bare feet, and those who had shoes were sorry-looking scarecrows
whose one square meal had been obtained at Pope's expense. For
all practical purposes Maryland was the enemy's country, but into
this hostile region they advanced carrying very little in the way
of provisions except salt for the ears of corn that they might pick
up in the fields.

The authorities at Washington watched Lee's movement with mingled
feelings of anxiety and relief. They were relieved because he was
evidently not aiming at the national capital. They were alarmed
because the real point of attack was unknown. Sixty thousand men,
flushed with triumph and under seemingly invincible leadership were
headed somewhere, and as the rumor spread that that "somewhere" was
Harrisburg or Philadelphia, the North stood aghast with consternation.

Face to face with this desperate crisis, McClellan, who had been
practically removed from command, was restored to duty and given
charge of all the Union forces in the field. Had he been invested
with supreme authority, at least one grievous blunder might have
been avoided, for as he proceeded to the front, calling loudly as
usual for reenforcements, he advised the evacuation of Harper's
Ferry, garrisoned by some 12,000 men who were exposed to capture by
Lee's advance on Frederick City. But Halleck rejected this advice
and on September 15, 1862, "Stonewall" Jackson, with about 20,000
men, swooped down upon the defenseless post and gobbled up almost
the entire garrison with all its guns and stores. To accomplish
this, however, he was forced to separate himself from Lee, and while
McClellan, with over 87,000 men, was protesting that his opponent
had 120,000 and that it was impossible to win against such odds,
Lee's strength had been reduced to about 35,000 and his safety