o-days' march they had at least
gathered corn and apples to sustain life; but during these three-days'
fighting they had had no food whatever, and many were so weak that they
could no longer march.

They had done all that was possible for men to do; had for two days
withstood the attack of an enemy of five times their numbers, and had,
on the final day, borne their full share in the great struggle, but now
the greater part could do no more, thousands of men were unable to drag
themselves a step further, and Lee's army was reduced in strength for
the time by nearly 20,000 men. All these afterward rejoined it; some, as
soon as they recovered, limped away to take their places in the ranks
again, others made their way to the depot at Warrenton, where Lee had
ordered that all unable to accompany his force should rendezvous until
he returned and they were able to rejoin their regiments.

Jackson marched away and laid siege to Harper's Ferry, an important
depot garrisoned by 11,000 men, who were forced to surrender just as
McClellan with a fresh army, 100,000 strong, which was pressing forward
to its succor, arrived within a day's march. As soon as Jackson had
taken the place he hurried away with his troops to join Lee, who was
facing the enemy at the Antietam River. Here, upon the following day,
another terrible battle was fought; the Confederates, though but 39,000
strong, repulsing every attack by the Federals and driving them with
terrible slaughter back across the river.

Their own loss, however, had been very heavy, and Lee, knowing that he
could expect no assistance, while the enemy was constantly receiving
re-enforcements, waited for a day to collect his wounded, bury his dead,
and send his stores and artillery to the rear, and then retired,
unpursued, across the Rappahannock. Thus the hard-fought campaign came
to an end.

Vincent Wingfield was not with the army that retired across the
Rappahannock. A portion of the cavalry had followed the broken Federals
to the very edge of the stream, and just as they reined in their horses
a round shot from one of the Federal batteries carried away his cap,
and he fell as if dead from his horse. During the night some of the
Northerners crossed the stream to collect and bring back their own
wounded who had fallen near it, and coming across Vincent, and finding
that he still breathed, and was apparently without a wound, they carried
him back with them across the river as a prison