Presidential Message · Monday, September 14, 2026
White House marks Fort McHenry battle anniversary
The File desk · Sep 14, 2026, 10:14 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed from a White House briefing statement dated Sept. 13, 2026. It is a ceremonial anniversary message, not a new statute or executive order.
The White House posted a presidential message dated Sept. 13 on the anniversary of the Battle of Fort McHenry. The statement recalls the September 1814 defense of Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812, when American forces held the fort through a long British naval bombardment and the U.S. flag remained flying at dawn. It is a ceremonial anniversary message, not a new statute or executive order.
The White House posted a presidential message dated Sept. 13 on the anniversary of the Battle of Fort McHenry.
The statement recalls the September 1814 defense of Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812. It says American forces held the fort through a long British naval bombardment, and that the U.S. flag remained flying at dawn.
It is a ceremonial anniversary message. It is not a new statute or executive order.
What is still unknown or disputed
- No new policy action is attached to this message beyond the commemorative text.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Presidential Message on the Anniversary of the Battle of Fort McHenry
The White House · September 13, 2026
Sept. 13, 2026 message on the 1814 Fort McHenry defense of Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812 and the flag remaining aloft after British bombardment.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/09/presidential-message-on-the-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-fort-mchenry/