At no time during the war was there as deep a gloom on Harper's Ferry as on that anniversary of the birth of our nation. The people had entertained the fond hope that the war was nearly over, or, at least, that the theatre of it was to be moved farther south. Therefore, when, on the 2nd of July, the sound of cannon was heard in the direction of Martinsburg, utter despair appeared to take possession of all hearts at Harper's Ferry. The battle sounds were from a heavy skirmish between a part of Early's troops and Colonel Mulligan's Irish regiment--the 23rd Illinois--at Leetown, about midway between Martinsburg and Harper's Ferry. It may interest the reader to know that Leetown took its name from the famous General Charles Lee of unenviable reputation in the war of our Revolution. Here it was he buried himself in a morose solitude after his quarrel with General Washington and the cabin which he inhabited, with only his dogs for company, is still standing and occupied by a family. The firing was the first intimation the people of Harper's Ferry had of approaching danger. Mulligan, although greatly outnumbered by the enemy, succeeded in checking their course for a while, and he gave the garrison and people of that place time to prepare for defense or retreat. However, as the darkest hour comes immediately before the dawn, so was this gloomy time the precursor of, at least, comparative tranquility. Although the people were obliged to fly on this occasion, as usual, they were not again driven from their homes, and, although peace was not restored to the whole country for many months after this, Harper's Ferry was happily exempted from any more of its accustomed calamitous evacuations.