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Fort McHenry

fort, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

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Fort McHenry is a star-shaped fort located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is famous for successfully defending the city from a British attack during the War of 1812 on September 13-14, 1814. This pivotal event inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would become the U.S. national anthem, \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d The fort, named after James McHenry, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, later served as a prison during the American Civil War before becoming a national monument and historic shrine.12

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