Free Republic

Gettysburg might well be a movie that couldn't be made today. It tells an emotional story of the toll on both sides and lets each side explain their position without prejudice. This music video summarizes the movie, while a webpage gives an in-depth description of what is happening during the scenes. http://www.iment.com/maida/tv/misc/gettysburg.htm#details

Born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, January 8, 1821, the son of a farmer, Longstreet spent his early years in Augusta, Georgia. On the death of his father he went with his mother to Somerville, Alabama. Corps commander James Longstreet made three mistakes that have denied him his deserved place in Southern posterity: He argued with Lee at Gettysburg, he was right, and he became a Republican. He entered West Point from Alabama, graduated in 1842, and was wounded at Chapultepec in Mexico. With two brevets and the staff rank of major he resigned his commission on June 1, 1861,...

<p>The casket was there by the grave. So was a widow dressed in mourning black.</p> <p>A regiment of Confederate soldiers lined up nearby. Each fired three shots in salute to James Longstreet.</p> <p>More than a hundred years after he first was laid to rest in Alta Vista Cemetery, the Sons of Confederate Veterans Dahlonega camp and several re-enactors replayed the famed lieutenant general's funeral and processional in Gainesville.</p>

One thing that I like about Free Republic is the breadth of knowledge on a variety of subjects that Freepers have. After watching the movie Gods and Generals over the past few weeks, I have really grown to appreciate General Stonewall Jackson. My knowledge of him is limited, but I know that many Freepers know and understand the Civil War. So, while this is a slow news day (unless you are participating on the Tom vs Arnold threads), I was hoping that we could start a discussion on the contributions and meaning of Stonewall Jackson to the Southern Cause.

<p>He was, at the war's end, the senior lieutenant general in the Confederate Army, Lee's trusted friend and second-in-command of the Army of Northern Virginia --- yet it was not until 1998 that a statue was erected anywhere to honor James Longstreet. This slight can be traced to his membership in the Republican Party during Reconstruction, but even more damaging to his reputation was the image created by his postwar enemies: He became a villain in Southern eyes, a scapegoat for the Confederate defeat, and one of the South's most controversial figures.</p>