marches; much straggling must have ensued; and the column
thus reduced would have come up in an exhausted condition. To be sure
we might have harassed the enemy, caused confusion among the teams, and
perhaps destroyed or compelled him to destroy a part of his train. But
we were too late, and speculation or regret is now unavailing.

When General Meade despatched Sedgwick's corps in pursuit of the flying
enemy on the Fairfield road, he sent at the same time a force of
cavalry on the Cashtown road to capture or destroy the rebel train.
They "captured," in the words of Lee himself, "a number of wagons and
ambulances; but they (the rebel wagon train) succeeded in reaching
Williamsport without serious loss." Sedgwick appears to have been
unsuccessful in seriously harassing the retreat of Lee, the Fairfield
pass, up to which place he pushed the pursuit, being so strong a
natural position as to enable a small force holding it to check for a
considerable time any pursuing foe. General Meade remained at
Gettysburg with the bulk of the army during the 5th and 6th, "engaged
in succoring the wounded and burying the dead."

_Sunday, 7th._--Our attempted exploit of capturing or destroying the
enemy's train having thus miscarried, we resumed the chase, taking the
Chambersburg pike. In thus turning our backs upon Gettysburg, whither
we supposed we were bound, we might naturally wonder "what next?" That
this supposition was correct, witness the following order:

(Pine Grove), July 7th, (6th), 1863.

In compliance with Division Orders this command will take up line
of march for Gettysburg forthwith.

This Brigade will take the advance--regiments in the following
order:--7th, 8th, 56th, 52nd, 23rd.

******

By order of

J. C. SMITH,
Brigadier-General Commanding.

We followed the Chambersburg pike as far as Greenwood where we turned
to the left down a road leading southerly. The remains of a caisson and
a forge which had been knocked to pieces so as to be unserviceable to
the finder, and unused rifle shells scattered along the road indicated
the haste of the retreat of the enemy. To facilitate their escape they
had moved in two columns, one by the road, the other through the
adjoining fields, where the ripe grain for long distances lay trampled
for the breadth of the line.

About 4 P.M., we came to a halt in a grove just out of the little
village of Altodale, (erroneously called Funcktown b