On looking around the fort I discovered twelve splendid rifled pieces, which were but indifferently spiked; the ammunition had been destroyed by throwing it into a well. The sound of battle had in the meanwhile ceased up the road, and in a short time a long line of prisoners, numbering over two thousand, made their appearance, who had only surrendered after a desperate fight. During the whole day prisoners continued to come in, until the number was much augmented, and we had the satisfaction of knowing that the miserable hordes under the brutal Milroy were pretty much all in our hands, but to our chagrin we found that the wretch we had so long wished to lay our hands upon had escaped. Such was the battle of Winchester, or rather one of the battles of Winchester, and a complete surprise it was, for not until the day after our first attack at Kearnstown was Milroy induced to believe it was a force of any magnitude that was in his front. We found the town full of stores of every description, and our captures amounted to considerable, for besides twenty pieces of artillery we captured several hundred horses, an immense train of wagons, ambulances, several thousand stand of small arms, &c. The loss of the Second Maryland in this affair was as follows: Company A, Captain William H. Murray.—Killed, none; wounded, Sergeant E. S. Dorsey, severely; privates, Sommerville, Sollers, slightly; John Wilson, slightly. Company B, Captain J. P. Crane.—Killed, none; wounded, privates J. E. Joy, mortally; H. Corry, slightly; William Herbert, slightly. Company C, Captain Ferdinand Duvall.—Killed, none; wounded, Captain F. Duvall, severely. Company D, Captain Joseph L. McAleer.—Killed, none; wounded, private John Devres, mortally. Company E, Captain John W. Torsch.—Killed, none; wounded, Lieutenant W. K. Byus, slightly; captured, Lieutenant Joseph P. Quinn. Total, 9 wounded and 1 captured. CHAPTER IV. The morning after the battle of Winchester the command was temporarily attached to the brigade of General George H. Steuart (composed of Virginians and North Carolinians,) of Edward Johnson’s division, and shortly after the whole of Ewell’s corps took up its line of March in the direction of Smithfield, where we arrived about dark, and went into camp for the night. The next morning we resumed the march, our course shaped towards the Potomac, which there seemed but little doubt we were destined to cross, but with what object in view we had not the slightest conception. We crossed the Baltimore and Ohio railroad at Kearneysville, and then took the road leading to Shepherdstown. The day was intensely hot and the troops marched leisurely. By midday we went into camp about three miles from the river that separated us from our own beloved Maryland, and which we cherished a fond hope of crossing on the morrow.