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SCENES, INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES OF THE DEFENSE OF BALTI MORE, SEPTEMBER 12- 14, 1814. Key and His Song—The Old Key Mansion at Georgetown -The Original Manuscript of the Star-Spangled Banner— A View of the Past—Inci dents of Bowling Green— Frank Key, Jr.—Some Inci dents From His Life. [CHARLES L. SHIPLEY.] On Thursday next, the 12th inst., Baltimore City will celebrate the eighty seventh anniversary of the battle of North Point—a battle fought for the de fense of the city against the British in vader. [Every student of American his tory—especially every Marylander, is familiar with the preliminary events leading up to this important epoch in our State history, and to repeat the gen eral narrative of that event would be out of place in our article as that is a subject for the national history of our country and not the proper subject for a Strictly local article, although we have decided to depart somewhat from our chosen path to give a brief summary of some of the individuals and events which rendered the event one of interest to every citizen of our State, who lived at that exciting period, and of those who live under the folds of the Stars and Stripes of the present day. In accord ance with this desire in view we cannot commence our article in more an ap propriate manner than to read it with a brief summary of the life of Francis Scott Key, the author of the song above appended. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY. The simple fact that Francis Scott Key was the author of one of our national anthems is sufficient to assure his mem ory a fame identical with that of his sub lime production. But there are circum stances connected with the writing and inspiration of this song that are not fa miliar to a large portion of the American people. Francis Scott Key was eminent in his day for his legal fame, his effec tive oratory, his poetic genius and chris tian virtues. His father, John Ross Key, was the owner of a fine estate in Frederick County, Md. It was situated at Pipe Creek, and here the subject of our sketch was born. The homestead is still remembered by some of the old est inhabitants of Frederick County and retains much of its ancient interest. After completing his legal studies with his uncle, Philip Barton Key, Sr., Francis Scott Key commenced the prac tic of his profession at Frederick, but subsequently removed to Washington, where he became the friend of John Randolph, of Roanoke, the famous but eccentric Virginia statesman. He also became a favorite of President Andrew Jackson, from him receiving the ap pointment of U. S. District Attorney for the District of Columbia. He was the father of eleven children. One of them, Philip Darton Key, was slain by General Daniel E. Sickles. Another son, Samuel P. Key, was killed in a duel at Bladensburg by a Mr. Sher burne, of New Hampshire. One of his daughters was the late Mrs. George H. Pendleton, wife of the late ex-Senator George H. Pendleton, of Ohio. His grandson, a son of Philip Barton Key, became an actor of indifferent fame. Some of his descendants are still living throughout the country. The personal appearance of this late talented Marylander, is thus described by an intimate friend: “He was tall, erect and of admirable physical propor tions. There dwelt usually on his hand some and winning features a soft and touching pensiveness of expression, al most bordering on sadness, but which, in moments of special excitement or when anything occurred to waken the dormant heroism of his nature or to call into action the higher power of rigorous and cultivated intellect, gave place to a brightened aspect and a noble audacity of tone which pleased while it dazzled the beholder.” During his life Mr. Key was frequent ly honored by distinguished attention from the people of Frederick. On one occasion he was tendered a public enter tainment at which the following toast was offered by the company: “Francis Scott Key—a friend of the administra tion and an incorruptible patriot, worthy of being honored wherein genius is ad mired or liberty cherished as the author of the Star-Spangled Banner.’ The ‘administration’ referred to by this toast was that of Andrew Jackson. In his response he made the following allusion to himself and the song that he composed. ‘They had recalled to his recollection the circumstances under which he had been impelled to their ef fort. He had seen the flag of his coun try waving over a city, the strength and pride of his native State—a city devoted to plunder and desolation by its assail ants. He witnessed the preparations for its assault and saw the array of its enemies as they advanced to the attack. He heard the sound of battle, the noise of conflict fell upon his listening ear and told him that the ‘brave and free’ had met the invaders. Then did he remem ber that Maryland had called her sons to the defense of that flag and that they were the sons of fires who left their crimson foot prints on the snows of the North and poured out the blood of pa triots like water on the sands of the South. Then did he remember that they were gathered around the banner as its defenders, men who had heard and answered the call of their country from the mountain sides, from their beautiful valleys, and from the fair city of his native country, and though he walked upon a deck surrounded by a hostile fleet, yet was his step firm and his heart strong as the recollection came upon him. Through the clouds of war the stars of that banner still shone to his view and he saw the discomfited hosts of its assailants driven back in ig nominy to their Ships. Then in that hour of deliverance and joyful triumph the heart spoke, and does not such a country and such defenders of their country deserve a song? was its ques tion. With it came an inspiration not to be resisted, and if it had been a changing matter to have made a song he must have made it. Let the praise, then, if any be due, be given not to the maker, who only did what he could not help doing, but to the cause of the in spiring of the song.” Mr. Key was an exemplary member of the Protestant Episcopal Church and worshipped regularly at the old St. John’s Georgetown, D.C. One of the hymns of the Protestant Episcopal Hymnal, commencing with: “Lord with glowing heart I'd praise Thee For the bliss Thy love bestows,” was written by Mr. Key. Key died suddenly in Baltimore in January, 1843, and was buried in Green mount Cemetery, but his remains were removed to Mt. Oliver Cemetery, near Frederick, where they now repose. by his side is the grave of his wife and at the head of each mound is a plain slab. That which marks the grave of Mr. Key bears the following inscription: “Francis Scott Key, Born August 9, 1780, Died January 11, 1843. Upon the other is inscribed: “Mary Tayntor Key, Born May 26, 1784, Died May 18, 1859. On August gth, 1898, a handsome monument was unveiled in the ceme tery at Frederick to Key's memory, and as a tribute to one who had long been neglected by both his State and national government. It is a singular fact that little has been writen or published concerning the life and character of this eminent American. There is not to be found any extended work designed to com memorate his fame, and it is only in re sponse to the suggestions of the most ordinary sense of appreciation that our government should erect in Washington a monument sufficiently imposing to cer tify a nation’s esteem of the man and of the sublime production he gave as an endless inheritance to the American people in the song of the Star-spangled Hanner, THE KEY MANSION—THE GEORGETOWN HOME OF THE AUTHOR. Crossing the bridge from Washington into Georgetown, one seems to step out of the present back into the life of by gone days, and traditions of the past are recalled at each step, as we slowly wend our way down the quiet streets. Promi nent among the landmarks of historic in terest is the Key mansion on bridge street, the home of Francis Scott Key when he wrote the The Star-Spangled Banner.’ He was then a volunteer in the light artillery, commanded by Major Peters, which was composed of the citi zens of the district, who had uniformed themselves and offered their services to the government when the British threat ened Washington. Although the enemy was hourly expected in Georgetown, Mrs. Key continued to occupy the house, stoutly refusing to leave home while her husband was constantly ex posed to danger. THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT OF THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER. In a letter about a year ago in the Sun, a Miss Rebecca Lloyd Shippen, of Philadelphia, corrected some of the historical errors in relation to the origin and first publication of the song. She Says: “I am the great niece of Francis Scott Key and a granddaughter of Judge Nicholson, and have in my _ possession the original manuscript of ‘The Star- Spangled Banner,’ written by Francis Scott Key and given by himself to Judge Joseph Hopper Nicholson, who set it to music and had it on immediately after reading it, I have also in my pos session one of those first printed copies, with the tune written above it. The original was not written in pencil, ‘but in ink, and was written out as it now stands on the back of an old letter at the hotel (from notes and some lines from memory composed on the vessel) the night he reached Baltimore. ‘The next morning he took it to Judge Nich olson, who, himself something of a poet and musician, fitted the words to the tune ‘Anacreon in Heaven,’ a tune the late Mrs. Elizabeth Key Howard, a daughter of Francis Scott Key, told me was a very common one at that day, and within an hour after it was sent to a printer who lived near to Judge Nichol son's house. It was all over town. See the letter of Chief Justice Roger B. ‘Taney, printed in ‘Key's Poems’ as an introduction to them. These facts will shortly appear in publication. ‘That it was first sung on the stage by some actor I have no doubt is true, but it was made a song by Judge Nicholson, and Mr. Key's own statement is given by Chief Justice Taney, who himself was a brother-in-law of Mr. Key, having married his sister, Judge Nicholson married Rebecca Lloyd, and Mr. Key married Mary Lloyd, daughters of Col. Edward Lloyd IV, of *Wye House,’ Walbot County, Md., the same who built the house in Annapolis now called the ‘Chase Home.' ’ THE ARREST OF DOCTOR KEANES, An authentic account of the arrest of Dr.eanes, the prime incident connect ed with the writing of Key's song, has been given to the public by a grandniece of Dr. Keanes, a Mrs. Dorsey, and is as follows; “Francis Key in 1814 lived in Georgetown. Dr. Beanes, of George town, a surgeon in the United States Army, was attending disabled soldiers when Commodore Barney's flotilla was attacked on the Patuxent. The British army, on their march to Washington, divouaced on the plantation of Dr. Beanes, who though detesting them, treated the officers with true Maryland hospitality. “A few days after their departure, while he was at dinner with a few of his friends, a slave brought the news that the British were marching back to their boats. Full of glee, the party went to a spring on the estate with lemons and whiskey, etc., to drink to the confusion of the perfidious ‘Albion. “Three tired soldiers coming for water were made prisoners by the patri otic American gentlemen and marched off to the county jail. The men were missed from the ranks, and a detach ment was sent in search of them, traced them to Marlborough where the terrified inhabitants betrayed who were the cap tors. The men were recovered. Dr. Beanes was seized at midnight, placed, in his nightdress, on the bare back of a mule and taken closely guarded to the troops. Then he was sent to Admiral Cockburn’s ship, and into rigorous con finement. The whole country was aroused, and as soon as steps could be taken, Francis Key, the intimate friend of Dr. Beanes, was sent by President Madison with a flag of truce to get him exchanged. When Khey reached the British feet at North Point, they were about to attack Baltimore, and though he was courteously received and invited to dine with Cockburn, he was informed that he must remain on board until after the bombardment of the city. He shared his friend’s uncomfortable quar ters that memorable night, and at sun set saw the Star-Spengled Hanner wav ing proudly from the ramparts of Fort McHenry. When the morning dawned, after that night of battle, lit at intervals by the loud flashes of exploding bombs and made fearful by the thunders of cannon, the mist was too dense to dis cern whether the flag or the red cross of St. George waved from the fort, in the direction in which the two watched through the porthole trembling with suspense, so resently there was a ripple in the water, a soft sough in the fog, and like magic it rolled away, revealing the American flag still floating defi antly from the ramparts. The patriots fell on each other's breasts weeping for joy. Mr. Key then drew a letter from his pocket, and on its back penciled the first stanza of the celebrated national song. After the bombardment Dr. Beanes and Mr. Key were set ashore in a skiff,’ “KRETCH OF GENERAL Ross, General Ross, who commanded the English forces in the attack on Balti more, was a native of Ross Trevior, in county Down, Ireland. His father dis tinguished himself at the battle of Win den, while commanding the fifth regi ment of grenadiers. He married the sister of the Earl of Charlemont and General Ross was his youngest son. General Ross was distinguished as an officer of the ‘Twentieth English Regi ment of foot in Holland and Egypt; was Lieutenant-Colonel at Maina; was in the campaign at Corunna under Sir John Moore, and commanded a frigate at the battle of Viltoria and the Pyrenees, and was wounded at Orchez. He was an aide-de-camp to the King, and selected by the Duke of Wellington to command the forces sent to America. HIS FAMOUS OATH; “I WILL EITHER TAKE DINNER TONIGHT IN BALTI MORE OR IN HELL. Of the many incidents and reminis cences of the North Point battle, none is more interesting than that which de scribes the terrible oath taken by Gen eral Ross just before the battle. The account is best given by a Mrs. Lang ford, a widow, whose house was on the battlefield. There is no doubt of the absolute truth of the narrative, as Mrs. Langford was a well-known lady of that period and was highly esteemed by all of her neighbors. Mrs. Langford's ac count of the affair is as follows: ‘‘Gen eral Ross rode up to the house in the morning and asked for a drink of milk for himself and several officers who ac companied him. After they had par taken of the milk they offered to pay for it, but she declined to take any money, not knowing who they were, but supposing that they were soldiers from Baltimore. She asked them, how ever, who they were, and General Ross replied: ‘I am General Ross in com mand of the British forces, and we have landed at North Point.’ Mrs. Langford told them that had she known that they should not have had the milk. ‘I don't care a d———,, said Gen. Ross, ‘it's gone now.’ Mrs. Langford asked them where they were going, and Gen. Ross, replied, ‘I will either take dinner tonight in Baltimore or in hell.”” In less than fifteen minutes he was shot within sight of Mrs. Langford. She also heard the shots which ended the lives of Wells and McComas. They carried Gen. Ross’ body to her house, but the lady refused admittance. The carriers of the mortally wounded Gen eral then went a few hundred yards distant to some trees where they erected a tent of horse blankets. A VIEW OF THE PAST. In the year 1842 the veterans then living who had participated in the battle and bombardment organized an as sociation, to be known as the ‘Old De fender’s Association. ’ It numbered at that time 1,259 members, most of whom lived in Baltimore. It was the custom of the association to attend church in a body on the Sunday _pre vious to the 12th of September, each member wearing a cockade and a piece of crepe. On the 12th of September they would assemble at the City Hall and, after marching around the Lattle Monument, go to some convenient place out of town and eat their annual dinner. The city appropriated S300 every year to aid enanane the expenses of these reunions. The familiar air of ‘The Girl I Left Behind Me’’ was usually played as the men left the City Hall for their day's celebration, the veteran drummer, Henry Lightner, who died in 1882, always dexterously handling the drum-sticks. ‘The association gradually became re duced in numbers through the hand of death until only two survived to eat their dinner together, Nathaniel Watts and James Chamberlain Morford. Finally these two venerable old soldiers were compelled to answer to the final roll call and the association ceased to exist. FAMILY INCIDENTS. The writer can say, with pardonable pride, that he can number among the defenders of Baltimore two relatives of his, viz.: Thomas Parrish, Sr., and Amon Shipley, an uncle and great uncle respectively, both being members of Heart Randall's Light Infamy Corps. The writer's grandfather, the late Geo. Shipley, Sr., was also drafted for this engagement, he at that time resid ing on and managing the estate known as Bowling Green, belonging to Rev. Benjamin Hood, grandfather of General John M. Hood, President of the Wes tern Maryland Railroad, ‘Bowling Green’? was an estate of between two and three thousand acres, and at the time of which I write was situated in Anne Arundel County, now known as Howard County, that portion of Anne Arundel containing the Hood estate being afterwards taken to help form Howard County. Knowing the de fenceless condition of his family (there being no nearer neighbors then than his brother Robert's family, between two and three miles away,) and knowing also the restless disposition of the negro slaves of the plantation, who were con stantly incited by British emissaries to insurrection against their owners, Mr. Shipley applied for a release, and through the influence of Captain Wil liam Wheeler, an officer of the Amer ican forces and a firm friend of his, he was enabled to obtain it and returned home to his family about six days be fore the writer's father, the late George Shipley, Jr., was born, which occurred on September 6th, 1814, or just six days before the engagement at North Point. Many pleasant incidents and remi niscences can be recalled in my family in their dealings and intercourse with the Hood family during the three years (1814-17), that they resided at Bowling Green. One of the sons of Rev. Benja min was Joshua, a whole-souled genius, and possessed of a droll comical humor. On one occasion he told the writer's grandmother ‘that he had seen the wind, and that it was deep blue in color and it rose in the West from behind a large corn field.’ Later on in life the same Joshua married a Miss Matilda Haughey, a sister of the late Francis Haughey, who at one time resided in Pikesville, Baltimore county, owning property now belonging to the McHenry estate. The Haugheys were a Delaware fam ily. The same Francis R. Haughey married a Miss McAllister, daughter of the late Lloyd McAllister, who owned what is now a part of the Seven-Mile House property, one mile below Iikes ville, on the Baltimore and Westminster turnpike, this portion being owned later on by his son, James McAllister. James McAllister had two daughters, one of them, Alverta, being considered a very handsome young lady of her day. She married a John Hood, of Howard county. Another one of the sons of Benjamin Hood was Major Chas. Wayman Slood, who was a civil engineer by profession. He was at one time a member of the Maryland Legislature. During one of its sessions he fell asleep and, dreaming that he was following his profession, he suddenly startled his colleagues by rising in his seat, waving his arms around his head, and loudly crying out, ‘Stir the pole, boys! stir the pole!” While possessing the title of * Rev., prefixed to his name, Mr. Benjamin Hood was not a regular minister, but only a ‘local’ of the Methodist church. The old gentleman was somewhat ab sent minded, and generally prepared written notes of his sermon before hand. These he would lay away for safe keep ing for the ensuing Sabbath, but when that day arrived, the old gentleman would forget where he had put the same, with the result that the whole household would be set to work to hunt them, and when found, the old gentleman would mount his horse and go at full gallop across fields and through woods, leaving down bars and opening gates to get to his place of appointment on time. The old gentleman at that time pos sessed a very fine flock of geese, of which he was very proud. One night, how ever, some parties in the neighborhood relieved him of these, leaving nothing behind except the gander. Around the gander’s neck they had tied a little bag containing a number of copper cents, one for each stolen goose, and the fol lowing little piece of doggerel poetry written on a slip of paper: “Mr. Hood, your geese are good, And we live over gander. So we bought them for a penny apiece And left the pay with the gander.” Mr. Hood was a large slaveholder for his day; one of his slaves, a James Howard, died about eight years ago in Carroll county upon a little place that he owned upon the Nicodemus road. He was at the advanced age of ninety-six years, and could, up to the time of his death, relate many incidents of the Hood family and of the stirring period of 1812-14. REMINISCENCES OF FRANK KEY, JR. Between the years 1840 and 1850 one of Mr. Key's sons, Francis Scott Key, Jr., resided on and owned the fine estate known as ‘' The Elms, ’ lying about one mile south of the village of Finksburg, Carroll county. This estate, now owned by a Mr. Gray, was at that period con sidered one of the finest in the county, if not in the State, having among its owners a number of prominent men of the times, among them being the late Robert Oliver, the owner of ‘' Green mount,’’ which afterwards was converted into Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore, Mr. Key, while a resident of ‘The Elms,'* took an active interest in the af fairs in his vicinity, being an energetic, well-educated man of the old school type of Maryland gentleman. Being a firm believer in the tenets of Jacksonian Democracy, Mr. Key was always in his element when a campaign was on hand, especially if that campaign resulted in victory for the party of which he was so ardent an adherent. Upon the occasion of the election of Philip Francis Thomas, in 1843, the lit tle village of Finksburg honored the event by an illumination and torchlight procession, in both of which Mr. Key was a prime mover. During this parade the happy Democrats, with Mr. Key at their head, march back and forth through the village, dragging a six pound cannon with them, underneath of which was suspended a coon skin, in de rision of the Whigs, who had adopted the coon as one of their party emblems. Everybody was in the best of humor— good old-time rye whiskey flowed freely, and as they marched they sang the fol lowing doggerel couplet: “Heigh, high, ho! and another such a blow Will kill all the coons in the country, ho!” It was on this occasion that an old Whig was heard to make the remark, ‘that he had never committed the un pardonable sin but once in his life, and that was when he went to the Finksburg illumination.’ The following year, 1844, was noted as being the year of the great Pork and Clay campaign, a campaign that has passed down in the history of the coun try as one of the hottest political contests. In this campaign Mr. Key played a prominent part, and upon the occasion of the great Polk ratification meeting, which was held in Gibson's woods, now a part of Baltimore City, just before the election, he fitted up a triumphal car, and invited a number of citizens of the burg to accompany him to Baltimore to attend the meeting, among the number being the following: Mordecai Stockdale, Greenbury Williams, Levin Williams, Charles G. Shipley, George B. Shipley (the writer's father), Thomas Parrish, Jr., Aquilla Parrish, and a number of others. The car was gaily decorated with flags and bunting and campaign colors, and was drawn by ten iron-gray horses. Along the route from Finksburg to Baltimore, a distance of twenty miles, the car attracted great attention from everyone who saw it. Upoing passing through Pikesville, Mr. Key halted at the Sudbrook House, now under the management of Mrs. Carman as a sum mering resort, but was then owned and occupied by William Frush, Sr., a well known citizen of Baltimore county and subsequently of Baltimore City. Mr. Frush was also an enthusiastic Democrat of the old school, being a Presidential elector on the Polk ticket. After being treated to cider and apples by Mr. Frush (we do not know whether they had anything stronger or not), they proceeded upon their way. Upon their arrival at the place of meeting they were greeted with loud huzzas from the hun dreds of enthusiastic Democrats there assembled. ‘They was estimated to be 10,000 persons assembled on the grounds, and the meeting was addressed by some of the most eminent political speakers of the country at that period. Eighty-seven years have passed away since the birth of «* The Star-Spangled Banner”’ was heralded forth to the world, and of all the defenders of their native city that fought under its folds on that memorable day not one remains alive at the present to relate the stirring events in which he participated. Over a half century has elapsed since the death of its talented author occurred, but his famous production survives and will continue to survive and live in the heart and memory of every true Amer ican. Twenty-one years ago, when Balti more City celebrated the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of her birth, the writer stood on one of the streets of the city and saw the original banner that in spired Key's patriotic lines borne past him in triumphal procession, and when he heard the frenzied yells and hurrahs that greeted the appearance of the ven erable relic, he felt that if ever again our country was called upon to maintain her rights and dignity in military conflict with a foreign foe, that she would again give as good an account of herself as she did eighty years ago, and that “our flag would still be there. * And that feeling was thoroughly ex emplified in the recent conflict with Spain, when that famous ‘‘blue-blooded”’ Castilian nation was given a thorough thrashing in the brief space of one hun dred and twelve days, as to thoroughly open the eyes of all maritime nations to the fact that Uncle Sam was not to be trifled with when his blood was hot, PIKESVILLE, Mo., September, Igor.
Newspaper Details
Frederick Citizen
Frederick, Maryland, US
Fri, Sep 06, 1901
Page 9
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