And that cry, with a thousand strange echoings, spread,
Till the ashes of heroes were thrilled in their bed,
And the deep voice of passion surged up from the dead,
"Ay, press on to the river!"
On! on! like the rushing of storms through the hills,
On! on! with a tramp that is firm as their wills,
And the one heart of thousands grows buoyant, and thrills,
As they pause by the river.
Then the wan face of Maryland, haggard and worn,
At this sight lost the touch of its aspect forlorn,
And she turned on the foemen, full-statured in scorn,
Pointing stern to the river.
And Potomac flowed calmly, scarce heaving her breast,
With her low-lying billows all bright in the west,
For a charm as from God lulled the waters to rest
Of the fair rolling river.
Passed! passed! the glad thousands march safe through the tide;
Hark, foeman, and hear the deep knell of your pride,
Ringing weird-like and wild, pealing up from the side
Of the calm-flowing river!
'Neath a blow swift and mighty the tyrant may fall;
Vain! vain! to his gods swells a desolate call;
Hath his grave not been hollowed, and woven his pall,
Since they passed o'er the river?
Paul Hamilton Hayne.
McClellan undertook a timorous and blundering pursuit, calling constantly for more men and even proposing that Washington be abandoned, if that should be necessary to reinforce his army. On September 13, 1862, Lee's army passed through Frederick, and it was then that the incident recorded in "Barbara Frietchie" is said to have occurred.
[September 13, 1862]