Portrait of a soldier 225he could not ignore his comrades' aggressive
move northward and headed across country
toward the Potomac to catch up with the
army. When he splashed up the left bank of
the river, the exiled Marylander noted sadly
that it was the first time he had been on the
soil of his native state in one month more
than two years.
In Greencastle, Pennsylvania, Howard and
a half-dozen other stray Confederates wound
up in a hot street fight against mounted
Yankees. Pistol bullets shattered
windowpanes on all sides, dust obscured
galloping horses, and the little band of
Rebels had to flee. Later Howard and his
mates chased a lone horseman for miles,
only to discover that he was a Confederate
major and an old friend.
During the army's subsequent retreat back
toward Virginia, Howard rode through a
Maryland town and thought wistfully, 'Oh,
that it was Baltimore!' On 14 July, as theMcHenry Howard, 1838-1923. (Public domain)