Up to this time he was very successful; and but for the difficulty of taking with him sufficient ordnance stores over so long a march, through a hostile country, he would, no doubt, have captured Lynchburg.

The destruction of the enemy's supplies and manufactories had been very great.

To meet this movement under General Hunter, General Lee sent Early with his corps, a part of which reached Lynchburg before Hunter.
After some skirmishing on the 17th and 18th, General Hunter, owing to a want of ammunition to give battle, retired from before the place.
Unfortunately, this want of ammunition left him no choice of route for his return but by the way of the Gauley and Kanawha rivers, thence up the Ohio River, returning to Harper's Ferry by way of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

A long time was consumed in making this movement.
Meantime the valley was left open to Early's troops, and others in that quarter; and Washington also was uncovered.

Early took advantage of this condition of affairs and moved on Washington.
In the absence of Hunter, General Lew Wallace, with headquarters at Baltimore, commanded the department in which the Shenandoah lay.