The Star Spangled Banner

This is an address I was blessed to prepare and present from the pulpit to my LDS Church congregation, the Duportail Ward, on September 14th, 2014:

The Star Spangled Banner Flying over Ft. McHenry During the Annual Defenders' Day Fireworks

I was about 8 years old when I first read how The Star Spangled Banner came to be written during the War of 1812 while the British Navy bombarded Ft. McHenry at the entrance to Baltimore Harbor.  The story fascinated me then, and every time since then when I sing or listen to The Star Spangled Banner, I try to visualize how it may have been to stand in the same spot as Francis Scott Key, and feel the same emotions that led him to write what later became our National Anthem.

Because we hear the Anthem so frequently, at sporting events, parades and many similar activities, we often overlook the meaning of the song.  And, because we usually only sing the first verse, I believe we miss out on some important and inspired ideas hidden in the later verses.  Those are the things I plan to speak on today, but first I’d like to present a little background.

We fought the War of 1812 with Great Britain over several issues that had not been fully settled during the Revolutionary War.  Some contributing factors were American sailors being forced to serve in the British Navy, various trade disagreements, and boundary disputes with British-controlled Canada.  When the war started, Britain was fighting Napoleon’s forces in Spain, so they were unable to commit all their strength to fight their former colonies.  But, the Americans were not fully prepared to fight either, so the war sputtered on in small engagements for the first two years.  In 1814, however, the British defeated Napoleon and began sending greater forces to the fight against America.

Part of the British strategy for compelling America to accept a truce included a land invasion of Washington DC, and they were successful in looting and burning the capitol while government leaders fled to Maryland.  Their next target was the busy port city of Baltimore, about 40 miles north of Washington.  As British ground troops advanced from the south, a naval flotilla sailed up Chesapeake Bay to provide artillery support for the invasion.

During these actions, the British arrested a prominent local physician, Doctor Beanes, whom they believed was harassing their soldiers.  When it became known the British were holding Dr. Beanes prisoner aboard one of their ships in Chesapeake Bay, his friend, an attorney named Francis Scott Key, sought permission from President Madison to meet with the British officers and try to arrange for Dr. Beanes’ release.

Key and a prisoner exchange agent took a small sloop and sailed down the bay to meet up with the British ship where Beanes was being held.  The ship’s officers were cordial, and eventually they agreed to release Dr. Beanes.  The Americans were returned to their boat, but because they had overheard British plans for the attack on Baltimore, they were placed under guard, their sails were removed and their boat was towed along with the British ship toward Baltimore.

On September 13th, 1814, the British began firing on Fort Mc Henry, which defended Baltimore Harbor.  The British soon learned that their guns had greater range than those of the fort, so they retreated far enough out in the harbor that they could continue their barrage without fear of any return fire.  The British ground troops encountered a significant force along the southern defenses of the city, and they were unable to advance, but the ships continued firing through the evening and late into the night.

This brings us to the flag.  At the time of the attack, Fort McHenry usually flew one of two American flags, a smaller storm flag, and a much larger version for use when weather conditions permitted.  Both of these followed what was then the standard pattern of fifteen stars and fifteen stripes.  It was the storm flag that flew from the mast during the night, and as Key and his friends watched the battle from the harbor, this was the one they “hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.”  And, until the shelling stopped, this was the one they could still see because of the “rockets' red glare [and] bombs bursting in air.”

When the fort’s defenders realized the next morning that they had largely withstood the barrage, the commander ordered that the larger display flag be hoisted up the mast to ensure the British knew they had not been successful in destroying the fort.  From Key’s vantage, the smoke from the night’s cannon and rocket fire still obscured the fort. As the breeze began to clear away the smoke that morning, September 14th, 1814, exactly two hundred years ago today, he could see that larger flag “catch[ing] the gleam of the morning’s first beam, [its] full glory reflected . . . shin[ing] on the stream.”

Being an amateur poet, Francis Scott Key began scribbling the first few lines of a poem on the back of a letter to capture his emotions during the “perilous fight” and again at the “dawn’s early light.”  He completed the poem later, after the British gave up on their planned invasion and after they released Key and his friends to return to Baltimore.  He entitled his poem “The Defense of Ft. McHenry” and showed it to his brother-in-law, who liked it so much he had it published for distribution in Baltimore.  The poem fit the tune of an existing song, and soon the words and suggested tune were printed in newspapers up and down the Atlantic Seaboard.  It became one of many standard patriotic tunes, but it took over a century for it to be formally adopted as our National Anthem in 1931.

Of course, if you’ve heard the Star-Spangled Banner sung at more than a few baseball or hockey games, you know that it can be very difficult to sing.  Sometimes even talented singers struggle with it because of its wide range.  That’s why some have humorously suggested that the poem and tune were first put together during the “perilous fight”, and that hearing it sung the first time was what actually caused the British to retreat in fear from Baltimore!

Ultimately, the flag that Francis Scott Key wrote about, and the updated version that we visualize when we sing his song today, are only pieces of fabric.  They can be torn or faded or soiled, and finally burned.  But flags can mean much more when we attach a specific meaning to them.  Sometimes, the image on a flag by itself conveys that flag’s meaning to those who see it.  Other times, that deeper meaning can be assigned to a flag through a poem, pledge or anthem that we associate with it.  For instance, when we say our Pledge of Allegiance, we swear loyalty to the flag as a symbol of our Republic and of liberty and justice.

Another flag we know about was Captain Moroni’s “Title of Liberty” that we read about in Alma 46:12.  As leader of the Nephite armies, Captain Moroni became angered when he learned of a rebellion among his people by a political faction that sought to take away their freedom.  To overthrow the rebellion, he knew he would need the assistance of as many able bodied citizens as he could gather on his march back to the capitol of Zarahemla.  To call them to arms, he also created a flag, one even simpler than our stars and stripes – his own coat.  He didn’t have time to write a song about it, so he wrote directly on it the words, “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.”  This banner helped him inspire strong feelings of patriotism and love of family and freedom among his fellow citizens, and copies of it soon flew above their fortifications during the ensuing war with the rebellious Nephite faction.

Marching With the Title of Liberty - A Sacred Covenant

To Moroni, marching behind the Title of Liberty constituted a sacred covenant with God.  As he recruited patriots to his cause, he challenged them with these words:  “Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them.” (Alma 46:20)

If we now go back to the song The Star Spangled Banner, the first two verses tell the story of Key’s experiences seeing the flag in place during the battle, his concern whether it was still flying over the fort after the bombardment ended, and his relief and joy to find it in “full glory reflected” the next morning.

It’s the final verse of his poem that I find to be the most powerful.  Here, Key looks forward to future conflicts, hoping they would end with the same result.  “Oh, thus be it ever, when free men shall stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation!  Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!”  In essence, this verse is a prayer that Heavenly Father will always bless us with victory and peace.  But, just like Captain Moroni in his day, Key also recognized in the following stanza that those blessings would only come to a righteous nation, “Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,” and when this is, “our motto: ‘In God is our trust!’”

So fast forward to today; we’re fighting more wars than we can even count.  Some are military, some are political and even more are social in nature.  And, of course, each side believes their cause is just.  For me, and I think for many of us, it can difficult to know which side is right.  When we look to our living prophet, President Monson, and other church leaders for guidance, we can know where Heavenly Father wants us to stand.  For some of these conflicts there’s no question, and our leaders will emphatically plead with us to join them in standing up for what is right.  But, the Lord is also silent on many divisive issues, which to me indicates these may be battles we don’t need to fight, and more of our energy should be focused on the wars that must be won.

The most important and hazardous conflict we face today is the War on Sin, against the power and influence of Satan.  On this battlefront, there’s no question we are under attack as a society, as a church, as families, as individuals, and we must defend ourselves.  Like many fortifications, including Fort McHenry, where military engineers construct multiple lines of defense, we have enjoyed the protection of outer walls for many years.  Laws, moral codes and societal norms have kept most evil influences at bay, but over time these have all proven ineffective and the barbarians are now at the gate of our inner sanctuaries.  In many instances, the Church and our homes are the only defenses we have left.

So, what do we need to do to keep our families and freedoms safe?

The old adage that there's safety in numbers certainly applies when it comes to the Church.  We know that by following the Savior's true gospel, which is found here in His church, we can fend off many of Satan's attacks.  It is only here in Christ's true Church where we can find the full teachings of His gospel, His true priesthood power, and His appointed prophets and other leaders.  As we gather together to teach each other the gospel, bear our testimonies, and encourage each other to live by gospel precepts, we can stay safe.  I know I've mentioned this to many of you, but the Duportail Ward actually gets its name from Louis Duportail, a Frenchman who served as the Chief Military Engineer of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.  (In Richland, many LDS wards are named for prominent streets within their boundaries.  Having been constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers during the Cold War, most of Richland's streets were named for important US military engineers.)  Duportail designed many of the fortifications used by the American colonists to wear down the superior strength of the British during those battles.  So, I think it's fitting that for members of the Duportail Ward, our ward family can be an effective defense against Satan.

Our home as a fortress - flying our very own 15-star, 15-stripe version of Old Glory

As for keeping our homes safe from harmful influences, I'll quote from Elder Horacio A. Tenorio who spoke on the topic of families as fortresses in the October 1994 general conference:

"Our fortress consists of teaching our children the gospel through the scriptures, establishing the habit of reading them every day as a family, and basing a large part of our conversations on them. It means kneeling together daily to pray and to teach our children the importance of direct, personal communication with our Heavenly Father.

"Our fortress is erected by showing our children, through our example, that the principles and teachings of the gospel are a way of life which helps us find peace and happiness on this earth and provides the strength necessary to withstand the trials and tribulations that come into our lives."

And, as we strive to live righteously, we will be a strength and support to our neighbors and countrymen.  On his deathbed, the prophet Lehi gave this blessing to his son Joseph:  "may the Lord consecrate also unto thee this land, which is a most precious land, for thine inheritance and the inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren, for thy security forever, if it so be that ye shall keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel."  Later, Lehi’s son Jacob taught his brethren that, “this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land. And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.  And I will fortify this land against all other nations.”  But again, these blessings would only come when the people were obedient.

Likewise, in the Book of Alma, Amulek taught his unrighteous neighbors that, "were [it] not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land . . . ye would even now be visited with utter destruction . . . by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword.  But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared . . .” (Alma 10:22). Through our prayers and the example we set, we have the opportunity and responsibility to bless our fellow citizens with security and freedom.

We use a lot of symbols in the Church to remind us of our Savior and the blessings he has in store for us.  A couple examples I think of are the Sacrament, which reminds us of Christ’s Atonement, and our temples, which remind us of the eternal nature of our lives and families.  Because of the great blessings we enjoy because of our freedoms, I think we should view our nation’s flag with the same level of respect and reverence.

I had the chance several years ago to visit Fort McHenry early on a Sunday morning, and to participate in the daily flag ceremony there.  As directed by law, Fort McHenry flies a small storm flag, also one with fifteen stars and fifteen stripes, overnight every night, and then brings it down each morning to be replaced with a larger example.  I was able to help bring the storm flag down, hold it in my arms while waiting for others to raise the daytime flag, and then I was able to help fold it appropriately and hand it back to the Park Ranger.  For me, this was an extremely spiritual experience.  I felt many of the same feelings of gratitude and reverence as I have when visiting Church history sites or attending the temple.

With The Star Spangled Banner at Fort McHenry - August 1996

Before I close, we should also remember that there are many lands around the world whose citizens enjoy many of the same freedoms we do here in America.  I think it's important to recognize that as blessed as we are here, Heavenly Father is no respecter of persons, and he will always bless the righteous, no matter where they live.  We should respect that, to those living in other nations, their flags can represent the same ideals of freedom and peace to them.

So, the next time we fly our flags on national holidays, when we see one passing in a parade, and any time we sing or hear The Star-Spangled Banner, I hope we will take a moment to remember the ultimate source of our freedoms, our Heavenly Father.  And, that we can remember His Son who gave his life not just for his country, but for all of us, His brothers and sisters.  And I hope that we will remember to raise our own spiritual flags - our testimonies and obedient examples - for all to see, that our friends and neighbors will also be reminded to Whom they can look for true freedom.

When we finally come to recognize, as a nation and as individuals that Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, are the true source of our freedoms, only then can we truly expect that, “the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave, o’er the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave.”

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.