avy fire upon the
American works, about seven o'clock, and at a distance of two miles.
They kept up a heavy bombardment until three o'clock in the afternoon.

"Armistead at once opened the batteries of Fort McHenry upon them, but,
after keeping up a brisk fire for some time, discovered that his
missiles fell short and were harmless. It was a great disappointment to
find that he must endure the tremendous shower of the shells of the
enemy without being able to return it in kind, or do anything whatever
to check it. But our brave fellows kept at their posts, enduring the
storm with great courage and fortitude.

"At length a bomb-shell dismounted one of the twenty-four pounders,
killing Lieutenant Claggett and wounding several of his men. That caused
some confusion, which Cochrane perceived, and, hoping to profit by it,
he ordered three of his bomb-vessels to move up nearer the fort,
thinking to thus increase the effectiveness of his guns.

"No movement could have been more acceptable to Armistead, and he
quickly took advantage of it, ordering a general cannonade and
bombardment from every part of the fort, thus punishing the enemy so
severely that in less than half an hour he fell back to his old
anchorage.

"One of their rocket vessels was so badly injured that, to save her from
being entirely destroyed, a number of small boats had to be sent to tow
her out of the reach of Armistead's guns. The garrison gave three cheers
and ceased firing.

"The British vessels returned to their former stations and again opened
fire, keeping up, with very little intermission, a furious bombardment
until past midnight, when it was discovered that they (the British) had
sent a pretty large force up the Patapsco to capture Fort Covington,
commanded by Lieutenant Newcomb, of the United States Navy, and the City
Battery, then attack Fort McHenry in the rear. For this purpose there
had been sent one thousand two hundred and fifty men in barges, with
scaling ladders and other implements for storming the fort. But
providentially their errand was made known to the garrison of Fort
McHenry in good season by the throwing up of rockets to examine the
shores, and not the fort alone but also two redoubts on the Patapsco
immediately opened a heavy fire upon them, and drove them away.

"So heavy was the firing that the houses of Baltimore were shaken to
their very foundations. Lossing tells us that Rodgers's men in Fort
Covington worked their gun