George Armistead

Overview

George Armistead appears in the wiki as the Fort McHenry commander associated with the large flag that became the visual center of The Star-Spangled Banner.

Current Profile

The episode uses Armistead less as a full military biography than as the officer who wanted a very large American flag for Fort McHenry and had it raised after the British bombardment. That decision helped turn a limited-damage military episode into a durable national image.

Key Characteristics

• Major commanding Fort McHenry during the September 1814 British attack.
• Ordered the large American flag made by Mary Pickersgill.
• Associated with raising the garrison flag after the bombardment.
• Secondary but necessary actor in the anthem’s visual origin story.
• Military figure whose public memory is mediated through Key’s poem and the flag.

Evidence

• Command role: 677. USA: The Star-Spangled Banner (Part 1) identifies Armistead as the Fort McHenry commander.
• Flag order and raising: 677. USA: The Star-Spangled Banner (Part 1) says he ordered a very large flag and had it raised at dawn on 14 September.
• Anthem role: 677. USA: The Star-Spangled Banner (Part 1) connects that flag scene to Francis Scott Key’s poem.

Qualifications

This page is source-scoped to the anthem episode and does not attempt a full account of Armistead’s military career or Baltimore’s defense.

What Changed

• Created Armistead as the Fort McHenry commander in the U.S. anthem branch.

Relationships

• Fort McHenry - fort Armistead commanded in the episode.
• Mary Pickersgill - flag maker whose work Armistead ordered.
• The Star-Spangled Banner - anthem shaped by the flag scene.
• Francis Scott Key - observer whose poem made the flag scene famous.
• War of 1812 - conflict context for Armistead’s role.