Ed Hynes, CFA was born and raised in Wilton, CT. He attended Wilton High School where he played both football and lacrosse. In 1977 Ed graduated from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. with a B.A. in Political Science. He subsequently spent most of his career in financial services. As an equity analyst, institutional salesperson and trader he worked with some of the premier investment banking firms in many of the world’s leading financial centers including New York, Tokyo, London, Chicago and San Francisco. In 2001 Ed became a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder, and is currently a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch in Westport, CT. He lives in Norwalk.
Ed first became interested in the Revolutionary War as a child when he learned his neighbor’s house was partially burned by the British during the Danbury Raid in 1777. He and his wife are fascinated by history and have visited many important battlefields both here and abroad. Ed has spoken to the DMA twice before, first in 2013 on the Battle of Ridgefield, and the second time in October, 2019, about the War on Long Island Sound.
Arranged by Gary Banks
Bryan Hooper’s notes on the talk:
Ed Hynes gave us a brief history of the War of 1812, leading into the origins of our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.
The 1812 war was essentially due to a continuation of the grievances remaining from the Revolutionary War, and was started by a dispute over trade conditions. While the British had apparently agreed to a compromise on the problem, the lack of rapid communication facilities, such as a telegraph (invented 30 years too late), prevented the terms from being sent to the US in time to stop war being declared in June of 1812. It stretched over three years, and was notable for major naval victories by the Americans in the first year, the failure to take Canada in 1814, the inability of the British to win the Battle of Baltimore, and their defeat by the Americans at New Orleans in February 1815 – although the peace treaty had been signed on Christmas Eve, 1814! While the result of the war was officially a draw, it led to a period of American national unity, known as the Era of Good Feelings.
The back story of the national anthem started after the British had burned Washington in late August 1814, and then turned their attention to Baltimore, with the hope of consolidating their gains in the Chesapeake area. Major General Ross, in command of the British land forces, had been offered use of the house of Dr. William Beanes as his headquarters in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. However, during the campaign, British deserters who had looted local farms were arrested by Beanes, so Ross in retaliation had him arrested. (Ross was later killed by a sniper at the Battle of North Point before the Battle of Baltimore.) President Madison arranged for Francis Scott Key, a Georgetown lawyer, to deal with the British commanders in Baltimore for Beanes’s release. Those talks took place on board a British warship in the harbor in early September, and Key successfully negotiated for Beanes to be freed, citing the medical help the doctor had provided to wounded British prisoners. Key and his colleagues in the team were detained on board the British ship when the battle began on September 12th, and raged around them. He observed the bombs bursting in air over Fort McHenry, and in the morning of the next day saw the flag, spangled with fifteen stars, still flying over the fort’s ramparts. He wrote the poem the next day, and it was published the following week. Set to the music of John Stafford Smith – an English composer – it became popular as a patriotic song, being adopted for ceremonial events by the US Navy in 1889. The song was approved in 1916 by President Wilson to be played on military and other appropriate occasions, and finally became the national anthem following Congressional action and signature by President Hoover in March 1931.
Slides used in the presentation: Ed Hynes War of 1812 12-7-20
Video of Ed’s presentation: https://youtu.be/XEmuLSZjw0Y