In the battle of Malvern Hill, Noel had been wounded and sent home for a time. His brother Frank also had been home on a furlough. At the beginning of the fall campaign, Noel, now having recovered from his wound, and Frank were both ordered to rejoin the army.
For some reason, which Noel did not fully understand, his brother had been assigned to a different corps, while he, together with eight thousand of his comrades, had been assigned to the holding of Harper's Ferry. Another small division had been stationed at Martinsburg and at Winchester.
It was not known among these garrisons that General Lee had expected, upon his advance into Maryland, that these troops would quickly be withdrawn. It is now understood that General McClellan had written General Halleck to recall these men and attach them to the Army of the Potomac; but Halleck had decided to retain the garrisons in the Valley, and his decision has been sharply criticized on the ground that he violated every principle of sound strategy.
Among the friends that Frank and Noel had made there was young Dennis O'Hara, a bright, happy young Irishman, about twenty years of age, just two years older than the twin brothers.
The friendship had been strengthened and the intimacy increased after the brothers had been separated. Dennis and Noel now were not only tent-mates, but almost inseparable companions.
As yet there had been slight call for their labors at Harper's Ferry. It was not known that the Confederate army was near, and in their sense of security most of the men were becoming somewhat careless in the observance of their duties.
"There's one place," said Dennis, when the two young soldiers had gone a mile or more from their quarters, "where I don't want to go to-day."
"Where's that?"
"'T is where that fat nager woman lives."
"But she said she was one of the best friends you had."