Millions of Americans have seen the original Star`-Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian Institution, paying tribute to a tattered old flag that, more than 200 years ago, signaled victory over the British at Fort McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. But few know how it got there. Or why.
In OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE, Tom McMillan tells the remarkable story of an American treasure and the enduring military family that helped to preserve it. From Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead, who defied army rules by taking the flag home after the battle, to family members who held it as a private heirloom for 90 years, follow the Star-Spangled Banner on a sometimes harrowing journey through U.S. history that led to its final place of honor at the Smithsonian. |