In 1814, Fort McHenry comprised many buildings, and this spot stood on the edge of the outer drill field. Behind it stood a gun shed, where small field cannons were stored, and a stable for officers' horses, with their foundations outlined in brick. A brick tavern sat just outside the entrance gate near those structures. Two main roads led from the fort, one to the city and the other to the government dock. On an autumn day that year, the British had long since departed, but the garrison remained on alert.