The Man Who Captured Washington      

Above:  Contemporary image of the Star Spangled Banner flying over Fort McHenry, Baltimore, during the attack on the city led by Gen. Ross and the Royal Navy under Vice Adm. Sir Alexander Cochrane.

Not only did Ross have a prominent role in the burning of the 'White House', but the subsequent attack on Baltimore which Ross jointly led with Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane (during which Ross was killed – 12^th September 1814) provided the inspiration for the American national anthem. Prior to the battle, Francis Scott Key, a Georgetown lawyer, had been negotiating for the release of an American prisoner, Dr Beanes. Boarding HMS Tonnant, Key dined with General Ross and other British officers. Ross agreed to release Dr Beanes having been impressed by the generous treatment afforded British prisoners who had been wounded at the Battle of Bladensburg. Owing to the imminence of the British attack on Baltimore, Key was not permitted to return ashore. He thus witnessed the massive bombardment unleashed by the Royal Navy on Fort McHenry. The sight of the Stars and Stripes still flying from the ramparts of Fort McHenry when the bombardment ceased inspired him to pen the lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner. Fort McHenry, as it happens, was named after another Irishman (of Scots Irish descent), the Ballymena born James McHenry, Secretary for War to President Washington. Ironically, during the recent restoration of the Ross Monument in Rostrevor, County Down, someone hoisted an 'original' US flag, the 'Betsy Ross', on the scaffolding.

Above: 'Original' US flag, the 'Betsy Ross', fluttering defiantly from the Ross Monument in Rostrevor, County Down, Northern Ireland, during the recent restoration project.

Above: Close up of the 'Betsy Ross' on the scaffolding of the Ross Monument, Rostrevor, County Down, Northern Ireland, during restoration work in 2008.

There is a major Star Spangled Banner exhibition at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., where the original flag is on display. See http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/

See also "Birth of a National Icon: Fort McHenry" by Christopher T.George:

http://www.baltimoremd.com/monuments/ftmchenry.html 

For an excellent website on Francis Scott Key, see http://francisscottkey.info/

The Ross Monument was officially opened by Newry and Mourne District Council in January 2009

• More visitor information

Watch BBC Newsline coverage of 'Washington Burner Story', along with interviews with      Mr. Gerard McGivern, Director of District Development, and Rostrevor based historian     Dr. John McCavitt about the restored Ross Monument in Rostrevor Co.Down.

• Find out how General Ross influenced the creation of the American National Anthem, Star Spangled Banner

The restoration of the Ross Monument began on the 3rd of March 2008. The 25 week long project brought the monument back to its prior glory in time for the bicentenary.

• More about the restoration