Of Sheep and Men: How Our National Anthem Was Born

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Mary Pickersgill, Francis Scott Key, Some English Sheep, and the Creation of the Original “Star-Spangled Banner”—Our National Anthem

Perhaps only in the United States of America could individuals—and even animals—with such diverse backgrounds as Mary Pickersgill, Francis Scott Key, and a handful (the exact number forever remaining unknown) of English sheep be thrust together by chance and crisis and still rise to the challenge. During the War of 1812 between America and Britain, these unlikely collaborators worked symbiotically to forge national symbols which continue to inspire awe. Their combined contributions not only responded to a time of crisis but also immortalized the nation’s courage and perseverance.

[Photos: Mary Pickersgill, Francis Scott Key, and Some English Sheep]


I. The War of 1812: A Turning Point in American Destiny

By the end of the War of 1812—called that even though the final battle wasn’t fought until January 1815—the American narrative had been irrevocably transformed. The conflict reaffirmed the fortitude of the nation’s founders and decisively ousted Britain—then the world’s preeminent naval power—from U.S. affairs, setting the stage for America to emerge as a future global leader. Today, we owe Mary Pickersgill, Francis Scott Key, and, yes, even a few nameless English sheep a tremendous amount of gratitude. Their efforts not only spurred this dramatic national transformation but also memorialized the resilient American spirit that continues to inspire generations. Today, whenever we glance at a U.S. flag or sing the National Anthem at a sporting event or political gathering, we partake in the legacy of this remarkable, makeshift collaboration.

[Photo: Service Members Stretch Out An American Flag at An MLB Game]



II. Contrasting Lives: Mary Pickersgill and Francis Scott Key

Despite sharing a native country and a birth decade, Pickersgill and Key had little in common beyond their contributions to American patriotism.

  • Gender and Social Expectations:
    In an era when gender largely determined life’s prospects, Pickersgill, a woman, faced far different challenges than Key, a man.

  • Geographical and Cultural Backgrounds:
    Pickersgill was born in the urban, distinctly Northern environment of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while Key hailed from Frederick, Maryland—a rural town widely regarded by his contemporaries as Southern.

  • [Photo: An Early 1800s’ Image of South Second Street in Philadelphia]



  • Family and Economic Circumstances:
    Pickersgill’s family, though hardworking, was of limited means; her father passed away when she was just two. In contrast, Key’s family owned the profitable plantation Terra Rubra (“Red Ground”), sustained by the labor of many African slaves, and his father lived well past the War of 1812.

  • Educational Paths and Career Trajectories:
    Pickersgill was educated not in the traditional academic style but was trained to support and eventually succeed her mother in the family’s flag-making business. Key, however, received a traditional education, graduating from St. John’s College in Maryland in 1796 and studying law—a field still taught today. By the outbreak of war, Pickersgill was renowned as one of America’s most skillful flag-makers, while Key enjoyed a reputation as a diplomatic, affable, and successful attorney.

  • [Photo: Image of a St. John’s College Building, Library of Congress]


III. The Creation of the Garrison Flag

A. A Call to Action in 1813

The remarkable story of Pickersgill’s, Key’s, and the English sheep’s collaboration begins in earnest in 1813. With Baltimore and its coastal bastion, Fort McHenry, under imminent threat of a British attack, U.S. Major George Armistead urgently required a massive flag. His vision was twofold: inspire the fort’s defenders and ensure that the approaching British invaders could see the flag from miles away. Although Armistead had planned for two flags—a primary “Garrison” Flag (predominantly woolen) and a smaller “storm” flag (used in bad weather and later lost to history)—it is the Garrison Flag that ultimately captured the nation’s imagination.

[Photo: Major George Armistead]



B. Pickersgill’s Mission and the Price of Patriotism

Recommended to Armistead by her brother-in-law, a commodore in the U.S. Navy, Mary Pickersgill was commissioned in the spring of 1813 to create the flag. In exchange for a 42’ x 30’ mostly woolen flag (plus a 17’ x 25’ storm flag), the U.S. government agreed to pay her $574.44—equivalent to roughly $10,000 in today’s money. While this sum might seem extravagant today, the cost reflected the enormous size of the flag and the fact that it could only be sewn by hand. Pickersgill’s determination was driven more by patriotism than profit. She employed about ten apprentices and family members, working dozens of long nights over six weeks to complete the flag, and sourced a substantial quantity of English wool bunting—the fabric of choice for elite flag makers of that era.

[Photo: An Artist’s Depiction of Pickersgill and Her Team Working on the “Garrison” Flag]




C. The Role of the English Sheep

This is where the English sheep come into play. Although there is no evidence to suggest these sheep were anything other than loyal British animals, the wool shorn from them—sold to merchants and shipped to the U.S.—became a “traitorous” component in the construction of the flag. Nearly 50 pounds of this English wool bunting formed the primary fabric of the Garrison Flag (with only the stars made of cotton). While we can chuckle at the irony that a fabric produced by English sheep ended up symbolizing American defiance, we must also acknowledge the monumental contribution of Pickersgill’s team, who, in just six weeks, hand-sewed a colossal flag with fifteen stripes and fifteen stars. (Until 1818, each new state admission warranted an additional stripe and star). This flag not only bolstered the defense of Fort McHenry during the savage British bombardment in September 1814 but also inspired Key’s poem that eventually became the U.S. National Anthem.

[Photo: The “Garrison” Flag, or the Original Star-Spangled Banner]


IV. The British Bombardment and the Birth of a National Poem

A. The Battle of Baltimore: North Point and Fort McHenry

The successful American defense against the British assault on Fort McHenry, part of the Chesapeake Campaign, marked a dramatic reversal in the fortunes of war. In less than three weeks, American humiliation due to defeat on the battlefield and the incineration of Washington, D.C. by victorious Redcoats transformed into pride after the American victory at Baltimore. After US forces inflicted heavy casualties on the British infantry and killed its famed commander at the Battle of North Point, British Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane ordered his seventeen ships—one of which launched the then-innovative, deadly Congreve Rockets—to advance into Baltimore Harbor and wreak havoc on Fort McHenry.

B. Francis Scott Key’s Ordeal and Inspiration

Amid the chaos, 35-year-old Francis Scott Key—who had just performed a diplomatic service by securing the release of a Maryland doctor from British custody—found himself confined on a “truce ship” tied to a British warship. For nearly twenty agonizing hours, from the morning of September 13 until the early hours of September 14, Key witnessed the relentless British bombardment of Fort McHenry. Although he saw both the Garrison Flag and the storm flag flying over the fort, historians agree that it was the Garrison Flag which captured his attention both as darkness fell and dawn approached. The sight of this flag, battered by British shells yet defiantly fluttering, provided cathartic proof that Fort McHenry was neither destroyed nor had surrendered.

[Photo: An Artist’s Depiction of the British Bombardment of Fort McHenry]



V. Francis Scott Key and the Creation of a National Anthem

A. From Desperation to Creative Triumph

Profoundly moved by a mixture of relief, pride, and creativity, Key set out to compose a poem commemorating this unprecedented national achievement. Originally titled “The Defence of Fort M’Henry,” his four-verse tribute was either written with or later matched to the tune of “To Anacreon in Heaven”—a popular British drinking song from the 1770s. By the time Key and his fellow detainees were released and returned to Baltimore on September 16, 1814, he recognized that his verses encapsulated quintessential American values: perseverance, courage, and a defiant spirit in the face of overwhelming odds.

[Photo: An Artist’s Depiction of Francis Scott Key Grandly Surveying Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry]



B. Publication and Enduring Legacy

On September 20, 1814, the Baltimore Patriot published Key’s poem, and soon after, Key republished it with directions to sing it to the tune of “Anacreon in Heaven,” renaming it “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Over the next three-quarters of a century, the song became an unofficial anthem celebrating American patriotism. In 1892, the U.S. Navy adopted it as its official anthem, and later, during World War I, President Wilson had Key’s song played at significant national events. Finally, in 1932, President Herbert Hoover signed a law designating Key’s work as the United States’ National Anthem.

[Photo: One of the First Printed Copies of Key’s Poem, Library of Congress]



VI. A Closer Look at “The Star-Spangled Banner”

To fully appreciate Francis Scott Key’s masterpiece, let’s examine the first verse stanza by stanza.

Stanza 1

Oh, say, can you see,
By the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we watched
At the twilight’s last gleaming?

Key immediately transports his audience to that fateful night aboard the truce ship, posing a poignant question born from both intense anxiety and hope: Is it possible, with the early morning light, to still see the inspiring sight witnessed the previous evening? Notably, he leaves the subject of his admiration initially ambiguous, setting up a mystery that is only later resolved.

Stanza 2

Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
Through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched,
Were so gallantly streaming.

Here, Key clarifies that the subject is indeed the American flag—its “broad stripes and bright stars” streaming boldly over the fort’s ”ramparts” during the dangerous battle. This vivid imagery reinforces the emotional impact of the scene. At the same time, it, along with Key’s use of the word “we,” gracefully invites his readers to consider the experience of watching the “perilous fight” a shared one. 

[Photo: An Artist’s Depiction of Americans Defending Fort McHenry Overnight Against the British Bombardment]



Stanza 3

And the rockets’ red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there.

In this stanza, the continued British bombardment is described with stark clarity. Key uses the simple, yet powerful, images of “rockets’ red glare” and “bombs bursting in air” to underscore that, despite the ferocity of the attack, the flag remained aloft—a reliable indication that the fort remained in American hands. We appreciate that Key perceives the thousands of “rockets” and “bombs” spewed at Fort McHenry as a paradoxical source of psychological relief because, the night before, they cast light from time to time on the American flag, thus confirming the American perseverance to those witnessing the event.

[Photo: An Artist’s Depiction of British Ships Firing Artillery at Fort McHenry]



Final Stanza

Oh, say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free
And the home of the brave?

Key returns to his initial inquiry with a rhetorical flourish, transforming his earlier anxious question into a timeless testament of American resilience. The flag, still waving, becomes an enduring symbol of freedom and bravery—a symbol that, as long as it flies, the ideals of American liberty remain unbroken.

[Photo: The American Flag Hangs Proudly Over Part of the Pentagon Damaged On 9/11]


VII. The Legacy of the Garrison Flag

Created by Pickersgill and purchased by the U.S. government, the Garrison Flag served as a potent symbol during the British assault on Fort McHenry. After the war, Major Armistead took the flag home, and it passed through his family over the years. In 1912, its final private owner donated the flag to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Today, it stands as a silent yet exuberant celebration of the patriotism embodied by Pickersgill, the steadfast defense at Fort McHenry, and the resilient spirit of the United States.

[The “Garrison” Flag On Display at The Smithsonian Museum of American History]



Further Reading

 

This comprehensive narrative interweaves the personal stories of Mary Pickersgill and Francis Scott Key with the remarkable historical events of the War of 1812, the creation of the Garrison Flag, and the birth of our National Anthem. Each element—from the ironic role of English sheep to the enduring imagery of Key’s verses—contributed to forging a symbol of resilience that continues to inspire American patriotism today.

 

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