The Battle of Baltimore took place in present-day Maryland.
The fighting centered on Baltimore and its approaches in Maryland from September 12 to 14, 1814. British forces landed at North Point southeast of the city, fought American defenders on land, and then advanced toward Baltimore. At the same time, the Royal Navy attacked Fort McHenry from the waters of the Patapsco River and Baltimore Harbor.
American troops and militia stopped the British advance, while Fort McHenry withstood the naval bombardment. The failed assault prevented the British from capturing Baltimore, one of the United States’ major ports and commercial centers. The victory also helped inspire Francis Scott Key’s poem about the fort’s flag, later set to music as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
A common mistake is to identify the battle only with Fort McHenry. The battle was a broader campaign involving North Point, defensive positions around Baltimore, and the harbor bombardment. Maryland is the present-day state; Baltimore itself was already an important city within that state in 1814.