. . . And The Rockets Red Glare . . .

I had no idea what the rockets red glare was until I went to the visitor center at Ft. McHenry. Check the website for a description.

I love history and Ft. McHenry is about history. It played a part in the War of 1812, the Civil War, and WWI.

The star spangled banner was written durin. g the bombing by the British of Ft. McHenry during the battle of Baltimore. You have sung about the rockets red glare a million times. But do you know what the rockets were? I had no idea

They were long sticks with a canister of propellant attached. On the top was a bomb. They were not very effective in this battle although they had been in the past.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/hh/5/hh5l.htm