Who wrote the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812?

Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812.

Key was a Maryland lawyer who traveled with Colonel John Stuart Skinner to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beanes, a prisoner held by British forces. The men were detained aboard a British ship while the fleet attacked Fort McHenry near Baltimore on September 13–14, 1814. From the ship, Key watched the bombardment through the night.

At dawn, Key saw a large American flag still flying above the fort. He began drafting a poem on the back of a letter in his pocket and completed it after returning to Baltimore. The manuscript was printed as “Defence of Fort M'Henry” before the words became widely known by the title of the song.

Key did not compose the melody. The music came from “The Anacreontic Song,” written by English composer John Stafford Smith. That distinction is a common source of confusion: Key supplied the words, while Smith supplied the tune later associated with them.