FEARFUL LOSSES.

The Union losses were: killed, 3,070; wounded, 14,497; missing, 5,434;
total, 23,001. The Confederate losses were: killed, 2,592; wounded,
12,706; captured and missing, 5,150; total, 20,448. To quote from Fox's
"Regimental Losses in the American Civil War:" "Gettysburg was the
greatest battle of the war; Antietam the bloodiest; the largest army was
assembled by the Confederates in the Seven Days' Fight; by the Unionists
at the Wilderness."

THE DECISIVE BATTLE OF THE WAR.

Gettysburg has been styled the Waterloo of the Southern Confederacy.
"Highest tide" was reached by its fortunes during those three first days
in July, 1863. Lee put forth his supreme effort, and the result was
defeat. He and his leading generals clearly saw that their cause had
received its death-blow, and, as one of them expressed it, the fighting
thenceforward was for terms. They were not yet conquered, and severe
work remained to be done, but never again did the Lost Cause come so
near success. Its sun, having reached meridian, must now go down until
it should set forever in gloom, disaster, and ruin.

General Lee could not fail to perceive that all that remained to him was
to leave the country before overtaken by irretrievable disaster. He
withdrew Ewell's Corps that night from Gettysburg and posted it on
Seminary Ridge, where intrenchments were thrown up. The town was
occupied by Meade, and the dismal morrow was spent by the Confederates
in burying their dead and removing their wounded. At night the retreat
was begun by the Chambersburg and Fairfield roads, which enter the
Cumberland Valley through the South Mountain range. Great battles always
produce violent storms, and one of these added to the unspeakable
wretchedness of the homeward march. Finding Lee was retreating, Meade
sent Sedgwick in pursuit. The rear guard was overtaken on the night of
the 6th, but its position was too strong to be attacked and the Union
army took a route parallel to that of the Confederate. There was
considerable skirmishing, but nothing decisive occurred, and the
retiring army reached Hagerstown, where it found the fords of the
Potomac so swollen as to be impassable. Lee, therefore, intrenched, and
stayed where he was until the 13th, by which time the river had fallen
sufficiently to be forded, and he once more re-entered Virginia. Meade,
fearful that the great prize was about to escape him, made strenuous
efforts to intercept him, but failed,