of wresting Maryland from the Union seemed particularly favorable,
for it had come very close to casting its lot with the Confederacy
and thousands of its citizens were serving in the Southern ranks.
He, accordingly, made up his mind to march through Maryland, arousing
its people to the support of the Confederate cause, and then carry
the war into Pennsylvania where a decisive victory might pave the
way to an acknowledgment of the independence of the Southern States
and satisfactory terms of peace.

Thus, four days after Pope's defeat at Manassas saw Lee's tattered
battle flags slanted toward the North, and on September 6, 1862,
the vanguard under "Stonewall" Jackson passed through the streets
of Frederick City, singing "Maryland, My Maryland!" This was the
moment which Whittier immortalized in his verses recording the
dramatic meeting between "Stonewall" and Barbara Frietchie [Note
from Brett: The poem is entitled "Barbara Frietchie" and there is
some question as to the accuracy of the details of the poem. In
general, however, Whittier retold the story (poetically) that he
claims he heard ("from respectable and trustworthy sources") and
Barbara Frietchie was strongly against the Confederacy and was not
a fictional character. It is believed that Ms. Frietchie, who was
95 at the time, was sick in bed on the day the soldiers marched
through, but did wave her flag when the Union army marched through
two days later. A Ms. Quantrill and her daughters, however, did
wave the Union flag as the Confederate soldiers marched through
the town, so there is some thought that the two got combined.];
but, though no such event ever took place, the poet was correctly
informed as to the condition of Jackson's men, for they certainly
were a "famished rebel horde." Indeed, several thousand of them
had to be left behind because they could no longer march in their