Although the British raids have left Washington a devastated, blackened city, the battered Constitution has held and the presidency has survived!

But the struggling government has no home. The British saw to that. Gone is the Capitol, her magnificent library, and the chambers of the Congress and the Supreme Court. Gone also is the President’s House, and every relic and document not secreted out of the city.

Next on the list of British prizes—the rebellious port city of Baltimore! A victory here would assure the Americans’ capitulation, but a loss would dilute the importance of the destruction of Washington.

But has the raid on Washington stiffened the backs of the Americans? This is the question gnawing at the leaders of both armies as the toll of the war mounts on both sides.

The Willows women are mourning their absent men. Hannah and Frannie set their hopes towards the Atlantic and the ships that carry Jed and Arthur towards England. But Bitty has worries of her own as her freedman husband, Abel, and their oldest son Caleb march off to Fort McHenry to stake their claim as Americans. Meanwhile, a battered woman arrives at the plantation under desperate circumstances, casting a new shadow of danger over the already beleaguered Willows’ women. The hope of the Willows ladies rests on the anticipated birth of a beloved, blessed child.

All around the farm, tensions remain high as a sea of patriots flock to Baltimore’s defense against a flood of fleeing families who fear the city will suffer a fate similar to Washington’s devastation.

Watching this scene is attorney Francis Scott Key, a man once inclined to the clergy and a staunch opponent of the war. But Key's indignation following the humiliating American defeat on the field at Bladensburg, and after watching the senseless devastation of Washington D.C., has changed him, particularly after he receives word that his friend has been taken prisoner by the British. His will steeled, he embarks on a diplomatic mission that will leave an everlasting mark on America.

Wielding a pen more powerfully than a sword, Key records his fears and hopes—the fears and hopes of an embattled people—as he watches the bombardment of Baltimore while detained in the midst of the British fleet.

What changed in this noble man’s pacifist heart, empowering him to pen the powerful anthem, known today as “The Star Spangled Banner,” an epic poem that rallied a shattered nation to rise from its knees to claim the dream of “one nation under God?”

Experience this powerful moment through personal sacrifice of five families placed in the firestorm of the War of 1812, citizen heirs of the sacrifice of the Founding Fathers.

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What others are saying about “OH SAY CAN YOU SEE?”

"This book is a magnificent love story—love between man and woman, love between friends, love between siblings, and ultimately, love between citizens and their country. While it tells the backstory of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” I found myself reflecting on the lyrics to another favorite song: “Oh beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life.

This book is poignant, haunting, gripping—a timely celebration of this country and her people.”

Braden Bell, author of “The Road Show”


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“I'm awestruck at L.C. Lewis's mastery of detail-rich prose.”

Marsha Ward, author of “Man From Shenandoah” and other compelling westerns.


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“I was able to picture each person I "met" in the pages of her novel.”

Rachelle Christensen, author of “Wrong Number.”


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“You will be drawn into the story by events, but want to continue to read because of the characters . . . You will have no problem reading this book even if you haven't seen the previous works. But after you read Oh, Say Can You See?, you'll want to have the rest of the series.”

Lynn Parsons, co-author of (dis)Abilities and the Gospel)


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“L.C. Lewis has the remarkable gift of being able to create three-dimensional characters who step into incredibly detailed and accurate historical accounts of real-life events. I can’t say it enough, the detail was excellent.”

Marilyn Bunderson, author of “The Mark.”


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Jennie Hansen’s review of “Oh, Say Can You See?” in Meridian Magazine


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