what less than 57,000; which figures are certainly, on both sides, above the mark. Taking the most favorable view for the Federal army, it would then have been either somewhat less than three-tenths or somewhat more than a fourth stronger than the Southern one; a numerical superiority not so great as that alleged by some Confederate writers, but which, at the time, no one, I believe, suspected at Meade's headquarters. Since the Army of the Potomac came into existence there was always a disposition to overrate the enemy's numerical strength.
French's division cannot be counted in this return, as it never was within reach of the field of battle and was left at Frederick to act as a kind of outpost to cover the garrison of Washington.
Couch's militia was too raw at the time to have been subjected to such an ordeal as a drawn fight in the open field against Lee's veteran soldiers.
Losses on Both Sides.—We have now the official figures, which preclude any further discussion on that subject; I acknowledge my mistake pointed out by Colonel Allan, concerning the losses of the Confederate army, as he acknowledges his regarding the losses of the Third corps.
From the returns of Stuart, now in my hands, his loss on the 2d and on the 3d of July, was 264, and including Imboden's and Jenkin's, must be above 300, while, on the other hand, we must deduct from the 22,728, about 700 men lost between the 3d and the 18th of July; therefore the whole Confederate loss at Gettysburg must have been about 22,300 or 22,400.
The official figures are for the Federals: Killed, 2,834; wounded, 13,709; missing, 6,643. Total, 23,186.
For the Confederates: Killed, 2,665; wounded, 12,599; missing, 7,464. Total, 22,728.
The number of Confederate prisoners reported by Meade was 13,621, but as this figure includes 7,262 wounded prisoners treated in the Federal hospitals, it leaves a balance of 6,359 valid prisoners only, which agrees well with the Confederate statement, about a thousand of the men reported missing, especially in Pickett's division, being really wounded left on the ground. There is therefore no discrepancy between these figures.
Louis Phillipe D'Orleans,
Chateau d'Eu Seine Inferieure, France,
December 4th, 1877.
EDITORIAL PARAGRAPHS.
Our Contributors have placed us under many obligations for the valuable papers they have furnished us, and we beg that they will have patience if their articles do not appear promptly. We have on hand a number of papers, reports, &c., which we are anxious to publish at the earliest possible moment, but we are unable to crowd into our pages more than they will hold.
On page 137 (March No.) the types make General Taylor speak of "the fame of Dubois," when he wrote" Louvois," who was, at the time alluded to, the War Minister of Louis the Fourteenth.
