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On the occasion of Longstreet's visit to Antietam in 1893, a correspondent of the Washington Post recorded the General's opinions on a number of topics. In this part of the interview, General Longstreet opines on the occasion of Lee's poorest generalship.
.....and then asked him in which of the battles he thought Lee displayed his poorest generalship.
He promptly answered: "Although it is perhaps mere supererogation to express my views, yet I will give them to you for what they are worth. I have always thought the preliminary disposition to capture Harper's Ferry, involving as a corollary, the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, were not only the worst ever made by General Lee, but invited the destruction of the Confederate Army. I was opposed to the movement because his plan and the topography of that vicinity made necessary the division of our army into four parts in the immediate presence of a superior enemy. But chiefly, owing to the timidity if not incapacity of the Federal commander, and somewhat to the prestige we had gained on the Chickahominy and along Bull Run, we captured Harper's Ferry and escaped with a drawn battle. Tactically, as usual, Lee fought a good defensive battle at Sharpsburg with greatly inferior numbers, and withdrew at his leisure across the Potomac without molestation.
Sources: Reprinted from the Washington Post of June 1893, the interview appeared in The Times Dispatch. (Richmond, VA.), November 12, 1911, page 3.He promptly answered: "Although it is perhaps mere supererogation to express my views, yet I will give them to you for what they are worth. I have always thought the preliminary disposition to capture Harper's Ferry, involving as a corollary, the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, were not only the worst ever made by General Lee, but invited the destruction of the Confederate Army. I was opposed to the movement because his plan and the topography of that vicinity made necessary the division of our army into four parts in the immediate presence of a superior enemy. But chiefly, owing to the timidity if not incapacity of the Federal commander, and somewhat to the prestige we had gained on the Chickahominy and along Bull Run, we captured Harper's Ferry and escaped with a drawn battle. Tactically, as usual, Lee fought a good defensive battle at Sharpsburg with greatly inferior numbers, and withdrew at his leisure across the Potomac without molestation.
Map: Russell, Robert E. L. Thirty pen and ink maps of the Maryland Campaign,: drawn from descriptive readings and map fragments. Baltimore: Robert E. Lee Russell, 1862. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2008622052/
Note: This post is Part 12 of a series on Longstreet's opinions of various Generals, expressed during an interview with a Washington Post corespondent in 1893. Longstreet's opinions on various generals are posted in separate threads so they can be easily located - Bragg, Jackson, A P Hill, Early, Ewell, Pickett, Sheridan, Joe Johnston, Beauregard, Hood, Jeff Davis, Lee, McClellan, and more. Here are the links to Parts 1-11, posted previously:
Part 1 - Intro to the article
Part 2 - Longstreet on Bragg
Part 3 - Longstreet on Jackson
Part 4 - Longstreet on AP Hill
Part 5 - Longstreet on Ewell & Early
Part 6 - Longstreet on Pickett, Sheridan, Five Forks & the Timing of the Surrender
Part 7 - Longstreet on Joe Johnston
Part 8 - Longstreet on Beauregard
Part 9 - Longstreet on Hood
Part 10 - Longstreet on Lee's military attributes
Part 11 - Lee's Best Battle
<Up next, Longstreet's opinion on the occasion of Lee's greatest weakness as a tactical commander . No surprise on what Longstreet has to say on this. >
@Eleanor Rose @Union_Buff @FarawayFriend @War Horse @novushomus @GELongstreet @LeesWarhorse @Tom Elmore @Coonewah Creek @Yankeedave @Andy Cardinal@PeterT @Zella If you aren't tagged and would like to receive notification when these are posted, let me know and Ill tag you in future ones.