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One of the most important, and controversial, Confederate generals during the Civil War was Lieutenant General James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee’s “old warhorse.” Longstreet was Lee’s principal subordinate for most of the war, ably managing a corps in the Army of Northern Virginia. Longstreet was instrumental in Confederate victories at First Bull Run, the Seven Days Campaign, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chickamauga, while he was also effective at Antietam and the Battle of the Wilderness, where he was nearly killed by a shot through the neck.
Had Longstreet died on the field, he may have been one of the South’s biggest heroes. However, it was his performance at Gettysburg and arguments with other Southern generals after the Civil War that tarnished his image. Longstreet was charged with being slow to attack on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, allowing the Union to man Little Round Top. He also resisted Lee’s order for Pickett’s Charge the next day. The fact that he served in Republican administrations after the Civil War rubbed his former comrades the wrong way, and the Georgian’s criticism of Lee infuriated the Lost Cause advocates who idolized the Virginian Lee.
Near the end of his life, Longstreet authored From Manassas to Appomattox, a Civil War memoirs that looked to rebut his critics. Longstreet didn’t avoid his critics, facing them head on by fending off criticisms of his record for the most part, usually including letters written by other officers to his defense. Longstreet also didn’t pull punches, which he does at times quite poignantly on Lee’s mishaps, most notably of course at Gettysburg. In other instances, he defends himself by criticizing others. When Fitz Lee notes that R.E. Lee called Longstreet the hardest man to move in the Army (a comment that can’t be confirmed/refuted), he comes to his own defense in part by criticizing Stonewall Jackson during the Seven Days campaign. Hindsight is 20/20, and Longstreet’s arguments in the conduct of certain campaigns certainly benefited from the passing of 30 years.
Regardless, Longstreet’s memoirs are considered an invaluable source, and he wrote lengthy accounts of each campaign he was involved in. In Longstreet at First Bull Run, Longstreet gives an account of the first major battle, discussing generals like Stonewall Jackson, P.G.T. Beauregard, and Irvin McDowell.
This excerpt from his memoirs includes maps of the battle.
ASIN : B0057CXDX2
Publication date : June 21, 2011
Language : English
File size : 253 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 22 pages
