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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 and criticisms on a number of topics. Here, General Longstreet extols Ewell and disparages Jubal Early.
"Ewell was greatly [A.P.] Hill's superior in every respect; a safe, reliable corps commander, always zealously seeking to do his duty. In execution, he was the equal of Jackson, perhaps, but in independent command he was far inferior; neither was he as confident and self-reliant. Ewell lost much of his efficiency with his leg at the Second Manassas, and was always, more or less handicapped by Early, who, as a division general, was a marplot and a disturber in Ewell's corps."
"Early's mental horizon was a limited one, and he was utterly lost beyond a regiment out of sight of his corps general. How General Lee could have been misled into sending him down the Valley with an army in 1864 I never clearly understood. I was away from the army that summer wounded. Early had no capacity for directing. He never could fight a battle; he could not have whipped Sheridan with Lee's entire army."
According to Merriam-Webster, a marplot is "one who frustrates or ruins a plan or undertaking by meddling." That sounds bad enough, but Longstreet goes on to further deprecate Early. And, apparently, he meant every word of it. In the introduction, the correspondent states that when he "suggested that [the] somewhat harsh criticism of General Early be omitted, the old warrior grimly replied, 'It will be in my book.'" <Up next, Longstreet on Sheridan, Pickett, and Five Forks.>"Early's mental horizon was a limited one, and he was utterly lost beyond a regiment out of sight of his corps general. How General Lee could have been misled into sending him down the Valley with an army in 1864 I never clearly understood. I was away from the army that summer wounded. Early had no capacity for directing. He never could fight a battle; he could not have whipped Sheridan with Lee's entire army."
Note: This post is Part 5 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, Early, Ewell, Hill, Joe Johnston, Jeff Davis, Lee, McClellan, Sheridan and more. Here are the links to Parts 1-4, posted previously:
Part 1 - Intro to the article
Part 2 - Longstreet on Bragg
Part 3 - Longstreet on Jackson
Part 4 - Longstreet on AP Hill
Source: Reprinted from the Washington Post of June 1893, the article appeared in The Times Dispatch. (Richmond, VA.), November 12, 1911, page 3.
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If you aren't tagged and would like to know when these are posted, let me know and Ill tag you in future ones.
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