During all day of the 4th of July, General Lee sent forward such of his wounded as would bear removal, to Hagerstown; and when night fell the entire remnant of his army was put in motion on the road to Fairfield. On the 6th General Lee reached Hagerstown, and took up position there with his army. On the following day General Meade’s advance in hot pursuit of the rebel army, reached Funktown, a place six miles south of Hagerstown. On the 8th a sharp conflict took place at Boonsboro’ between the retreating rebels and the pursuing Federal troops. The opposing forces were the Union cavalry under General Buford and General Kilpatrick; and the divisions under Generals Stuart, Hampton, and Jones, together with a division of infantry. General Kilpatrick’s division was encamped in the immediate vicinity of the town. General Buford, who was posted about two miles in advance, was attacked by the enemy about eleven o’clock in the morning. General Kilpatrick immediately moved out to the front, and, relieving the brigades of Merritt and Devin, engaged the rebels. The Union horse artillery was planted upon a very commanding position, and was served with great effectiveness. The enemy’s infantry pressed the National line so closely that it was compelled to fall back, though the retrograde movement was made very slowly, and the ground disputed inch by inch. The cavalry repeatedly charged the enemy, breaking his line and routing his cavalry; but the rebel infantry pressed so hard that it was at length determined to fall back upon Boonsboro’. About night the Third division of the Eleventh corps arrived, when the Union cavalry dashed impetuously upon the enemy, and drove him three miles. Day after day, the rebels continued to retreat, and were closely pursued by the Union soldiers; skirmishing, and occasionally sharp fighting, marked the whole line of retreat; and there was every appearance of a long, pitched battle, between the Union array and that of General Lee, before the latter could succeed in escaping with his troops across the Potomac, and back into Virginia. At daybreak on the 10th, a fight was opened at Sharpsburg, between the Union and rebel armies, which lasted till six o’clock in the evening, and resulted in a victory to the Union arms. During the night, the town was evacuated by the rebels; Generals Lee, Longstreet, and Ewell, being the last of the rebels to leave the place. The enemy fell back toward Williamsport, and were pursued for several miles by the Federal troops. The Army of the Potomac marched steadily on, till it was in sight of Lee’s entire army, which occupied a strong position on the heights, near a marsh, in front of Williamsport. During this, and many previous and subsequent days, there was continual skirmishing in all directions; and the great battle that now seemed imminent was most anxiously waited for by the Union forces, who were eager to be at work again.