{⋆★⋆} LG Longstreet, James

James Longstreet Jr.

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James Longstreet was a U.S. Army soldier who graduated from the West Point Military Academy, and was a Veteran of the Mexican-American War. He resigned his U.S. commission in June of 1861 to join the Confederate Army, becoming one of the most prominent generals of the Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". Longstreet served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles in the eastern theater. However, his most controversial service was at the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863, where he openly disagreed with the offensive tactics ordered by General Lee, and reluctantly commanded multiple unsuccessful attacks on Union positions, including the famously disastrous Pickett's Charge. Afterwards, he served in the Western Theater with Braxton Bragg in the Army of Tennessee.

Born: January 8, 1821

Birthplace: Edgefield, South Carolina

Height: 6'0"

Father: James Longstreet Sr. 1783 – 1833

Mother: Mary Ann Dent 1793 – 1855
(Buried: Somerville Cemetery, Somerville, Alabama)​

1st​ Wife: Maria Louisa Garland 1827 – 1889
(Buried: Alta Vista Cemetery, Gainesville, Georgia)​

Married: March 8, 1848 in Lynchburg, Virginia

2nd​ Wife: Helen Dortch Longstreet 1863 – 1962
(Buried: Westview Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia)​

Married: September 8, 1897 in Atlanta, Georgia

Signature:
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Children:

John G. Longstreet 1848 – 1918​
(Buried: Alta Vista Cemetery, Gainesville, Georgia)​
Augustus Baldwin Longstreet 1850 – 1862​
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)​
William Dent Longstreet 1853 – 1854​
(Buried: Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.)​
James Longstreet III 1857 – 1862​
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)​
Mary Anne Longstreet 1860 – 1862​
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)​
Major Robert Lee Longstreet 1863 – 1940​
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​
Colonel James Longstreet III 1865 – 1922​
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​
Fitz Randolph Longstreet 1869 – 1951​
(Buried: Alta Vista Cemetery, Gainesville, Georgia)​
Louise Longstreet 1872 – 1957​
(Buried: Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.)​
Education:

1842: Graduated from West Point Military Academy (54th​ in class)​
Occupation before War:

1842 – 1845: Brevet 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 4th​ Infantry Regiment​
1845 – 1847: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 8th​ Infantry Regiment​
1847 – 1852: 1st​ Lt. United States Army, 8th​ Infantry Regiment​
1852 – 1858: Captain United States Army, 8th​ Infantry Regiment​
1858 – 1861: Major and Paymaster in United States Army​
1861: Resigned from United States Army on June 1st​
Civil War Career:

Horse Names: Fly by Night and Hero
1861: Commissioned as Lt. Colonel in the Confederate Army​
1861: Brigadier General in the Confederate Army Infantry​
1861: Participated in the Battle of Blackburn's Ford​
1861: Participated in the First Battle of Bull Run​
1861 – 1862: Major General in the Confederate Army Infantry​
1862: Participated in the Peninsula Campaign​
1862: Rear Guard Commander at Battle of Williamsburg & Yorktown​
1862: Participated in the Battle of Seven Pines​
1862: Participated in the Seven Days Campaign​
1862: Participated in the Second Battle of Bull Run​
1862: Participated in the Maryland Campaign & Battle of Antietam​
1862 – 1865: Lt. General of Confederate Army Infantry​
1862 – 1865: Commander of First Army Corps Army of Northern VA.​
1862: Participated in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia​
1863: Participated in the Siege of Suffolk, Virginia​
1863: Heavily Participated in the Battle of Gettysburg​
1863: Participated in the Battle of Chickamauga, Tennessee​
1863: Participated in the Battle of Knoxville, Tennessee​
1864: Wounded during the Wilderness Campaign
After war.jpg
1864: Participated in the funeral of Lt. General Leonidas Polk​
1864 – 1865: Participated in the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia​
1865: Commander of First & Third Army Corps Army Northern VA​
1865: Participated in the Appomattox Virginia Campaign​
1865: Surrendered at Appomattox Court House Appomattox, Virginia​

Occupation after War:

1866 – 1868: Cotton Broker in New Orleans, Louisiana​
President of Great Southern & Western Fire, Marine Insurance Co.​
Joined the Republican Political Party​
1868: Endorsed Ulysses S. Grant for President
General Longstreet after war.jpg
1869: Attended the Inauguration of President Ulysses S. Grant​
1869 – 1871: U.S. Surveyor of Customs Port of New Orleans, Louisiana​
1870: Louisiana State Adjutant General of Louisiana State Militia​
1872 – 1877: Commissioner of Engineers for Louisiana​
Major General of Louisiana State Militia​
1874: Participated in the Battle of Liberty Place​
United States Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue​
1879 – 1880: United States Postmaster for Gainesville, Georgia​
1880 – 1881: United States Ambassador to Ottoman Empire​

1881 – 1884: United States Marshal for Georgia​
Farmer in Gainesville, Georgia raising turkeys and Planted Orchards
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1897 – 1904: United States Commissioner of Railroads​
Died: January 2, 1904

Place of Death: Gainesville, Georgia

Cause of Death: Cancer & Pneumonia

Age at time of Death: 82 years old

Last Words: "Helen, we will be happier at this post."

Burial Place: Alta Vista Cemetery, Gainesville, Georgia


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Last edited by a moderator:
Longstreet was severely wounded by friendly fire at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864 (Micah Jenkins, riding with him, was also mortally wounded in this same incident). The bullet struck Longstreet in the right shoulder and throat.

The event was significant too, because it caused a reshuffle in Corps command. Anderson took over command of Longstreet's Corps for the remainder of the campaign until Longstreet rejoined Lee later that year.
 
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Longstreet was severely wounded by friendly fire at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864 (Micah Jenkins, riding with him, was also mortally wounded in this same incident). The bullet struck Longstreet in the right shoulder and throat.

The event was significant too, because it caused a reshuffle in Corps command. Anderson took over command of Longstreet's Corps for the remainder of the campaign until Lee rejoined Lee later that year.
"Fighting Dick" Anderson took over command of Longstreet's 1st Corp and led it through the Wilderness, to Spotsylvania,the North Anna. Part of his Corps was supposed to reinforce Early but was recalled.. Upon Longstreets return Anderson was a Lt. General and given given command of the 4th Corps.He missed Lee's surrender at Appomattox because he was sent home (by Lee) the day before as he had no command. His Corps had been destroyed at Saylor's Creek.
 
Longstreet strikes me as one to look up to regardless of one's feelings regarding the rebel cause. When in the rebel service he proved the most fierce and capable of Corps officers. He was the "War Horse" & the "Bull of the Woods". He was the leader of some of the most devastating assaults of the war yet his reputation is that of a defense minded general. He was brilliant on the defense as well as on the attack. Lee knew that Longstreet was his best.

After the war, he set his sights on reconciliation and making our country better for all inhabitants rather than continuing to fight the battles of the past. For this he has been ignored and slandered by the "heritage" groups and not included in their delusional pantheon. A shame. General Longstreet should be revered as both a rebel and United States hero.
 
The wound received was a factor at his death. The 3 January 1904 edition of the Richmond Times Dispatch stated that at the time of his death Longstreet, suffering from pneumonia, raised up from his bed when "a great gush of blood came from his mouth and through the old wound which he received at the hands of his own men through a mistake at the battle of the Wilderness...".

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Birthday

Georgia State University
ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University
History Theses
Department of History
Spring 5-2-2018

The Confederacy's "Hardest Hitter": Reevaluating James Longstreet's Civil War Record on the Tactical Offensive
Joseph Callaway

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Copyright by Joseph DeWitt Callaway 2018

ABSTRACT
James Longstreet is most often remembered by scholars of the Civil War and Civil War hobbyists as a general who favored defensive tactics over offensive ones and generally loathed launching large-scale assaults. This thesis argues that this common perception is incompatible with the facts gleanable from a close inspection of Longstreet's war record. By tracing the preparation, execution, and accomplishments of his four largest-scale assaults during the Civil War, I seek to reposition Longstreet in Civil War historiography as the most innovative, creative, and ultimately successful subordinate commander in terms of assuming the tactical offensive.


Because of copywrite, please use above link

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
Southern New Hampshire University
James Longstreet The Historical Misrepresentation of the Confederacy's War Horse: Antebellum, Gettysburg, and the Lost Cause
James L. Raube
Master of Arts in History
September 2023
Copyright © 2023 by James L. Raube All Rights Reserved

Abstract
General James Longstreet had a long and fruitful life in military service. He was one of the few proponents of positive change after the downfall of the Confederate States of America, but for it was criticized. However, his personal and professional connections with various individuals such as Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee made him the focal point for criticism of the Lost Cause Movement and post-war Southern sympathizers. These individuals and organizations took control of America's media as well as the stories of Civil War soldiers. Anyone who went against the Lost Cause's narrative would be subject to extensive scrutinization as well as personal attacks on their character and image. Longstreet's forward-thinking mind and willingness to accept defeat of the South made him the prime target for Southern hate. Longstreet's reputation was destroyed after the war for his honest criticism of the South's beloved hero: Robert E. Lee. Criticism from the South, as well as other Confederate commanders, accused Longstreet of being a traitor and willingly attempting to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia through his actions. The Battle of Gettysburg continues to be the focal point for this disparity in the historical representation of Longstreet. This paper argues against these accusations toward Longstreet and attempts to rewrite the false narrative surrounding his military career and life in public service. Utilizing secondary and primary source evidence, this paper will broaden the perception of Longstreet's character in attempts to uphold his name in history.


Because of copyright, please use above link.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 

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