starter would just spin, and I think it was not in gauging?

I was at work and went to leave and my car wouldn’t go into gear. So, I took the gear box off by the consul to check if something came off and I couldn’t find anything so then I traced the line coming out of it and it went up by the motor and it was broken. So, I took a piece of wire and wrapped it around it so it would hold it there. Then I went back to the car and started it. I tried to move it out of park, and it wouldn’t move. Then I saw a little black like clip that I could push down, and it allowed me to move it out of gear and I left it like that till I could get money to fix it. So, about a week later I was driving down the highway and the engine shut off. So, I had it towed home. Then I tried to start it, and it would try to turn over, but it wouldn’t. Then it started making a noise and it sounded like it came from the starter. So, I had a friend try to start it and I went under the car and yes, the noise was coming from the starter. So, I think after trying to start it over and over it messed the starter up. Then it started running my battery dead. So, I don’t know if a sensor went out then I cause the starter to go bad. So, I went a got a used starter and put it in. But there is a wire that I don’t remember where it went. I think it’s a ground wire. It’s black. I have the red wire from the battery hooked on the longer terminal and the ignition wire plugged back in. I tried to start it without that wire and the motor on the starter would just spin and I think it wasn’t in gauging. So, I don’t know what to do and I need it fixed so I can get to work.