How to Use the Images
Photo 1: The Walls at Fort McHenry
(National Park Service)
Questions for Photo 1
1. The walls shown in this 1999 photo closely resemble those that existed in 1814. What material do you think they consist of, based on the photo?
Click here for the answer.
2. See if you can find the note about the “scarp” walls in Illustration 1. “Scarp” is the term used for the brick facing on the front of the walls. How tall were the scarp walls? Do you think the men inside the fort would have been able to see over them?
3. Illustration 1 shows a “ditch” outside the walls. Can you find evidence of a ditch in this photo? How do you think a ditch might have helped in defending the fort?
4. There were cannons on top of the walls to fire at attackers. How difficult do you think it would have been for someone attacking the fort on foot to get over the walls?
Click for a larger version of Photo 1.