- Joined
- Nov 26, 2016
- Location
- central NC
As a General Longstreet fan, I often revisit Jeffry Wert's book on my favorite commander. This excerpt seems especially appropriate to share in January. I love that the General made an effort to spend time with his wife. They had lost three of their children in January of that year. I have read that he found it difficult to "cross the divide" between them after these tragic losses. I would like to think this time together helped them both.
"Longstreet had his headquarters about a mile from Forest Hill and visited [his wife Louise] during the day when duty permitted. ...On some evenings, a regimental or brigade band serenaded the general and his wife. Longstreet spent each night with Louise.
Between Longstreet's headquarters and Forest Hill was the winter campsite of the Texas Brigade. Each morning the corps commander passed through under a barrage of snowballs from the playful Texans. He endured the joke "with his usual imperturbability" for several days until one morning when he saw a line of troops with snowballs in hand. Riding up to them, Longstreet exclaimed: "Throw your snowballs, men, if you want to, as much as you please. But if one of them touches me, not a man in this brigade shall have a furlough this winter. Remember that." Longstreet was untouched." (Wert p. 225)
"Longstreet had his headquarters about a mile from Forest Hill and visited [his wife Louise] during the day when duty permitted. ...On some evenings, a regimental or brigade band serenaded the general and his wife. Longstreet spent each night with Louise.
Between Longstreet's headquarters and Forest Hill was the winter campsite of the Texas Brigade. Each morning the corps commander passed through under a barrage of snowballs from the playful Texans. He endured the joke "with his usual imperturbability" for several days until one morning when he saw a line of troops with snowballs in hand. Riding up to them, Longstreet exclaimed: "Throw your snowballs, men, if you want to, as much as you please. But if one of them touches me, not a man in this brigade shall have a furlough this winter. Remember that." Longstreet was untouched." (Wert p. 225)
Last edited:
Forum Host
Bringing the