Montclair Rotary Club Treated To Special Talk

Rotarian and military historian Dean Boorman, who was a longtime resident of Montclair, recently discussed the causes of the War of 1812 with members of the Montclair Rotary Club. He also reviewed some of the major battles of the conflict between America and Great Britain. The nation is marking the Bicentennial of the War, which began in June 1812. During the war, British warships bombarded Fort McHenry in Baltimore and the siege lasted all night. In the morning, soldiers hoisted the American flag as the attackers withdrew, and the events inspired Francis Scott Key to compose The Star-Spangled Banner, which is the national anthem. In the attached photo, Boorman is holding a Model 1795 U.S. flintlock of the type used in the war, and made at the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts, dated 1810 and marked to the Delaware militia.