This tomb was restored by the public school children of Prince
George's County assisted by the National Star-Spangled Banner
Centennial Commission under the auspices of the Star-Spangled
Banner Society of Prince George's County, Maryland.
Most everyone has heard the story of Francis Scott Key who,
while aboard a British Truce Ship watched the bombardment of Fort
McHenry in Baltimore, inspiring him to write the poem which would
later become our National Anthem.
Lesser know is why he was on that ship in the first place.
It all has to do with Dr. William Beanes
Beanes was in the limelight during the War of 1812. In the
summer of 1814 the British landed near Benedict, Maryland. They
marched to Upper Marlboro which was about 16 miles from Washington,
D.C. The town was mostly deserted except for its most prominent
citizen, Beanes. He offered British General Robert Ross and Admiral
George Cockburn the use of his house as his headquarters from
August 22 until the afternoon of August 23. Because of this, Ross
took it as Beanes being in sympathy with the British. There was no
resistance to the British in town, which additionally confirmed the
notion.
The British continued their march onto Washington and entered
Bladensburg which was about eight miles east of Washington. There
they encountered American resistance in the Battle of Bladensburg
on August 24, 1814. After a decisive victory by the British they
continued to Washington and burned some public buildings, including
the White House.
Durring their return trip, back to their ships, they again
stopped briefly at Upper Marlboro. A few of the British soldiers
plundered some of the small farms nearby.
Robert Bowie, who was a former governor of Maryland and owned
some farmland in the area decided he was going to take matters into
his own hands and do something about it. He was able to enlist the
help of Dr. Beanes, who in turn was able to get Dr. William Hill
and Philip Weems to participate as well. They then captured a few
of the British and took them to the county jail. One promptly
escaped and went straight away to General Ross and told him of the
captives.
Ross was furious to think that he was misled by Beanes’
earlier hospitality and that it was perhaps just a ruse on
Beanes’ part. It could have been that the marauders lied
accusing Beanes of undue vehemence, but in either case Ross
immediately put out an arrest for Beanes, Bowie, and four others.
British soldiers seized Beanes, Bowie, Dr. Hill and Mr. Weems
shortly after midnight. Upon receiving these men from the soldiers,
Ross and Cockburn soon released Bowie and the others but took
Beanes back to their ship.
Brigadier General William H. Winder, in a letter dated August
31, protested Dr. Beanes capture.
(To the British Commander):
“ I am informed that a party from your army a few
nights ago, took the Physician Beanes, a respectable, aged man out
of his bed, treated him with great rudeness and indignantly, took
him to your camp, and that he is now on shipboard.
The bearer of this goes to your camp conveying some
necessaries for the doctor for his accommodation; and to ascertain
what has occasioned this procedure so unusual in warfare among
civilized nations. I am persuaded it will be necessary to enquire
into the case to cause the doctor to be released. I am informed he
is an honorable man and would not have been guilty of any act
intentionally or knowingly contrary to the usages of war or
derogatory to the character of a man of honor.
I hope on inquiry, justice and humanity may induce you to
permit the Doctor to return to his family as speedily as
possible.
(signed) "General Winder""
The letter fell on deaf ears.
Friends of Beanes went to Francis Scott Key, a lawyer in
Georgetown, for help on the release of the elderly doctor. Key got
the permission of President James Madison who also sent John Stuart
Skinner, the US Prisoner Exchange Agent for the region. Skinner and
Key took one of Skinner's flag of truce vessels, a Chesapeake Bay
cartel (the Minden), and set out to locate the British fleet in the
Chesapeake Bay.
Skinner and Key came across the British flagship of Vice Admiral
Sir Alexander Cochrane. They then had a meeting with General Ross
who refused to release Beanes. Skinner knew General Ross, and the
high reputation he had for honor among men. As such, Skinner had
the foresight to collect from wounded British soldiers, left behind
after the Battle of Bladensburg, letters stating how well they had
been treated by the Americans.
Skinner then pulled his trump card and gave Ross the letters The
soldiers wrote about what excellent medical treatment they were
receiving by the Americans. Ross then had a change of heart and
released Dr. Beanes. Skinner and Key with Beanes were allowed to go
back to their ship, however were not allowed to go back to
Baltimore.
They were held eight miles off shore from Fort McHenry until the
outcome of the Battle of Baltimore. Skinner, Key and Beanes had
learned too much about British forces and plans of the attack on
Baltimore to allow them free at that time. They were tied up to a
British ship in the Chesapeake Bay and guarded by British soldiers
until after the battle that started the morning of July 3, 1814.
The three men watched the battle from their ship as it went into
the night. There was a large flag put up at Fort McHenry that they
could see, however eventually the smoke of British gunfire,
cannons, Congreve rockets and nightfall obscured the flag. They
could only look and hope for the best.
When morning came on July 4, they saw the flag was still there.
Fort McHenry had not been taken by the British. The British had
broken off the attack in the night and were retreating. Skinner,
Key, and Beanes were released to go back home on their ship. They
arrived at Baltimore on July 16th. Key was inspired to write a poem
of the event on the back of a letter, which ultimately became the
Star Spangled Banner. Beanes was the incidental cause for the
reason why Key wrote the poem that led to the American national
anthem.