Fort McHenry is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Fort McHenry was once known as a fort to protect the soldiers in Baltimore from the British. The five-pointed star structure was made to have as few as five men in each corner of the fort. Fort McHenry was also known as the place where the Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key. Although that is not the only reason why Fort McHenry has such great significance. Fort McHenry was built on the site of the late Fort Whetstone, which was a fort that defended Baltimore from 1776 to 1797. Fort Whetstone sat on Whetstone Point peninsula, which sticks out into the opening of Baltimore Harbor. Frenchman Jean Foncin designed the fort in 1798, and it was built between 1798 and 1800. The new fort's purpose was to better the defenses of the increasingly important Port of Baltimore from future enemy attacks. The new fort was built in the form of a five-pointed star surrounded by a dry, wide ditch. The ditch would be used as a shelter for the infantry who might have to defend the fort from a land attack. In case of such an attack like this, each point, or guard could provide a crossfire of cannon and gunfire.Fort McHenry was named after James McHenry, a Scots-Irish settler and surgeon-soldier. …show more content…
There were four quarters to house the soldiers, the Commanding Officers' Quarters, Junior Officers' Quarters, and two buildings for the men who were enlisted. A guardhouse stood next to the Commanding Officer's quarters where soldiers of the Fort McHenry Guard lived and worked; sometimes wild soldiers were cramped in the guard rooms. The Powder Magazine, where the gunpowder was kept, laid between the Commanding Officer's Quarters and the Junior Officers' Quarters. The magazine was made of hard enough construction to protect the gunpowder from fire, explosions, and