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The main criticism of George Meade is that he failed to pursue Lee's army in the post-Gettysburg chaos, throwing away an opportunity to trap Lee against the Potomac, and letting him escape into Virginia. But really, what would have been the results if Meade swiftly (say within 3-4 days) pursued Lee's army? Would Meade have been able to catch up? If there was a Big Battle, given Lee's ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, Does he have a chance to win? If Meade was the victor, would it have been a decisive victory that shattered Lee's army as a fighting force? Who would have been most likely to die in this battle, on both sides? If it was decisive, how much of the Army of Northern Virginia would/ could have escaped? Would Meade have been able to invade Virginia in the aftermath, or would he need time to recover? If the latter, how soon could the losses of the Army of Northern Virginia be made good, and from where would men be transferred? What would be the political effects of such a battle, either a Union or Confederate victory? Ultimately, would such a battle have fundamentally altered the course of the war?
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