Francis Scott Key was born at "Terra Rubra" near Frederick, Maryland, on August 1, 1779, and died in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 11, 1843. He wrote "The Star Spangled Banner" while being detained by the British admiral under a flag of truce during the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, by the British fleet on September 13 and the early morning of September 14, 1814.