What name is given to the enormous U.S. flag displayed during the 1814 defense of Fort McHenry?

The enormous U.S. flag displayed during the 1814 defense of Fort McHenry is known as the Star-Spangled Banner.

The flag flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key saw it after a night of British bombardment and was inspired to write the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” which later became the lyrics of the U.S. national anthem.

Mary Pickersgill and her assistants made the flag in Baltimore in 1813. It measured roughly 30 by 42 feet and had fifteen stars and fifteen stripes, reflecting the number of states at the time.

The flag is often confused with the national flag in general. “The Star-Spangled Banner” refers specifically to the historic Fort McHenry flag and, separately, to the anthem inspired by it. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History preserves the flag.