The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Lieutenant General James Longstreet - Aug 16th, 2003

http://www.nps.gov/gett/gettkidz/oldpete.htm ^

[SAMWolf]

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Lieutenant General James Longstreet
(1821 - 1904)

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James Longstreet was born on January 8, 1821 in Edgefield District, South Carolina, the son of planter James and Mary Ann (Dent) Longstreet. Raised by his uncle in Alabama and Georgia, the young James entered West Point and graduated fifty-fourth in a class of sixty-two in 1842. He was assigned to various military posts in Missouri and Louisiana until the outbreak of the War with Mexico in 1848. Serving under General Zachary Taylor, Longstreet saw combat at Palo Alto, Resaca, and Monterrey. He participated in several other battles including the decisive Battle of Chapultepec where he was wounded. His gallantry and service won him several promotions, but by 1852, he was still only a captain. Longstreet was not discouraged but continued with his duties and assignments in Texas, New Mexico, and finally in Washington where he was promoted to major. The coming of the Civil War tested his loyalty which he felt belonged to his native state. Thus, Major Longstreet resigned from the US Army on June 1, 1861, and offered his services to the new Confederacy.

FORMING THE LINE
Col. Edward Porter Alexander and Gen. Longstreet place artillery at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863

Two weeks after his resignation, the former army major was a new brigadier general in command of a brigade of Virginia and North Carolina troops which he led at The Battle of First Manassas, also called The Battle of Bull Run. A promotion soon followed and Major General Longstreet was assigned to command a division and then a wing of the Confederate army in Virginia. When General Robert E. Lee took command of the army that he renamed the Army of Northern Virginia, General Longstreet was in command of a corps, which he led through the Seven Days Campaign. General Longstreet, or "Old Pete" as he was nicknamed, proved to be an efficient soldier with a keen eye for battlefield tactics. He learned from his experiences on the battlefield and stubbornly applied his trade in every battle to come. General Lee fondly called him, "my old war horse."



In the summer of 1862, Lee moved his army northward toward an encounter with Union troops near Manassas, Virginia. The Second Battle of Bull Run was fought near the same area where Confederate forces had driven the Union troops from the field a year before. This two-day struggle pitted the bulk of the Union forces under General John Pope against the corps of General "Stonewall" Jackson. At the height of the battle, Longstreet moved his corps next to Jackson's position and charged in a vicious counterattack that first turned the Union flank and then swept General Pope's hapless Union soldiers from the field. The brilliant victory gave Lee the chance to invade Maryland and hopefully cause the people in that state to flock to the Confederate cause. Longstreet's troops crossed the Potomac and marched toward Frederick while the Union Army, back under the full command of George McClellan, finally reached Maryland and drove directly toward Lee's then scattered forces. Longstreet's men fought the Battle of South Mountain and again at the Battle of Antietam, where the general was conspicuous on the field. Longstreet credited his troops with holding the thin southern line against the final Union attacks despite being outnumbered and out gunned by Union artillery. His corps was allowed to rest and reorganize briefly before they marched toward Fredericksburg, Virginia in response to the next Union threat. It was the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862 where General Longstreet excelled in his use of a defensive position. His troops held high ground west of the city and easily repulsed repeated Union charges.


General Longstreet & his staff at Gettysburg

By 1863, Longstreet had been promoted to lieutenant general and was one of Lee's most trusted generals. Though he missed the Battle of Chancellorsville because of military events in southeast Virginia, Longstreet returned to the army in time for the Gettysburg Campaign. With the death of "Stonewall" Jackson after Chancellorsville, General Lee had divided his army into three corps and relied heavily on Longstreet's opinions. The general performed well until the battle of Gettysburg began and critics later accused the general of losing the battle by questioning orders and stubborn delays in beginning attacks Lee ordered by Lee. He proved to be as stubborn with his fellow officers as he was with the enemy and paid little attention to the criticisms until after the close of the Civil War, when he stedfastly defended his opinion that flaws in leadership during the campaign had to be shared with other officers, including the untouchable Lee. This opinion would make General Longstreet controversial until the end of his life.

That September, General Longstreet was ordered to take his corps to Georgia to assist the Confederate army there under Braxton Bragg. The bloody battle of Chickamauga opened the same day that his troops arrived, and he rushed them into the fight. They did not return to Virginia until the following May when Longstreet led them into another battle in an area west of Fredericksburg called the Wilderness. The general was seriously wounded in that battle and the injury kept him away from the army until April 1865. He rejoined the Army of Northern Virginia just in time to witness the abandonment of Richmond and retreat to Appomattox Court House. Longstreet's command held part of the final Confederate line at Appomattox until a flag of truce stopped the fighting. General Longstreet surrendered and was paroled with his troops.


Little evidence of Old Pete remains in his adopted Georgia hometown -- except his gravesite, a remnant of his hotel, and a stone marking the site of his Park Hill residence (above). The General's house burned to the ground with his war memorabilia and papers under mysterious circumstances in 1889

After the war, Longstreet moved to New Orleans where he became president of an insurance company and owned a cotton business. He then surprised many of his friends when he joined the Republican Party, a choice that horrified many southerners who were ardent democrats saw the Republicans as the political party responsible for the war and reconstruction. Some went so far as to brand him a traitor to the southern cause. Despite the slander and accusations, Longstreet actively participated in southern reunions and became friends with many former enemies including General U.S. Grant whose wife, Julia Dent, was a cousin. In 1880, then ex-President Grant used his influence to have Longstreet appointed as U.S. minister to Turkey. Longstreet moved to Gainesville, Georgia and became US marshall for the District of Georgia and later a commissioner for the Pacific Railroad. In his spare time, he wrote articles for popular magazines and eventually published his highly regarded memoirs, From Manassas to Appomattox in 1896. General Longstreet died on January 2, 1904 in Gainesville and is buried there.

[PhilDragoo]

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After the war, a clique of former Confederate officers began blaming General Longstreet for the army's defeat at Gettysburg. The most vocal instigators behind this slur campaign engaged in a great deal of partisan sniping at General Longstreet. It should be noted that this was done after General Lee's death — when Lee could no longer gainsay the critics — and after many of these people had begun careers in the Senate and Congress. Below is offered an item from Lee's post-war correspondence which leaves no doubt about his opinion of Longstreet:

You must remember me very kindly to Mrs. Longstreet and all your children. I have not had an opportunity yet to return the compliment she paid me. I had, while in Richmond, a great many inquiries after you, and learned that you intended commencing business in New Orleans. If you become as good a merchant as you were a soldier, I shall be content. No one will then excel you, and no one can wish you more success and more happiness than I. My interest and affection for you will never cease, and my prayers are always offered for your prosperity."

Robert E. Lee, January 19, 1866.

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James Longstreet was a giant. His actions as soldier and leader of men were an inspiration. His brave heart never faltered--witness his "let us fight it out" gauntlet hurled down on the doorstep of Appomattox.

His detractors were pygmies condemned to die in ignominy, while his supporters, Generals Lee and Grant, mark him the very soul of America.

The next Campaign Finance Reform legislation brought up before the congress should evoke a twenty-one gun volley of canister shot through the scoundrels' bloomers in his memory.

His "free people" remark should be the constant thorn in the side of the hollow men of Foggy Bottom.

His personal presence on the battle line (witness the illustration of his use of personal staff to replace the fallen cannon crew) is reminiscent of anecdotes of Caesar, stepping in to fill a void with his own sword.

No wonder Lee called him his old war horse.

When asked why he had trigger stuffed, Roy Rogers replied Trigger was an irreplaceable horse--whereas one could always get another wife.

[snippy_about_it]

Wonderful pictures and commentary Phil. Thanks.

[GailA]

Hubby has one of those replica pirate pistols, black powder and it wasn't exactly cheap, and it is not anywhere near as fine looking.

[SAMWolf]

Good Evening PhilDragoo.

Great commentary about a great General.

I read somewhere, don't remember where now, that for Robert E. Lee to be considered a Saint, someone had to be blamed for his failures, Longstreet was the one who ended up taking the blame.

[SAMWolf]

I got to fire an old Civil War pistol in Germany, one of my squad memeber had one. We used to get the lead for the bullets by "borrowing" battery leads from deadlined vehicles and melting them down. Had a hell of a kick if I remember correctly.

[E.G.C.]

Thanks Phil, for the article and the bump.

[Colt .45]

A Salute for this fine Son of Dixie!

[snippy_about_it]

I'll second that! Thanks.

[xJones]

Lot of might have beens at Gettysburg, but everything I read suggests that Picketts charge should have never happened.

So true, Sam. It's a very humbling experience to visit the Gettysburg National Historical Battlesite, and I just returned from a visit to Antitem and Harpers Ferry. The history tour guide pointed out the importance of geography on battles, and Pickett's charge at Gettysburg was a classic example of why running uphill into a full attack of firepower by brave men was a bad idea.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning XJones.

The amazing thing about Pickett's charge was that Armistad's Brigade actually made it to the Union lines before breaking.

[snippy_about_it]

You know SAM. I believe I stayed up all night the 16th and forgot to post your Good Night Song to this thread. Goodness me, sorry.

Here you go, better late than never