General James Longstreet: The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier by Jeffry D. Wert

[gilda_elise]

A carefully argued account of the general whom Robert E. Lee affectionately called ``my old war horse''--the same man who in the mythology of the Lost Cause became the scapegoat for the failure of Confederate arms at Gettysburg. Commander of the First Corps in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, Longstreet (1821-1904) was not only Lee's senior officer but his most reliable--even more so, Wert (Mosby's Rangers, 1990) says, than Stonewall Jackson.

Described by a colleague as ``a rock in steadiness when sometimes in battle the world seemed flying to pieces,'' Longstreet served at First and Second Manassas, the Seven Days campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chicamauga, the Wilderness, and the surrender at Appomattox. Lee depended on his counsel, except at Gettysburg, when three times Lee rejected Longstreet's advice not to make the fateful frontal assault. Although ostensibly covering Longstreet's entire life, Wert concentrates on the general's Civil War record, explaining the personality quirks and decisions that made the general, so fearless and beloved during the war, such a lightning rod of controversy in its aftermath.

After reading this book I can understand why Longstreet’s reputation is so uneven, and why he was so controversial. He won some battle, lost some, which can be said of any general. But it appeared that often it was more than bad luck, or bad odds, that caused the lost. Though it can’t be proven, his often divisive behavior has been blamed on his own vanity, or sense of aggrievement.

After the war, his being willing to work with the North further damaged his reputation, at least with Southerners. But that very thing went a long way to raising his estimation in my eyes. It’s also why I’m inclined to think that others’ estimation of his so-called bad behavior during the war may have been sour grapes.

Though mostly covering the years of the Civil War, there is enough in the book to give a well-rounded picture of who Longstreet was, what drove him, and what made him the successful general that he was.








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Comments

[bradygirl_12]

I read an excellent book about Gettysburg and Longstreet was 100% correct in his advice to Lee. Longstreet wasn't flashy or cavalierly enough for some Southerners, and there was envy at his closeness with Lee.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

That's basically the impression I got. And Longstreet didn't own a plantation, so was on a different social level than a lot of them. He was basically a soldier. And he was 100% correct at Gettysburg. Of course, I'm really glad that Lee didn't take his advise!

[bradygirl_12]

So am I! :)