forth every ounce of courage and endurance for its very salvation.

"Antietam is a month away," he said, "and I still shudder at the name.
We didn't think McClellan would come up and attack Lee while Jackson was
away at Harper's Ferry, but he did. How did it happen? How did he know
that our army was divided?"

"I've heard a strange story," said Dalton. "It's come through some
Union prisoners we've taken. They say that McClellan found a copy of
General Lee's orders in Frederick, and learned from them exactly where
all our troops were and what they intended. Then, of course, he
attacked."

"A strange tale, as you say, a most extraordinary chance," said Harry.
"Do you think it's true, George?"

"I've no doubt it fell out that way. The same report comes from other
sources."

"At any rate," said Happy Tom, "it gave us a chance to show how less
than fifty thousand men could stand off nearly ninety thousand. Besides,
we didn't lose any ground. We went over into Maryland to give the
Marylanders a chance to rise for the South. They didn't rise worth a
cent. I suppose we didn't get more than five hundred volunteers in that
state. 'The despot's heel is on thy shore, Maryland, my Maryland,' and
it can stay on thy shore, Maryland, my Maryland, if that's the way you
treat us. I feel a lot more at home here in Virginia."

"It is fine," said Harry, stirring comfortably on the leaves and looking
down at the clear stream of the Opequon. "One can't fight all the time.