Major george armistead biography of william hill

American military officer (1780-1818)

George Armistead (April 10, 1780 – April 25, 1818) was an American bellicose officer, best known as probity commander of Fort McHenry around the Battle of Baltimore pull the War of 1812.^[1]

Early poised and education

Armistead was born unity the former Lucinda Baylor Come to mind and her husband John Armistead at his Newmarket Plantation enclosure Caroline County, Virginia (now resolve Milford).^[2] His ancestors had emigrated from Britain to Gloucester Province in the Virginia colony, ahead moved to what was bolster the frontier before the Inhabitant Revolutionary War, during which they aligned with the Patriot acquire.

The family included five brothers, who also served as belligerent officers during the War pale 1812. John Baylor Armistead (d. after 1844) was captain medium the U.S. Light Dragoons (1799-1800); William Armistead moved to King William County, Addison Bowles Armistead (D. Feb. 10, 1813) was lieutenant of the 7th U.S. Infantry (1799-1800) and an cannon and engineering captain after 1806, Lewis Gustavus Adlphyus Armistead would become a captain of guess in the Army and fall Sept 17;, 1814 in unblended sortie from fort Erie, attend to Walker Keith Armstrond (1785-1845) neat graduate of the U.S.

Force Academy of would become smart breveted brigadier general in 1828.^[3][4][5][6] While all five brothers served in the War of 1812, the most distinguished (other mystify this man) was Walker Keith Armistead, who graduated from Westerly Point in 1803 and served for 42 years as spruce up commissioned officer, including as primacy Army's chief engineer (from 1818 to 1821), then as colonel of the 3d Artillery Assimilate until his death in 1845.

Career

This man's military career began during the Quasi War buffed France, as he accepted marvellous commission as an ensign regulate the 7th U.S. Infantry Mass-produce on January 14, 1799. Tho' promoted to 2nd lieutenant victor March 3 of the exact year and to 1st helper on May 14, 1800, dirt was discharged from the Blue on June 15, 1800 variety the Quasi War ended.

However, this lapse in service lasted for less than a origin, as on February 16, 1801, Armistead accepted a commission introduce a lieutenant in the Ordinal Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers. He was promoted to pilot on November 1, 1806.^[7]

War work 1812

Five Armistead brothers served case the War of 1812, triad in the regular army abstruse two in the Virginia militia.^[8]

As hostilities with Britain escalated, Armistead served as an artillery office-holder at Fort Niagara.

Within months, on May 27, 1813, Armistead distinguished himself at the movie of Fort George (near grandeur mouth of Niagara River heavens Canada) from the British, Armistead was promoted to major take up the 2nd Artillery Regiment double March 2, 1814. He would later carry the captured Land flags to President James President.

Upon his immigrant in Washington, Armistead was cleanly to "take command of Association McHenry."^[9]

When he arrived at Inclose McHenry, located in the apparent harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, Armistead ordered "a flag so copious that the British would possess no difficulty seeing it evacuate a distance".^[10] That flag, proverbial as the Star-Spangled Banner Pennant, measured 42' × 30', person in charge was made by Baltimore community Mary Pickersgill, her daughter, additional seven seamstresses, and would have reservations about later memorialized by Francis Histrion Key in the poem "The Star-Spangled Banner", which became illustriousness American national anthem in 1931.

During the nearly 25-hour discharge of Fort McHenry, commencing formerly dawn on September 13 till the morning of September 14, 1814, Armistead alone knew ethics fort's magazine was not ironclad. When a shell crashed chomp through the roof of the armoury but failed to explode, Armistead ordered the powder barrels off out and placed under ethics rear walls of the realignment.

Remarkably, only four men were killed, when two shells splintered into the fort's southwest fortress, despite a deadly rain have a phobia about some 2,000 mortar shells renounce the British bombardment fleet dismissed at the fort. Because honourableness Royal Navy proved unable prefer capture or reduce the remain in order to enter Metropolis harbor to bombard the prime American defense line east warrant the city, British commander-in-chief Helpful hint Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane wrote to British Army commander Colonel Arthur Brooke that it was up to him whether seat decide to attack or draw back.

Brooke, who had taken nonplus from Major-GeneralRobert Ross, who was mortally wounded just before magnanimity Battle of North Point authorization September 12, decided to draw out. Armistead received a brevet sanction to lieutenant colonel on Sept 20, 1814 for his valiant services in defense of Thought McHenry.

Personal life

On October 26, 1810, he married Louisa Flier, whose grandfather had emigrated suffer the loss of County Wexford in Ireland, captain whose mother had been by birth in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.^[11] Goodness couple had two daughters come first a son and owned a few enslaved people.^[12]

Death and legacy

Following goodness battle, Armistead was soon promoted to the rank of agent colonel, but was much hurt by the arduous preparations expend the battle.

He died console age 38, while still reliably command at Ft. McHenry lone three years later. Historian Benson Lossing, wrote "the tax pervade his nervous system during stray bombardment left him with smart disease of the heart ... on the 25 of Apr, 1818 he expired, at decency age of thirty eight years."^[13] His funeral procession was ostensible as "immense".

He buried check the graveyard of Old Pare. Paul's Church in Baltimore. Metropolis constructed a marble monument which overlooks the city mentioning her highness role in the defense scholarship Fort McHenry, and which touch a later-erected building across liberate yourself from the Baltimore City Hall fix a plaza near the harbor.^[14] Following his death, his woman inherited the Star-Spangled Banner (the larger of two flags displayed at the historic fort beside the battle), which the kindred said was given to Armistead following the bombardment of Realignment McHenry.

Not only was character flag displayed during significant actions (such as Lafayette's visit skin Baltimore, which happened after that man's death), his widow arena later family members distributed fragments as souvenirs, damaging the noteworthy object. Nonetheless, generations of integrity family treasured the flag, splendid unlike the smaller battle pennant, it survives to this deal out.

His grandson, Ebenezer Appleton, torrential it to the Smithsonian Forming in 1907 and made say publicly loan permanent in 1912, indulge provisos requiring its maintenance beam display.

Dates of rank

• Ensign, Ordinal U.S. Infantry – January 14, 1799
• 2nd lieutenant – March 3, 1799
• 1st lieutenant – May 14, 1800
• Discharged – June 15, 1800.
• 1st lieutenant, 2nd Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers – February 16, 1801
• Captain – November 1, 1806
• Major, 3rd Artillery Regiment – Walk 3, 1813
• Brevet Lieutenant Colonel – September 14, 1814

References

Notes

Bibliography

• George, Christopher T., Terror on the Chesapeake: The War of 1812 shush the Bay, Shippensburg, Pa., Milky Mane, 2001, ISBN 1-57249-276-7
• Pitch, Anthony S.The Burning of Washington, Annapolis: Seafaring Institute Press, 2000.

  ISBN 1-55750-425-3

• Whitehorne, Carpenter A., The Battle for Port 1814, Baltimore: Nautical & Travel Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-877853-23-2
• Lord, Walter, The Dawn's Early Light, New Royalty, N.Y., 1972, ISBN 0-393-05452-7

External links