d them going down the declivity of the Virginia shore.
There came unbidden to my mind some lines of one of Charles Wesley's
hymns:

One army of the living God,
To his command we bow;
Part of the host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now.
E'en now to their eternal home
Some happy spirits fly;
And we are to the margin come,
And soon expect to die.

From Bunyan's time onward, and I know not how long before, a river has
been the Christian symbol of death.

There was some expectation that when we came into Maryland many of her
sons would rally to our banners, according to the prediction of a
well-known song:

"She breathes, she burns, she'll come, she'll come,
Maryland, my Maryland;"

but the cold fact is, she did not come; and in the light of subsequent
events, it is well that she did not.

From the Potomac the march was continued to the Monocacy river, near
Frederick City. During our brief sojourn there we bought goods in the
stores and paid for them in Confederate money, although, no doubt, the
merchants would have preferred greenbacks or specie; and so far as I
know nothing was taken without that remuneration.

Again Lee's army was divided, Jackson's corps being detached and sent
forward for the purpose of capturing Harper's Ferry. For three days
during the westward march in Maryland no rations were issued, and our
only food was ears of green corn roasted or boiled without salt. These
served for supper and breakfast, but we had nothing for dinner, for if
when we started in the morning we put the cooked corn in the haversacks
it soured under the hot rays of the sun, and time was too precious to
allow a halt for cooking a fresh supply at noon.

Fording the Potomac again, we passed out of Maryland into Virginia at
Williamsport and proceeded rapidly to Harper's Ferry. The Federal force
occupying a very high hill which had been fortified by abattis and
entrenchments, any attempt to storm it would have inflicted terrible
loss upon the attacking party. With much difficulty our cannon had been
placed on the Maryland Heights, on the Loudoun Heights, and on other
eminences that overlooked the enemy's position; and when all was ready
the order was given to the infantry to begin the assault. When we came
to the foot of the little mountain occupied by the Yankees we discovered
that trees had been cut so as to fall downward, and that