This post is one of the reasons I keep visiting Culver’s Gun Talk.
I watched a little of The History Channel’s story on the War of 1812. I was a bit astonished to see them showing common fireworks as “the rockets” in our national anthem.
The rockets Key wrote about were a far cry from the (usually) harmless rockets fired to entertain crowds on holidays.
The 25 hour bombardment of Fort McHenry, which began on Sept. 13, 1814 and lasted through the night, was from British ships in Baltimore harbor. It was intended to reduce the fort and allow the British to capture Baltimore. Aside from ordinary warships and troop ships, two special kinds of ships were involved.
One type fired large mortar shells fused to burst above and behind the fort’s walls, killing or wounding the defenders, dismounting guns and perhaps, by burrowing into the fort’s magazine, destroy the fort entirely. These mortar shells were called “bombs” at the time, and indeed through WWII by the British. Those were the “bombs bursting in air.” Today, when Americans use word to mean explosives dropped from airplanes, many people don’t understand the anthem’s phrase, or even think that some kind of primitive aircraft was involved.
The “rockets” were Congreve rockets, designed by Sir William Congreve, of Woolwich Arsenal. These were impressive weapons. Though not as accurate as artillery, the rocket did not need a heavy iron casing to protect against the shock of firing from a gun, so a much larger explosive charge could be carried than in the same size artilley shell. Congreve rockets were stick stabilized, and the largest, the 8″ rocket, had a stick over 20 feet long. The bombardment rockets, which were basically cans of powder, were made in 8″, 7″, 6″, 42 pounder, and 32 pounder. The 32 pounder was the smallest used as a bombardment/seige rocket, and the largest used as a field rocket. Smaller field rockets were made in 32, 24, 18, 12, and 6 pound sizes, and were made as case shot as well as shells.
Congreve field rockets were fired at the battle of Bladensburg, and the psychological effect on the Americans (who had never encountered them before) was so great that they are often credited with the British victory. The British went on, as we know, to capture Washington and burn the sandstone president’s house. When it was restored, paint had to be used to cover the scorch marks – white paint.
On land, rockets were fired from an iron trough mounted on an “A” frame, whose legs could be spread out or brought together to change elevation. The arrangement was called a firing frame. Maximum range was at 55 degrees.
The rockets fired from British “rocket ships” (yes, that is what they called them) were the larger sizes, and were fired from frames built into the ship.
So the rockets Key saw passing his ship on their way to Fort McHenry were not harmless fireworks, but very deadly weapons, the best the British had. The Congreve rockets remained in service with both the Royal Navy and the Army until the mid-1800’s, and were used in the Crimea.
But Fort McHenry held, and the dawn of Sept. 14 showed the “Star Spangled Banner” to yet wave. Long may it wave.
(Another post ripped off from Culver’s Gun Talk, where it was posted by Jim Keenan, a long-time, frequent and great participant)