WAR IS SO TERRIBLE
Longstreet and Lee after the Battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862.
General Longstreet was one of the most influential Generals in the The War Between the States. He won many great battles with his incredible skill in artillery placement and infantry tactics. Today his reputation has been reestablished as a cautious but determined soldier, slow to act but sure in execution, resolute, reliable, and steadfast in battle. General Longstreet was an incredibly intriguing man, about whom many questions can be raised. What were his most impressive victories, how did he win them, and what made the close friendship and partnership between General Longstreet and General Lee as effective as it was for the Confederacy?
General Longstreet was better at designing a battle to favor him than he was at actually fighting one. He had some of the most amazing defensive skills in history, and would meticulously place his infantry and artillery to hold his ground. At times he could become somewhat insubordinate when following orders with which he disagreed. Yet when the enemy was surging forward, and the battlefield blasted to pieces by Union artillery, Longstreet would set cool and confident in his saddle.
Aside from Lee, Longstreet had many friends whom he'd met in the Mexican war and at West Point. During the the War Between the States Longstreet's camp was always bustling with friends and acquaintances. He was famous for his poker face, (one which he practiced in battle), and card games were often the focus of these gatherings. Longstreet's participation in these congregations ended abruptly when three of his children died of scarlet fever in the winter of 1863. Afterwards, Longstreet sat quietly and contemplatively while his friends drank and joked nearby. This sudden loss of humor disturbed his companions and they often attempted to renew his interest in their games but Longstreet would not relent. This stubbornness was characteristic of Longstreet and he often displayed it on the battlefield. It was at this tragic point in his life that Longstreet became very philosophical and sometimes cynical about the war. He took long rides around his army thinking about what the army should do and how he should do it, meticulously designing battles so that he could win them. He picked good high ground, built strong barricades, and dug deep trenches. He placed his artillery carefully at key locations so that the attacking army would be bombarded with exploding shells. As a battle neared, Longstreet would ride anxiously along his line, seeing to every detail.
Longstreet Statue at Gettysburg
General Longstreet is best described in a passage written by General Kemper. Kemper describes Longstreet while his men hug the ground for safety as every inch is pounded by enemy artillery, "Longstreet rode slowly and alone immediately in front of our entire line. He sat on his large charger with a magnificent grace and composure I never before beheld. His bearing was to me the grandest moral spectacle of the war. I expected to see him fall every instant. Still he moved on, slowly and majestically, with an inspiriting confidence, composure, self-possession and repressed power in every movement and look, that fascinated me." General James Longstreet was the man who was asked to do the dirty work and the impossible for the of the Cause. At his funeral in 1904, James Longstreet was beheld for the final time by his loyal men before he was lowered into his grave. He was no gentleman and he didn't speak perfect English, but this did not matter to his soldiers and comrades. They would always remember General Longstreet as a tall, handsome and blunt man who fought by their side in the bloodiest war on American soil. He was there from start to finish, and endured through victory and defeat. When the real fighting had to be done, Lee did not look to General Jackson or to General Hill, when it was really rough, General Lee looked to the one man he could always depend on: his old "War Horse", General James Longstreet.
Additional Sources:
ngeorgia.com
www.alexandersbattalion.org
mywebpages.comcast.net/civilwar101
www.oldgloryprints.com
www.agribusinesscouncil.org
users.snip.net/~hart
www.henry.k12.ga.us
www.bigcountry.de
www.artfinders.com
www.framery.com
