“Defence of Fort M’Henry” Early Printing of the Star-Spangled Banner
The Analectic Magazine, Philadelphia - Volume IV, November 1814
 
An important early printing of Francis Scott Key’s verses, issued under the title “Defence of Fort M’Henry.” Printed across two pages and preceded by a contemporary account of the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, the text preserves the poem in one of its earliest formal appearances, at the moment it was passing from manuscript circulation into public print.
 
Composed on September 15, 1814, while Key observed the failed British assault on Baltimore from aboard a detained vessel, the verses were first circulated in broadside form within days of the event and quickly reprinted in newspapers and periodicals. Their rapid dissemination reflects the immediacy with which the poem entered public consciousness as an expression of national endurance in the face of invasion.
 
More than a literary artifact, this early printing preserves one of the most significant cultural outcomes of the War of 1812. Its central image, the survival of the American flag through bombardment, became among the most enduring symbols of national perseverance and sovereignty in the early republic.
 
Condition: Newly bound; clean pages with very light wear; excellent.