton formally donated it to the Smithsonian. The flag was restored by Amelia Fowler in 1914. During World War II , from 1942 to 1944, the flag, along with many other objects in

4940-539: The United States , often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag , consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states , and the 13 stripes represent

5070-494: The thirteen British colonies that won independence from Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War . The flag was created as an item of military equipment to identity US ships and forts. It evolved gradually during early American history, and was not designed by any one person. The flag was mostly unknown to the American public until 1861, when it exploded in popularity as a symbol of opposition to

5200-490: The "Old Defenders" survived was for "Defenders' Day" programs that started with a rally and speeches at Baltimore's Battle Monument , the landmark memorial in the former colonial era courthouse square along North Calvert Street , between East Lexington and East Fayette Streets. Following the speeches, the militia units marched from the Battle Monument either out on Eastern Avenue then south on old North Point Road into

5330-426: The "Star-Spangled Banner" following the bombardment of the fort by British naval forces, instead of the commemoration of Battle of North Point and Baltimore's Battle Monument. The Great Depression of the 1930s curtailed the celebrations somewhat, and they continued to wane in popularity through World War II and the 1960s, when dissatisfaction with martial matters caused by the unpopular Vietnam War were noted. It

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5460-519: The 1814 Battle of Baltimore. Nativism returned with the Confederate veterans after the Civil War. After the Civil War the militia in Baltimore was divided between Union veterans and initially illegal militias of Confederate veterans. Prior to the 1877 riots the Confederate militia was legalized as the 5th Maryland. Baltimore's militia on the eve of the nationwide labor strife and riots in July 1877,

5590-445: The 20th century, the flag is among the most widely recognized symbols in the world, and is used to represent the United States. The flag has become a powerful symbol of Americanism , and is flown on many occasions, with giant outdoor flags used by retail outlets to draw customers. Reverence for the flag has at times reached religion-like fervor : in 1919 William Norman Guthrie 's book The Religion of Old Glory discussed "the cult of

5720-496: The 5th Maryland Regiment ("Dandy Fifth"), planned to seize the fort on Defenders' Day, September 12, 1860. The plot was discovered, an anti-secessionist militia unit (elements of the 53rd Maryland) rowed in the darkness from Fells Point to the fort the night before Defenders' Day. The 5th Maryland departed from the grounds of the Baltimore Excelsiors baseball club near Bolton Hill , but instead of turning to march to

5850-632: The Army in 1918 for use as the nation's largest military hospital for World War I returning casualties. Before the temporary transition of Fort McHenry to the City of Baltimore, the last of the "Old Defenders" died in the 1880s and the task of maintaining the traditions of Defender's Day passed to the General Society of the War of 1812 in Maryland, which now was composed of sons and grandsons along with

5980-470: The British on a truce ship in the Patapsco River , Key observed the battle from afar. When he saw the garrison flag flying in the morning, he composed a poem he originally titled "Defence of Fort McHenry." The poem would be put to the music of a common tune, retitled " The Star-Spangled Banner ", and a portion of it would later be adopted as the national anthem of the United States. After the battle,

6110-615: The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter . It came to symbolize the Union side of the American Civil War ; Union victory solidified its status as a national flag. Because of the country's emergence as a superpower in the 20th century, the flag is now among the most widely recognized symbols in the world. Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes , Old Glory , and the Star-Spangled Banner . The Pledge of Allegiance and

6240-486: The Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: " Resolved , That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. While scholars still argue about this, tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June 1777 by

6370-612: The Continental Union Flag by G. Henry Preble in his Reconstruction era book Our Flag; the first substantiated use of the name came from Philadelphia resident T. Westcott in 1852 when replying to an inquiry made in Notes and Queries , a London periodical, as to the origin of the U.S. flag. The flag very closely resembles the East India Company flag of the era. Sir Charles Fawcett argued in 1937 that

6500-462: The Great Seal of the United States and the President's seal. The stripe arrangement would have been consistent with other flags of the period that had seven stripes below the canton, or blue area with stars. For example, two of the earliest known examples of Stars and Stripes flags were painted by a Dutch artist who witnessed the arrival of Navy Lieutenant John Paul Jones' squadron in Texel, The Netherlands, in 1779. The two flags have seven stripes below

6630-494: The Smithsonian's collection, was kept for safekeeping at a warehouse at Shenandoah National Park . In 1964, the flag was moved across the National Mall to the newly opened Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History). It was hung in Flag Hall, a three-story central atrium designed for this purpose. A conservation effort was undertaken in 1982 to protect the flag from damage due to dust and light. Years of accumulated dust were carefully vacuumed from

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6760-459: The Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon , calls it an "enduring myth" backed by "no discernible evidence." The story seems to have originated with the 1876 play Washington: A Drama in Five Acts , by the English poet Martin Farquhar Tupper , and was further popularized through repetition in the children's magazine St. Nicholas . The first official U.S. flag flown during battle was on August 3, 1777, at Fort Schuyler (Fort Stanwix) during

6890-488: The Two Sicilies , described the American flag as consisting of "13 stripes, alternately red, white, and blue, a small square in the upper angle, next to the flagstaff, is a blue field, with 13 white stars, denoting a new Constellation." John Paul Jones used a variety of 13-star flags on his U.S. Navy ships including the well-documented 1779 flags of the Serapis and the Alliance . The Serapis flag had three rows of eight-pointed stars with red, white, and blue stripes. However,

7020-412: The U.S. flag, the seal for the Admiralty Board, the seal for the Treasury Board, Continental currency, the Great Seal of the United States , and other devices. However, in three subsequent bills to Congress, Hopkinson asked to be paid in cash, but he did not list his U.S. flag design. Instead, he asked to be paid for designing the "great Naval Flag of the United States" in the first bill; the "Naval Flag of

7150-467: The United States was not unique in adoring its banner, for the flags of Scandinavian countries are also "beloved, domesticated, commercialized and sacralized objects". When the flag was officially adopted in 1777, the colors of red, white and blue were not given an official meaning. However, when Charles Thomson , Secretary of the Continental Congress, presented a proposed U.S. seal in 1782, he explained its center section in this way: The colours of

7280-482: The United States" in the second bill; and "the Naval Flag of the States" in the third, along with the other items. The flag references were generic terms for the naval ensign that Hopkinson had designed: a flag of seven red stripes and six white ones. The predominance of red stripes made the naval flag more visible against the sky on a ship at sea. By contrast, Hopkinson's flag for the United States had seven white stripes and six red ones – in reality, six red stripes laid on

7410-404: The War of 1812 remain throughout "The Monumental City" (the designation of Baltimore as "The Monumental City" was made by sixth President John Quincy Adams in 1827, during a toast at a civic banquet). In 1854, a committee gathered on the fortieth anniversary with the notion of erecting a monument to Wells and McComas. On September 10, 1858, after securing and investing the funds for the project,

7540-421: The adoption of the East India Company flag by the United Colonies . He said to George Washington, "While the field of your flag must be new in the details of its design, it need not be entirely new in its elements. There is already in use a flag, I refer to the flag of the East India Company." This was a way of symbolizing American loyalty to the Crown as well as the colonies' aspirations to be self-governing, as

7670-430: The anniversary of the battle. It reportedly decorated the hall of the Baltimore Athenaeum during a memorial service for Lafayette in 1834. It was displayed outside Armistead's son's home for the 1844 Whig National Convention . The Armisteads' daughter, Georgiana Armistead Appleton, inherited the flag upon her mother's death in 1861. In 1873, Appleton lent the flag to George Henry Preble , a naval officer who had written

7800-435: The army was not officially sanctioned to carry the United States flag into battle. It was not until 1834 that the artillery was allowed to carry the American flag; the army would be granted to do the same in 1841. However, in 1847, in the middle of the war with Mexico , the flag was limited to camp use and not allowed to be brought into battle.) Some wanted to remove the stars of the states which had seceded but Abraham Lincoln

7930-419: The battle. Historians suggest that the storm flag flew through the night, and the garrison flag was hoisted in the morning, after the British retreated. On the morning of September 14, when the flag was seen flying above the ramparts, it was clear that Fort McHenry remained in American hands. This revelation was famously captured in poetry by Francis Scott Key , an American lawyer and amateur poet. Being held by

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8060-429: The battlefield grounds, and later celebrations involved the entire city of Baltimore, with parades and speeches. Initially, the commemoration of Defenders Day was divided between the two sites; one focusing on the Battle of North Point and the other on " The Star-Spangled Banner " and the bombardment of Fort McHenry . The development of the holiday followed the evolution of the local state militia units. The first phase

8190-540: The blue field. The two additional stars and stripes, approved by the United States Congress 's Flag Act of 1794, represent Vermont and Kentucky 's entrance into the Union. The stars are arranged in vertical rows, with five horizontal rows of stars, offset, each containing three stars. At the time, the practice of adding stripes (in addition to stars) with the induction of a new state had not yet been discontinued. The flag originally measured 30 by 42 feet (9.1 by 12.8 m) and weighed about 50 pounds (23 kg). Each of

8320-409: The bodies of the teen militiamen were exhumed and placed in the old Maryland Institute (then located above Centre Market - or "Marsh Market" on East Baltimore Street at the west bank of the Jones Falls in Market Place). Thousands of people visited the coffins during the three days leading up to September 12, the anniversary of the Battle of North Point , when the official cornerstone for the memorial

8450-422: The canton. When Hopkinson was chairman of the Navy Board, his position was like that of today's Secretary of the Navy. The payment was not made, most likely, because other people had contributed to designing the Great Seal of the United States , and because it was determined he already received a salary as a member of Congress. This contradicts the legend of the Betsy Ross flag , which suggests that she sewed

8580-482: The companion heritage society United States Daughters of 1812. This also coincided with the creation of the National Guard and the dissolution of the old militia units. The largest celebration was held on the fabled and elaborate "National Star-Spangled Banner Centennial Celebration" for the one hundredth anniversary for a week in September 1914, which included memorial monuments, statuary and bronze plaques erected, pageants, exhibits, parades, fireworks with reenacting of

8710-412: The company flag inspired the design of the U.S. flag. Both flags could easily have been constructed by adding white stripes to a red ensign , one of the three maritime flags used throughout the British Empire at the time. However, the East India Company flag could have from nine to 13 stripes and was not allowed to be flown outside the Indian Ocean . Benjamin Franklin once gave a speech endorsing

8840-440: The county to the battlefield at North Point or took a steamship excursion from "The Basin" (today's Inner Harbor ) of the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River downriver and up Bear Creek. At North Point, the militia units participated in a sham battle, and then march to the former Loudenschlager's Hill (now Hampstead Hill, in what is now Patterson Park in the Highlandtown - Canton communities of East Baltimore). Hampstead Hill

8970-415: The earlier demonstration at Fort McHenry. The secessionist unit that featured most prominently on both occasions were the "Baltimore Law Greys" of the 5th Maryland. The Law Greys as part of Baltimore's First Light Division, Maryland Volunteers were disbanded in Baltimore and reformed in Virginia as the 1st Maryland Infantry Regiment, C.S.A. The move away from the Battle of North Point to Fort McHenry

9100-581: The enemy, who just happened to be falling into a trap, facing a series of pre-planned defensive lines dug over the previous year, landing precisely where Smith had expected them to be. After the bloodying and stalwart defense of six regiments, the Americans slowly withdrew back towards town, with the resulting halt of the larger British force to lick their wounds and tend to casualties overnight. This also allowed Baltimore to further organize its eastern dug-in fortifications on Loudenschlager's, Potter's Hills (modern site of Patterson Park ) and harbor defenses against

9230-406: The fifteen stripes is 2 feet (0.61 m) wide, and each of the stars measures about 2 feet (0.61 m) in diameter. Several feet of fabric have been lost from the flag's fly end, from cuttings that were given away as souvenirs and gifts, as well as from deterioration from continued use. It now measures 30 by 34 feet (9.1 by 10.4 m). The flag currently has only fourteen stars—the fifteenth star

9360-421: The first Stars and Stripes flag at the request of the government in the Spring of 1776. On 10 May 1779, a letter from the War Board to George Washington stated that there was still no design established for a national standard, on which to base regimental standards, but also referenced flag requirements given to the board by General von Steuben . On 3 September, Richard Peters submitted to Washington "Drafts of

9490-451: The first phase the local militia viewed the national government as allies. During the second the parochial political-militia-business alliance viewed the national government with increasing hostility, as expressed by the Maryland state anthem " Maryland, My Maryland ", written after civil strife ("Pratt Street Riots") on Baltimore streets at the beginning of the Civil War in April 1861. During

9620-481: The flag came into the possession of Major Armistead. How and when this occurred is unclear. Upon his death in 1818, the flag passed to his widow, Louisa Hughes Armistead. Louisa occasionally allowed the flag to be used for civic occasions. It was flown at Fort McHenry in 1824 at a reception for the Marquis de Lafayette during his tour of America . Some years, it was flown at Baltimore's celebration of Defenders Day ,

9750-636: The flag for the Alliance had five rows of eight-pointed stars with 13 red and white stripes, and the white stripes were on the outer edges. Both flags were documented by the Dutch government in October 1779, making them two of the earliest known flags of 13 stars. Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey , a naval flag designer and a signer of the Declaration of Independence , designed a flag in 1777 while he

9880-415: The flag was changed to have 20 stars, with a new star to be added when each new state was admitted, but the number of stripes would be reduced to 13 so as to honor the original colonies . The act specified that new flag designs should become official on the first July 4 ( Independence Day ) following the admission of one or more new states. In 1912, the 48-star flag was adopted. This was the first time that

10010-412: The flag were not standardized until 1934. The flag of the United States is the nation's most widely recognized symbol. Within the United States, flags are frequently displayed not only on public buildings but on private residences. The flag is a common motif on decals for car windows, and on clothing ornamentation such as badges and lapel pins. Owing to the United States's emergence as a superpower in

10140-608: The flag" and formally proposed vexillolatry . Despite a number of attempts to ban the practice, desecration of the flag remains protected as free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution . Scholars have noted the irony that "[t]he flag is so revered because it represents the land of the free, and that freedom includes the ability to use or abuse that flag in protest". Comparing practice worldwide, Testi noted in 2010 that

10270-540: The flag. The 1777 resolution was probably meant to define a naval ensign . In the late 18th century, the notion of a national flag did not yet exist or was only nascent. The flag resolution appears between other resolutions from the Marine Committee. On May 10, 1779, Secretary of the Board of War Richard Peters expressed concern that "it is not yet settled what is the Standard of the United States." However,

10400-474: The former Confederate veterans and after a struggle between the militias, formed from the Union veterans and their rival militias formed from Confederate veterans, the post Civil War militias were replaced by the creation of the Maryland National Guard . The replacement of the state militias by the National Guard also produced a replacement of the politics and cultural traditions that supported

10530-563: The fort's commander, expressed the desire for a very large flag to fly over the fort, General John S. Stricker and Commodore Joshua Barney placed an order for two oversized American flags. The larger of the two flags would be the Great Garrison Flag, the largest battle flag ever flown at the time. The smaller of the two flags would be the Storm Flag, to be more durable and less prone to fouling in inclement weather. The flag

10660-474: The front and back of the flag. An opaque curtain was installed in front of it, allowing visitors to view the flag only for one minute, twice an hour, when the curtain was lowered. Due to environmental and light damage, a four-phase restoration project began in May 1999. In the first phase, the team removed the linen support backing that was attached to the flag during the 1914 restoration. The second phase consisted of

10790-497: The garrison from Fort McHenry to Fort Howard. In addition, on the southern shores of the harbor, in Anne Arundel County , Fort Armistead was constructed on Hawkins Point to the south, and further south was smaller Fort Smallwood at Rock Point. The City of Baltimore began a campaign that eventually led to Fort McHenry being acquired by the city as a park, held briefly from 1914 to 1917, before being requisitioned again by

10920-528: The growing popularity of the " Star-Spangled Banner " as the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy unofficially adopted the song to be played at all military functions in the 1890s. The demise of the 6th Maryland and the ascendency of the 5th Maryland can be viewed as part of the national political changes ending the Reconstruction Era of the United States and the Compromise of 1877 . Nativism was dealt

11050-528: The historic Star Fort), shortly after the temporary military hospital buildings had been razed and the grounds restored to a park-like scene, at Fort McHenry of "Orpheus with the Awkward Foot" by 29th President Warren G. Harding sealed the prominence of the "Star Fort" in future Defenders' Day observances. The completion of the Orpheus statue at Fort McHenry further emphasized the story of the writing of

11180-445: The holiday Flag Day are dedicated to it. The number of stars on the flag is increased as new states join the United States. The last adjustment was made in 1960, following the admission of Hawaii . The current design of the U.S. flag is its 27th; the design of the flag has been modified officially 26 times since 1777. The 48-star flag was in effect for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4, 1959. The 50-star flag

11310-440: The language, and America is now called the kwa kee kwoh [ 花旗國 ; Fākeìgwok ], the "flower flag country"—and an American, kwa kee kwoh yin [ 花旗國人 ; Fākeìgwokyàhn ]—"flower flag countryman"—a more complimentary designation than that of "red headed barbarian"—the name first bestowed upon the Dutch. In the above quote, the Chinese words are written phonetically based on spoken Cantonese . The names given were common usage in

11440-495: The long winter of 1861 turned into spring, that old flag meant something new. The abstraction of the Union cause was transfigured into a physical thing: strips of cloth that millions of people would fight for, and many thousands die for. In the Civil War, the flag was allowed to be carried into battle, reversing the 1847 regulation which prohibited this. (During the American Revolutionary War and War of 1812

11570-424: The longest use, surpassing the 48-star flag that was used from 1912 to 1959. The U.S. flag was brought to the city of Canton (Guǎngzhōu) in China in 1784 by the merchant ship Empress of China , which carried a cargo of ginseng . There it gained the designation "Flower Flag" ( Chinese : 花旗 ; pinyin : huāqí ; Cantonese Yale : fākeì ). According to a pseudonymous account first published in

11700-442: The militias. Hence, the commemoration of the Battle of North Point declined in favor of the celebration of "The Star-Spangled Banner". The North Point celebrations focused on local parochial politics. These celebrations centered on the "Old Defenders" (the veterans of the Battle of North Point ). The celebrations emphasized how the "Defenders" had stood against the British invader after the federal government had failed and Washington

11830-488: The morale of the men of the Continental Army . The standard account features the Continental Union Flag flying, although in 2006, Peter Ansoff advanced a theory that it was actually a British Union Flag instead. Others, such as Byron DeLear, have argued in favour of the traditional version of events. The Continental Union Flag remained the national flag until June 14, 1777. At the time of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, there were no flags with any stars on them;

11960-402: The most comprehensive, detailed examination of the condition and construction of the Star-Spangled Banner to date, which provided critical information for later work. This included scientific studies with infrared spectrometry, electron microscopy, mechanical testing, and determination of amino acid content by a New Zealand scientist, and infrared imaging by a NASA scientist. Planning and executing

12090-504: The most noble battle in U.S. military history. The Battle of Baltimore was entirely defensive and was fought by the citizens themselves. Notable examples are the speeches given by One of the "Old Defender's" Nathaniel Williams on September 12, 1857. A monument, a play, and ballads to the two soldiers credited with killing Major General Robert Ross , Pvts. Daniel Wells, such as "The Boy Martyrs of Sept. 12, 1814: A Local Historical Drama", were typical of this period. Today, numerous monuments to

12220-538: The most recent change, from 49 stars to 50, when the present design was chosen, after Hawaii gained statehood in August 1959. Before that, the admission of Alaska in January 1959 had prompted the debut of a short-lived 49-star flag. When Alaska and Hawaii were being considered for statehood in the 1950s, more than 1,500 designs were submitted to President Dwight D. Eisenhower . Although some were 49-star versions,

12350-464: The next 117 years, accepted by American armed forces bands by the 1890s and eventually proclaimed the national anthem of the United States by act of Congress , signed by the President , Herbert Hoover in 1931. Commemorations of the day of the victory, centering on Stricker's stand east of the city, began in the years shortly after the War. During the mid-19th century, Marylanders picnicked on

12480-422: The next 29 years, he allowed it to be displayed only once, in 1880, when it was paraded through the streets of Baltimore for the city's sesquicentennial celebration. The Armistead family occasionally gave away pieces of the flag as souvenirs and gifts. The flag that flew during that episode in history became a significant artifact. Today it is permanently housed in the National Museum of American History , one of

12610-489: The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Chinese now refer to the United States as Měiguó from Mandarin ( simplified Chinese : 美国 ; traditional Chinese : 美國 ). Měi is short for Měilìjiān ( simplified Chinese : 美利坚 ; traditional Chinese : 美利堅 , phono-semantic matching of "American") and "guó" means "country", so this name is unrelated to the flag. However, the "flower flag" terminology persists in some places today: for example, American ginseng

12740-489: The old Richmond Market at North Howard, West Read & West Biddle Streets, near the old Bolton Station of the Northern Central Railway , the 6th Regiment across the street from the old Phoenix Shot Tower , at East Fayette and North Front Streets, north of the President Street Station of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad and the 4th Regiment at Camden Street Station , headquarters of

12870-399: The old battlefield, and the occasional musket ball fired during the sham battle at the battlefield, than died during the actual battle. The commemoration in 1822 proved to be exceptionally lethal. An unusually hot September and dress parade heavy wool uniforms produced a significant loss due to heat stroke, resulting in a one-year break in the program. The occasional musket balls fired during

13000-455: The pales are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the colour of the Chief signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice. These meanings have broadly been accepted as official, with some variation, but there are other extant interpretations as well: Defenders Day (Maryland) Defenders Day

13130-598: The reopening of Flag Hall in 2008. An interactive component allows site visitors to closely explore features of the flag in detail, download an audio-descriptive tour of the exhibition for the visually-impaired, and hear the song performed on original instruments from the National Museum of American History's collection. A 2-inch by 5-inch fragment of the flag—white and red, with a seam down the middle—was sold at auction in Dallas, Texas on November 30, 2011, for $ 38,837:

13260-503: The rioters. Governor John Lee Carroll then declared that the designation of "6th Maryland" be forever stricken from the Maryland militia rolls. This left the formerly Confederate 5th Maryland as the dominant militia in Baltimore, thereby shaping how Defenders' Day was commemorated until the outbreak of World War I . The post-Civil War nativism peaked just after the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and then slowly faded with

13390-498: The second phase, the myth and lore of Defender's Day were used to support parochial Nativism (politics) . In the third phase the parochial nationalism and nativism of the pre-Civil War militia disappeared since those groups had moved to South Carolina or later Virginia to enlist and join individually or the Maryland southerner regiments in the Confederate States Army . In the fourth phase, nativism returned with

13520-418: The sham battle produced additional fatalities. In the years following one notable fatality, a new tradition appeared in Baltimore's daily newspapers that lasted until the Civil War; just prior to "Defenders' Day" perennial advertisements appeared in the Baltimore newspapers stating: "now available - blank ammunition.". Prior to the Civil War, the "Defenders' Day" speeches held that the Battle of Baltimore to be

13650-501: The shelling of Fort McHenry and the legendary dressing of thousands of school children in red-white-blue colors for a "Living Flag" display. The National Star-Spangled Banner Centennial was however overshadowed by the outbreak of the "Great War" World War I in Europe , the month before after nearly a century of peace on the continent. The dedication of the statue along the entrance driveway (later relocated to another spot further from

13780-655: The snippet was, presumably, cut from the famous flag as a souvenir in the mid-19th century. The framed remnant came with a faded, hand-written note attesting it was "A piece of the Flag which floated over Fort McHenry at the time of the bombardment when Key's [ sic ] composed the Song of the Star Spangled Banner, presented by Sam Beth Cohen." Flag of the United States The national flag of

13910-643: The southeast. They were met almost immediately by advance scouts and skirmishers ahead of a detachment from the Baltimore City Third Brigade of the Maryland state militia commanded by Brigadier General John Stricker , (1759-1825), commencing the Battle of North Point . Major General Samuel Smith , (1752-1839), of the Maryland Militia was in overall command of the city's defenses and had sent Stricker forward to probe and slow up

14040-470: The steps of the old historic "Druid Hill" mansion, once the estate of one of their notable officers, then the headquarters of Druid Hill Park , established in 1860. After the Spanish–American War of 1898, the expansion of Baltimore's harbor defenses included building/three additional fortified posts in the outer harbor of the lower Patapsco River . These were Fort Howard on North Point and moving

14170-720: The surrounding rural (now suburban) Baltimore County Sheriff's Office . As documented in The Baltimore Sun , in articles written in September 1860, the Secession Crisis prior to the November 1860 election caused a change in the Defenders' Day program. The federal troops that were stationed at Fort McHenry were deployed to the Mexican border leaving Fort McHenry empty, except for an old sergeant serving as

14300-483: The term "Standard" referred to a national standard for the Army of the United States. Each regiment was to carry the national standard in addition to its regimental standard. The national standard was not a reference to the national or naval flag. The Flag Resolution did not specify any particular arrangement, number of points, nor orientation for the stars and the arrangement or whether the flag had to have seven red stripes and six white ones or vice versa. The appearance

14430-418: The two days' attack with two companions from an American truce ship anchored and guarded along the sidelines of the enemy fleet. Key composed the words of a four stanza poem entitled "The Defence of Fort McHenry" to what later became " The Star-Spangled Banner ", when set a few days later to a musical tune popular with an old English gentlemen's society from the 18th century. It gained increasing popularity over

14560-488: The vast majority were 50-star proposals. At least three of these designs were identical to the present design of the 50-star flag. At the time, credit was given by the executive department to the United States Army Institute of Heraldry for the design. The 49- and 50-star flags were each flown for the first time at Fort McHenry on Independence Day , in 1959 and 1960 respectively. A popular myth

14690-482: Was burned. The Fort McHenry celebrations focused on the image of the federal fortifications providing the bastion that saved the nation. While the "Old Defenders" survived, the commemorations of Defenders Day revolved around them and the early local Baltimore veterans organizations formed which soon led and participated in national 1812 War societies. Following the War of 1812, many of the "Old Defenders" had become civic leaders in Baltimore. The traditional program while

14820-490: Was carried to Yokohama by the steamer Great Republic as part of a round-the-world journey in 1871. Prior to the Civil War , the American flag was rarely seen outside of military forts, government buildings and ships. This changed following the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861. The flag flying over the fort was allowed to leave with the Union troops as they surrendered. It was taken across Northern cities, which spurred

14950-472: Was designated as the national anthem of the United States . In September 1814, following the burning of Washington three weeks earlier, a British military force of King's Army commanded by Major General Robert Ross , (1766-1814), landed at North Point (near present-day Fort Howard, Maryland ) on the Patapsco Neck peninsula in southeastern Baltimore County and began an advance on the city from

15080-635: Was intended to be exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition , but was not displayed because of fears it would be damaged. In 1877, the flag was exhibited at the Old South Church in Boston for the nation's first Flag Day celebration. Georgiana Appleton died in 1878 and left the flag to her son, Eben Appleton. Eben Appleton was highly protective of the flag and disliked the attention it brought him. For

15210-473: Was laid. On that day, the bodies of Wells and McComas were paraded to Ashland Square, (near the intersection of North Gay , Monument , and Aisquith Streets in East Baltimore), the site of interment, and placed below the obelisk's foundation in ceremonial fashion. The Wells and McComas Monument is currently used as the emblem on the embroidered shoulder patches on the uniforms of sheriff deputies for

15340-550: Was no "first flag" worth arguing over. Researchers accept that the United States flag evolved, and did not have one design. Marla Miller writes, "The flag, like the Revolution it represents, was the work of many hands." The family of Rebecca Young claimed that she sewed the first flag. Young's daughter was Mary Pickersgill , who made the Star-Spangled Banner Flag . She was assisted by Grace Wisher,

15470-481: Was not until the 1980s and 1990s that Defenders' Day began to be widely celebrated in Maryland once again, mostly through the increasing popularity of the Fort McHenry Guard, volunteer reenactor soldiers for the National Park Service , who brought new life to celebrations at Fort McHenry. Even Baltimore's then-mayor, Martin O'Malley , donned an elaborate fancily decorated War of 1812 officers uniform as

15600-540: Was opposed, believing it would give legitimacy to the Confederate states. In the following table depicting the 28 various designs of the United States flag, the star patterns for the flags are merely the usual patterns, often associated with the United States Navy . Canton designs, prior to the proclamation of the 48-star flag, had no official arrangement of the stars. Furthermore, the exact colors of

15730-530: Was ordered by then president Eisenhower on August 21, 1959, and was adopted in July 1960. It is the longest-used version of the U.S. flag and has been in use for over 64 years. The first official flag resembling the "Stars and Stripes" was the Continental Navy ensign (often referred to as the Continental Union Flag, first American flag, Cambridge Flag, and Grand Union Flag ) used between 1775 and 1777. It consisted of 13 red-and-white stripes, with

15860-472: Was over, to be repeated in the later Secession Crisis that followed the presidential election of 1860 , the crisis reached its highest point after the armed 6th Massachusetts Regiment and unarmed "Washington Brigade" and musical band of Philadelphia of their respective state militias were attacked by a southern secessionist armed mob of thousands along President, Pratt and Howard Streets as they first moved along in horse-pulled railroad cars, then marched between

15990-459: Was sewn by prominent Baltimorean flagmaker Mary Young Pickersgill under a government commission in 1813 at a cost of $ 405.90 (equivalent to $ 6,408 in 2023). Armistead specified "a flag so large that the British would have no difficulty seeing it from a distance". Pickersgill made the flag with assistance from her daughter, two nieces, and an African American indentured servant , Grace Wisher. On September 12, 1814, 5,000 British soldiers and

16120-436: Was similarly given as a gift, but its recipient and current whereabouts are unknown. A red patch shaped like a chevron, a capital A , or an inverted V "was reportedly sewn onto the flag by Louisa Armistead, widow of the commander of Fort McHenry," according to the Smithsonian. In Baltimore's preparation for an expected attack on the city, Fort McHenry was made ready to defend the city's harbor. When Major George Armistead ,

16250-591: Was suggested by the "Old Defenders" themselves when they met at Govanstown, Maryland (today's Govans city neighborhood along Greenmount Avenue/York Road , Maryland Route 45) for their annual dinner to celebrate the Defenders' Day during the Civil War. The choice of the "Old Defenders" to do this was made as an open appeal to heal the wounds of the Civil War. The "Old Defenders" noted that troops from surrounding towns and counties in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia had rallied to Baltimore and Fort McHenry during

16380-507: Was the East India Company . The theory that the Continental Union Flag was a direct descendant of the East India Company flag has been criticized as lacking written evidence; on the other hand, the resemblance to the company flag is obvious, and some of the founding fathers of the United States were aware of the East India Company's activities and of their free administration of India under Company rule . On June 14, 1777,

16510-588: Was the chairman of the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department, sometime between his appointment to that position in November 1776 and the time that the flag resolution was adopted in June 1777. The Navy Board was under the Continental Marine Committee. Not only did Hopkinson claim that he designed the U.S. flag, but he also claimed that he designed a flag for the U.S. Navy. Hopkinson was the only person to have made such

16640-403: Was the location of the final redoubts that stopped the British advance on the city. The march and the sham battle were intended to replicate the events of the Battle of North Point and the troop movements to and from there. One of the unfortunate results of this schedule for the commemoration of "Defenders' Day" was that more militia died from heat stroke and exhaustion, from the march to and from

16770-587: Was the transition from the involuntary militia system that existed prior to the War of 1812 to the Voluntary militia system that emerged during the war period itself. The second phase was the development of the Voluntary Militia into the local parochial political-militia-business alliance that peaked with dominance of the Know Nothing (American Party) with its third party politics just prior to

16900-463: Was up to the maker of the flag. Some flag makers arranged the stars into one big star, in a circle or in rows and some replaced a state's star with its initial. One arrangement features 13 five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, with the stars arranged pointing outwards from the circle (as opposed to up), the Betsy Ross flag . Experts have dated the earliest known example of this flag to be 1792 in

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