Fort McHenry 1814 Living History Event

hello everyone!
I am so sorry for not getting these photos up faster, but I had a small problem on monday with my camera. We could not find it in our baskets that we had brought to the Fort. We found it in the cooler and it was soaked with water!!!!!!!!! I was afraid it was broken, but thank the Lord it is fine after airing out next to the air vent at our home. So the pictures were not lost. :)

Below are pictures from Fort McHenry in Baltimore Maryland, the birth place of our National Anthem which was written in poem form by Francis Scott key the last day of the end of the war of 1814. He wrote it as the battle was going on at the fort and our flag was left with holes in it, but was still flying. A great triumph for our country. Below is the Fort where they hang the modern flag inside of the Fort where it all happened. My family went to Defenders day weekend with friends as civilians and my father as a soldier in the artillery. In the photo above my father, a friend of ours, and other artillery men watch as they put the flag up at the beginning of the day on saturday the 12th of September.

My father and the other men coming back after a skirmish just in time for their rations for lunch

My father and his friend above showing their drilling.

My sister helping my father sew on a loose botton that came off of his uniform. She was there in the nic of time! :) My mother and a friend of ours on the right side watching the drilling.

All the civilians below after the parade waiting to walk with the flag during the celebration.


My mother, sister, and I and friends below watching more drilling before the parade.

I made many new friends throughout the day from as far as Minnesota.

All the soldiers drilling below. As a friend of mine said through out the day the uniforms of the 1812 war were very vibrant and colorful compared to the civil war. Not just grey and blue, but many of colors were in their uniforms.

The ladies including my sister, mother, and I and other friends hand wrote the invitations for the officers dinner party that evening. It was lot of fun to write with an ink well and old pen.

We also had to seal all of the invitations with wask seals. It was a challenge as the Fort is next to the water(baltimore harbor) so the wind kept making the wax dry more quickly than we would have liked. But they were finished after many trys.

Writing and making sure we did not forget anyone who was on the list.

Having a merry time in the process.

Having lunch with our valient soldiers.

My sister and I after lunch was over. It was a lovely day. At the end they even had a big battle with canons and we all sat on the ramparts of the Fort to watch the fire works and battle. It was a very patriotic display and I was so glad to have been there. We plan to help at the Fort again next summer and fall. But right now I am sewing up colonial frocks for monday. We have our first colonial event with our friends at Bonnets and Bayonets. Their website is on the side bar.

Then that evening we watched the battle and fire works while they raised the flag over the fort. It was an amazing evening. I never thought I would ever know what a rampart was. But I got to sit on them and watch the battle and raising of the flag with fire works. It was a great display of patriotism for our country. Basically a rampart is the wall of the Fort. The walls have grassy area on top of them and you can sit or stand on them.
Below the fireing off of the canon. It was amazing! Very loud though.

All of us watching the flag and fire works above on the ramparts. The musicians core also played many jolly tunes with their fifes and drums. It was amazing. I am very partial to the music of the colonial and 1812 periods. Its just so patriotic and I listen to it on my ipod while sewing all the time. I wish they could come to my house and play all the time. :)

Well I plan to post pictures of my finished colonial stays tomorrow and my progress on my dress when I can. Sorry its been so busy here I have not had time to post more. I want to later this week. For now I am back to sewing my colonial dress.

In Christ and God bless,

Rebecca