During the War of 1812, Baltimore, Maryland, was the nation's third largest city. Between 1810 and 1820, the city's population grew from 46,555 to 62,738. In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that Baltimore's population was 620,961.

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The Battle of Baltimore was a key event during the War of 1812, fought from September 12–14, 1814, between the United States and Great Britain. After capturing and burning Washington, D.C., British troops turned their attention to Baltimore. The British believed that capturing the city would weaken American morale and disrupt trade. However, the United States was determined to defend the city at all costs. Baltimore prepared strong land defenses, manned by a determined militia ready to resist the British attack.

On September 10, the British Navy arrived outside Baltimore to prepare for its assault on Fort McHenry. Two days later, approximately 4,500 British troops launched their ground assault southeast of the city. American sharpshooters killed British Major General Robert Ross early in the September 12 Battle of North Point. Surprisingly strong American resistance and a strategic fighting withdrawal toward Baltimore led by Brigadier General John Stricker delayed the British advance. The Americans took advantage of this delay to strengthen Baltimore's eastern defenses, where they successfully halted the British at Hampstead Hill on September 13–14. As the land assault stalled, the British Navy took up positions at the entrance to Baltimore Harbor to begin a day-long bombardment of Fort McHenry. Despite heavy shelling, the fort’s commander, Major George Armistead, refused to surrender. Unable to achieve a breakthrough by land or sea, the British withdrew on September 14.

The successful defense of Baltimore marked a major turning point in the War of 1812, boosting America's morale and proving that the young nation could defend itself against a superpower like Great Britain. The sight of the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry on the morning of September 14 inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem that later became the national anthem of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner."

You can learn more about the Battle of Baltimore and the War of 1812 using census records and data collected by the Census Bureau. For example:

• Washington, DC, had a population of 15,471 in 1810. Although many homes and government buildings were burned by the British on August 24, 1814, the city recovered quickly and the population grew to 23,336 by 1820.
• Baltimore, Maryland, was the nation's third largest city in 1810, with a population of 46,555. By the 1820 Census, the city's population had grown to 62,738, behind New York City, New York, (123,706) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (63,802). Between 1830 and 1850, Baltimore was the second most populous city in the United States, growing from 80,620 in 1830 to 136,181 in 1850.
• American Indian tribes allied themselves with the United States and Great Britain during the War of 1812. For example, Black Hawk, leader of the Sauk tribe, forced American troops to abandon Fort Madison along the banks of the Mississippi River in Iowa. Cherokee warriors assisted General Andrew Jackson claim victory in the March 27, 1814, Battle of Horseshoe Bend, near present day Dadeville, Alabama.
• During the war, approximately 500,000 served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, and militias and 2,260 American soldiers and sailors were killed. During the 1840 Census, data were collected from veterans of the American Revolution and War of 1812 in a Census of Pensioners.
• The December 24, 1814, Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812. When American Indians lost their British allies in the Northwest Territory, Americans were encouraged to settle the area that makes up present day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
• General Andrew Jackson forced the British-allied Creek Indians out of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. The Creek allied with Florida's Seminole Tribe leading to the "Seminole Wars" lasting from 1817 to 1858.

On September 5, 1814, Francis Scott Key and Colonel John Skinner met officers of the Royal Navy under a flag of truce in an attempt to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes. Beanes had been captured by the British following their burning of Washington, DC, August 24, 1814.

Following negotiations aboard the HMS Tonnant, the British agreed to release Beanes; however, the three men were not allowed to return to Baltimore until after the bombardment of Fort McHenry. The three Americans returned to their ship, and waited behind the British fleet, where they watched the British navy's attack on the fort.

When the smoke cleared following the 25-hour bombardment, Key saw the American flag still flying above Fort McHenry. He wrote down the words to a poem that he published under the title, "Defence of Fort McHenry." Later, the words were set to music, and renamed "The Star Spangled Banner." It became a popular patriotic song, but did not become the U.S. national anthem until March 3, 1931.