Defenders Day

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Defenders Day is a Maryland state holiday celebrated on September 12 each year, commemorating the successful defense of the city of Baltimore from an invading British force during the War of 1812.

In 1814, following the burning of Washington, a British force commanded by Admiral Robert Ross landed north of Baltimore and began an advance on the city. He was met almost immediately by a detachment from the Baltimore garrison led by American General John Stricker, commencing the Battle of North Point. The resulting halt of the larger British force allowed Baltimore to organize its defenses against a later attempted naval invasion. It was during this conflict, the Battle of Baltimore, that Fort McHenry was shelled by the British but refused to surrender, and an inspired Maryland lawyer named Francis Scott Key composed the words to what would later become "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States.

Commemorations of the day of the victory, centering on Stricker's stand north of the city, began in the years shortly after the War. During the mid-1800s, Marylanders would informally picnic on the battlefield grounds, but later celebrations involved the entire city of Baltimore, with parades and speeches. The largest celebration was held on the hundred year anniversary in 1914, which included fireworks reenacting of the shelling of Fort McHenry.

The Great Depression of the 1930s curtailed the celebrations somewhat, and they continued to wane in popularity through World War II and the 1960s, when dissatisfaction with martial matters due to the unpopular Vietnam War were noted. It was not until the 1980s and 1990s that Defenders Day began to be widely celebrated in Maryland once again, mostly through the gaining popularity of reenactors, who brought new life to celebrations at Fort McHenry.