We passed through Middletown and Boonsboro, and recrossed the Potomac at Williamsport, where we learned definitely that Longstreet’s wing of the army had been held in Maryland.  We marched southward to Martinsburg.  The inhabitants were greatly rejoiced, and were surprised to find Confederate troops coming amongst them from the north.  At Martinsburg were many evidences that we were near the enemy.  Captain Haskell said that it was now clear that Lee intended to take Harper’s Ferry, and that Longstreet’s retention on the north side of the Potomac was part of the plan.  We destroyed the railroad near Martinsburg, moving along it toward the east.  Late in the forenoon of the 13th we came in sight of Harper’s Ferry.  The short siege of the place had already been begun; cannon from our front and from a mountain side on our right were throwing shells into the enemy’s lines, and the enemy’s batteries were replying.

On the night of the 14th Gregg’s brigade marched to the right.  We found a narrow road running down the river,—­the Shenandoah,—­and move on cautiously.  There were strict orders to preserve silence.  The guns were uncapped, to prevent an accidental discharge.  In the middle of the night we moved out of the road and began to climb the hill on our left; it was very steep and rough; we pulled ourselves up by the bushes.  Pioneers cut a way for the artillery, and lines of men drew the guns with ropes.

When morning came our guns commanded the intrenchments of the enemy.  Our batteries were in full action, the brigade in line of battle.  The enemy replies with all his guns, but they were soon silenced.  A brigade at our left seemed ready to advance; the enemy’s artillery opened afresh.  Then from our left a battery stormed forward to a new position much nearer to the enemy.  We were ordered to fix bayonets and the line began to advance, but was at once halted.  Harper’s Ferry had been surrendered, with eleven thousand prisoners and seventy pieces of artillery, and munitions in great quantity.

We had been hearing at intervals, for the last day or two, far-off sounds of artillery toward the north.  On the night after the surrender, A.P.  Hill’s men knew that theirs was the only division at Harper’s Ferry, the two other divisions of Jackson’s corps having marched away, some said to the help of Longstreet on the north side of the Potomac; then we felt that some great event was near, and we wondered whether it should befall us to remain distant from the army during a great engagement.

The 16th passed tranquilly.  Sounds of artillery could be heard in the north and northwest, but we had nothing to do but to rest in position while our details worked in organizing the captured property.  The prisoners were not greatly downcast.  We learned that they were to be released on parole.  Crowds of them had gathered along the roads on the 15th to see Stonewall Jackson whenever he rode by, and they seemed to admire him no less than his own men did.  Late in the afternoon the regiment marched out of the lines of Harper’s Ferry and bivouacked for the night some two miles to the west of the town.