Engraved for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 14 September 1861 (XII:304): 277. Bank's division was at Harper's Ferry in July 1861, an extremely wet summer in the Middle Atlantic States. Heavy rains in early August caused the Potomac and its tributaries to swell; the river was near flood stage along its middle reaches, making a Confederate incursion into Maryland unlikely. General Banks pulled most of his troops out of Harper's Ferry, recrossed the Potomac, and put his division into camp near Hyattstown. General Nathaniel Prentiss (Prentice) Banks was born into poverty, but became the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1856 and the Governor of Massachusetts in 1857. He played a pivotal role in the Army of the Gulf in 1863, and is known widely for his involvement in the Red River Campaign of 1864.
