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From: hhm@ihlpy.ATT.COM (Mayo)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: History of Grenades
Summary: bombs vs. rockets
Message-ID: <8180@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 12 Jul 89 01:24:25 GMT
References: <7950@cbnews.ATT.COM> <8031@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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From: hhm@ihlpy.ATT.COM (Mayo)


> >>... confusion in the terms "grenade", "bomb", and "shell."
> >>Consider,too, the Star Spangled Banner: "the bombs bursting in air."
> >
> >Which, of course, were in fact rockets!
> 
> The song actually goes "the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air".
> So both are mentioned.  Just more confusion for us all!  :-)

No confusion at all. The British used large flat-bottomed launches which
typically carried two large mortars forward. Some ,I believe, were also
equipped with rocket racks. These craft were normally used during water
bourn sieges, and were in common use in the war against France as well.
Key, being a prisoner of the British at the time, had a bird's eye view
of the seige of fort McHenry, and was inspired to write that song, the
the name of which escapes me right now :-)

                                                       Larry