On September 2, 1814, during the War of 1812, General John Mason of Alexandria, then serving as the Commissioner General of Prisoners, formally appointed Francis Scott Key and John S. Skinner to a special mission to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes, a prominent Maryland physician captured by the British after the burning of Washington.
Skinner, an experienced prisoner-of-war exchange agent who had dealt with the British previously, accompanied Key, who was familiar with the facts of the case. The two men were granted permission to board a British ship under a flag of truce.
During their mission, they witnessed the September 13–14 bombardment of Fort McHenry from the Chesapeake Bay. When they saw the American flag still flying at dawn, Key was moved to write the verses that would become “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
General Mason, whose actions helped facilitate the moment that inspired America’s national anthem, is buried at Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery in Alexandria.
