Fort McHenry, a coastal fort at Baltimore's Locust Point built between 1798 and 1800 to defend the harbor, became central to American memory during the War of 1812. During the Battle of Baltimore on September 13–14, 1814, British warships bombarded the fort for 25 hours, but its defenders under Major George Armistead held firm and the fleet withdrew. The large flag raised after the attack inspired Francis Scott Key to write “Defence of Fort M'Henry,” later transformed into “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The fort later served as a Civil War prison, a World War I hospital site, a World War II Coast Guard base, and now stands as a preserved national historic site.