US soldier, born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, USA. Raised in Georgia and Alabama, he trained at West Point (1842) and saw service during the Mexican War. He resigned his US Army commission to join the Confederate army (Jun 1861). As one of Lee's chief lieutenants, he was an outstanding combat officer but was sometimes over-cautious as a commander; his delays at Gettysburg led to his being blamed for the Confederate failure there (although Lee and students of the battle have not confirmed this). After the Civil War he became a Republican, even backing Ulysses Grant for president, and was shunned by many Southerners. Years later, he would air his differences with Lee's decisions in his book, From Manassas to Appomattox (1896). After several years in private business, he held several federal appointments, including minister resident to Turkey (18801).
| James Longstreet | |
|---|---|
| January 8, 1821 – January 2, 1904 | |
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James Longstreet |
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| Place of birth | Edgefield District, South Carolina |
| Place of death | Gainesville, Georgia |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Battles/wars |
Mexican-American War American Civil War |
| Other work | Surveyor of Customs in New Orleans, U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, U.S. Commissioner of Railroads |
James Longstreet (January 8, 1821 – January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War, and later enjoyed a successful post-war career working for the government of his former enemies, as a diplomat and administrator.
Early life
Longstreet was born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, but grew up in Augusta, Georgia, until age 12 when his father died and the family moved to Somerville, Alabama.
Career as Confederate general
Longstreet was highly regarded as an officer and immediately secured appointment as a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. During the Seven Days Battles, Longstreet had operational command of nearly half of Lee's army.
As a general, Longstreet showed a talent for defensive fighting, preferring to position his troops in strong defensive positions and compel the enemy to attack him. Lee referred to Longstreet affectionately as his Old War Horse. (Longstreet's friends generally called him Pete.) His record as an offensive tactician was mixed, however, and he often clashed with the highly aggressive Lee on the subject of the proper tactics to employ in battle. "Stonewall" Jackson, switched their normal roles, with Jackson fighting defensively on the Confederate left, and Longstreet delivering a devastating flank attack on the right that crushed the slightly larger Union Army of Virginia. The next month, at the Battle of Antietam, Longstreet held his part of the Confederate line against Union forces twice as numerous. On October 9, a few weeks after Antietam, Longstreet was promoted to lieutenant general, the senior Confederate officer of that rank.
In the winter and early spring of 1863, Longstreet bottled up Union forces in the city of Suffolk, Virginia, a minor operation, but one that was very important to Lee's army, still stationed in war-devastated central Virginia. However, this operation caused Longstreet and 15,000 men of the First Corps to be absent from the Battle of Chancellorsville in May.
Longstreet rejoined Lee's army after Chancellorsville and took part in Lee's Gettysburg Campaign, where he dissented with Lee about the tactics Lee was using. This campaign marked a fundamental change in the way Longstreet was employed by Lee. In the past, Lee had preferred to use Longstreet in defensive roles, which were his strength, and use Jackson and the Second Corps to spearhead his attacks. But Jackson had been mortally wounded at Chancellorsville, and now Lee wanted Longstreet to take over Jackson's role.
During the Battle of Gettysburg, Longstreet advocated disengagement from the enemy after the first day's battle, embarking on a strategic flanking movement to place themselves on the Union line of communication, and inviting a Union attack. But Lee had settled on the tactical offensive, fearing perhaps a redeployment as advocated by Longstreet would result in a loss of morale within the ranks. On July 2, the second day of the battle, Longstreet's assault on the Union left nearly succeeded, but at great cost. On July 3, when Lee ordered Longstreet, against his wishes, to attack the Union center in what became known as "Pickett's Charge", the Confederates lost 7,000 men in an hour. Lee blamed himself for the defeat at Gettysburg, but some, such as General Jubal Early and the Lost Cause advocates (especially people from Virginia who tended to look down on those from the Deep South), insisted Longstreet's hesitancy to follow through on Lee's plan was the cause of the defeat.
Lee later dispatched Longstreet to Tennessee that fall in response to a desperate appeal for help from the Army of Tennessee.
Longstreet soon clashed with the much maligned Army of Tennessee commander, Gen. After Bragg was driven back into Georgia, Longstreet and his men returned to Lee.
Longstreet helped save the Confederate Army from defeat in his first battle back with Lee's army, the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864, where he launched a powerful flanking attack against the Union II Corps and nearly drove it from the field.
Postbellum career
After the war, Longstreet renewed his friendship with his old friend from West Point, Ulysses S.
Legacy
Because of criticism from authors in the Lost Cause movement (Jubal Early in particular), Longstreet's war career was disparaged for many years after his death.
The publication of Michael Shaara's novel The Killer Angels in 1974, based in part on Longstreet's memoirs, as well as the 1993 film Gettysburg, have been credited with helping to restore Longstreet's reputation as an outstanding and diligent commander.
More than a century after his death, and with the blessings of Longstreet's descendants, a Confederate Iron Cross was dedicated at his grave on the morning of June 18, 2006, by members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Georgia Division. While the U.S. flag still flies proudly over the final resting place of the man who served both the United and Confederate States of America with honor and distinction, at long last Longstreet's rightful place in the annals of Southern history has begun to be appreciated.
In popular media
Longstreet is a character in Harry Turtledove's alternate history novel, How Few Remain, and in Robert Conroy's alternate history novel, 1901.
Longstreet is portrayed in the film Gettysburg by Tom Berenger, and in the prequel, Gods and Generals, by Bruce Boxleitner.
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