It is entirely appropriate that FRANCIS SCOTT KEY has a street named after him on Dauphin Island. Not only did Key become the legal representative of the contractors who lost money when Congress cancelled the construction of the fortification on D.I. in 1821, but the HMS TONNANT on which Key wrote THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER was anchored off Dauphin Island in 1815 when the message was received that the War of 1812 had ended. The TONNANT had acted as the command ship during the second battle of Fort Bowyer in February, 1815. Ironically, the first battle of Fort Bowyer on Mobile Point occurred on September 14, 1814, the SAME DAY Key wrote our NATIONAL ANTHEM while serving as a prisoner on board the Tonnant in Baltimore harbor. Dauphin Island acted as the staging area for the British before their attack on Mobile Point during both the first Battle of Fort Boyer in 1814 as well as the second Battle of Fort Boyer in 1815. (photos of the FRANCIS SCOTT KEY MEMORIAL on he and his wife's grave in Frederick, Maryland)