We all know the story of Francis Scott Key. He was aboard a British warship off the coast of Baltimore, Maryland, during the War of 1812. After 25 hours of continuous bombardment, Key was an eyewitness that the British failed to make the United States surrender. . Inspired, Key wrote a poem that eventually became our national anthem. This historical panorama is relatively well known. Less well known, however, are the circumstances that led Key to take his place in history. In short, networking placed Francis Scott Key in a unique position to write The Star Spangled Banner.

In 1812, war broke out over Britain’s attempts to regulate American shipping and other activities. On the afternoon of August 24, 1814, the British had entered the Chesapeake Bay and invaded and captured Washington, burning down the Capitol and the White House. After the attack on Washington, the British returned to the Chesapeake Bay and set their sights on the city of Baltimore. However, before returning to their ships, they arrested a 65-year-old doctor, Dr. William Beanes, and held him on his flagship, the Tonnant. Dr. Beanes’s friends went to work almost immediately to secure his release. Because he was well connected, friends of his were able to contact several high-ranking state and federal government officials, including Secretary of State James Monroe. Despite words of encouragement, there was no progress in obtaining Dr. Beanes’ release.

Discouraged but not losing hope, the doctor’s patients thought a lawyer with government contacts might be a better approach. One of his patients knew such a lawyer – Richard West. Networking through his wife, West contacted his wife’s brother-in-law, Francis Scott Key, an attorney with experience as a United States district attorney, and convinced him to take the case. . Key, however, had no political authority to negotiate with the British. Undeterred, he connected through his contacts with the President of the United States, James Madison. Once connected, Key requested permission to visit the British fleet under a flag of truce and negotiate the release of Dr. Beanes.

Although President Madison considered the request, he knew that he was not in a position to connect Key to Dr. Beane’s captors. At the time, the only open contact allowed with the British on matters relating to the release of prisoners was through the prisoner of war exchange officer, Colonel John S. Skinner. In an effort to remedy this deficiency, President Madison introduced Key to the General Commissioner of Prisoners, General John Mason, who then linked Key with Skinner. With this team in place, President Madison approved the request and formally appointed Colonel Skinner and Key to jointly carry out the mission.

On the morning of September 3, Skinner and Key set sail from Baltimore. Working through the Colonel’s contacts, they located and boarded the British flagship on 7 September. Using Skinner’s skills and contacts, in a matter of days they were able to obtain a commitment from the British to release Dr. Beanes. However, they were not allowed to leave pending the execution of the new strategy of the British: an attack on Baltimore.

At approximately 7:00 a.m. on September 13, the British began shelling Ft. McHenry, Baltimore’s only defense. Key knew that as long as he continued the bombardment, Ft. McHenry had not given up. Although before dawn the bombardment ceased, as the sun rose Key could see the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry. With a unique inspiration, he began to write a poem that perfectly conveyed the event’s strange combination of fear, defiance, suspense, and sheer ecstasy.

Back in Baltimore, Key showed his work to Judge Joseph Nicholson, his wife’s brother-in-law, who used his connections to print the poem and distribute it as pamphlets. This led to it being printed in the Baltimore Patriot, then in newspapers as far away as Savannah, Georgia, and Concord, New Hampshire.

In short, Key’s poem, which became the United States national anthem in 1931 by an act of Congress, was brought to life by the power of networking.