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Did Longstreet go west for the betterment of the Confederacy? Or was his plea to Lee a smokescreen so he could succeed Bragg as commander of the Army of Tennessee?
Thoughts...
Thoughts...
The later. He liked Johnston.Did Longstreet go west for the betterment of the Confederacy? Or was his plea to Lee a smokescreen so he could succeed Bragg as commander of the Army of Tennessee?
Thoughts...
This is true. Longstreet admired and respected Johnston. Although Longstreet's admiration for Johnston did not sit well with Davis. When Longstreet advocated for Johnston... he unfortunately picked the wrong horse in the political race.The later. He liked Johnston.
He always had a fondness for J. Johnston, and his campaign west did not go as he envisioned. Although, after dealing with Bragg... he was glad to be back with Lee in Virginia.I have always suspicioned that Ole Pete wanted to be free of Lee and have his own separate command? After Knoxville I kinda think he was glad to go back to the Army of Northern Virginia.
Regards
David
He no doubt added fuel to the anti-Bragg fire. Although this backfired for him... as it did D.H. Hill, Polk and others. I believe he thought Bragg would be ousted and that he might take over. But Longstreet underestimated Davis's loyalty to Bragg."Did Longstreet go west for the betterment of the Confederacy?" Yes, in accord with the general strategic ideas of the "western concentration" mentioned by jackt62. Chickamauga was the first fruit of that - turning sour later but that is another issue.
Was the move just "a smokescreen" to "succeed Bragg"? Likely not at the time though a chance to make a reputation out from under Lee, as others have stated, was almost certainly in the back of his mind. Once he got to see the dysfunction that was the AoT high command, he no doubt sensed an opportunity to add gasoline. At least Bragg saw it, because sending 12,000+ men away as the prospects of a major confrontation grow before you has always struck me as an... interesting... decision.
Well, he found (#Knoxville) that independent command is not an easy thing.
Longstreet always advocated for a strong western position. Before Vicksburg fell... he called it "the lungs of the Confederacy"I don't think there were ulterior motives at work. As a member of the so-called "Western Concentration," Longstreet openly believed that the success of the western armies was critical to the fate of the Confederacy. At the same time, Longstreet hungered for independent command of any sort; he first had the opportunity to do so when in April 1863, Lee sent Longstreet and part of his Corps to engage in operations in the vicinity of Suffolk, Virginia.
He was right. Longstreet gets a bad rap for what some believe is his opposition to Lee's strategy and tactics, but Longstreet was, as far as I am aware, the only major commander in the ANV who had a broader vision beyond Virginia of how and where the war needed to be fought.Longstreet always advocated for a strong western position. Before Vicksburg fell... he called it "the lungs of the Confederacy"
He was right. Longstreet gets a bad rap for what some believe is his opposition to Lee's strategy and tactics, but Longstreet was, as far as I am aware, the only major commander in the ANV who had a broader vision beyond Virginia of how and where the war needed to be fought.
That was because he thought from early on he was a better General than Robert E. Lee. His heart was at the wrong place and caused him to question practically all orders from General Lee.He was right. Longstreet gets a bad rap for what some believe is his opposition to Lee's strategy and tactics, but Longstreet was, as far as I am aware, the only major commander in the ANV who had a broader vision beyond Virginia of how and where the war needed to be fought.
That was because he thought from early on he was a better General than Robert E. Lee. His heart was at the wrong place and caused him to question practically all orders from General Lee.
He understood the Confederacy's fate hung upon the west and other regions, and not Richmond alone. He also was a strong proponent of the defensive-offensive... rather than just strictly the offensive.He was right. Longstreet gets a bad rap for what some believe is his opposition to Lee's strategy and tactics, but Longstreet was, as far as I am aware, the only major commander in the ANV who had a broader vision beyond Virginia of how and where the war needed to be fought.
Longstreet advocated to be sent west prior to the fall of Vicksburg. But your right... Davis ordered him west... but only after Lee was in agreement, and gave his approval for the detachment of the First Corp.I'm pretty sure Longstreet didn't just decide to "up and go west" all on his own. He was detached from Lee and sent to help Bragg, but by who? Someone had to make that order. There were probably several reasons for his going but number 1 would have been following orders.
Lee was definitely more inclined to take "long chances". Longstreet was much more cautious, sometimes to a fault. And was even called "slow Peter" during some campaigns.In the end, I don't see it as his heart being in the wrong place so much as different command styles. Lee had a strong grasp on the psychological aspects of war as well as the technical. There were reasons so many of Lee's technically 'incorrect' gambles paid off. Longstreet's mastery of the technical side may have gotten in the way of his seeing that.
I guess I have a more balanced view of Lee and Longstreet. Each had strengths and weaknesses, sometimes they complemented one another.That was because he thought from early on he was a better General than Robert E. Lee. His heart was at the wrong place and caused him to question practically all orders from General Lee.
Agreed. Lee and Longstreet had unique strengths and weaknesses that, despite the later criticism, helped the ANV achieve many of its greatest moments. To this day, there is probably no definitive conclusion as to what type of strategy would have best served the Confederacy in its quest for independence.Well, the AoNV was tasked with the defense of Richmond after all.
Let's not sell Lee short, though. He truly believed that what he did there would offset to some extent setbacks in other theaters, especially in the eyes of Europe and the American press. He wasn't far wrong: "...it seems unreasonable that a series of successes, extending through half-a-year, and clearing more than a hundred thousand square miles of country, should help us so little, while a single half-defeat should hurt us so much," Lincoln wrote in August 1862, comparing the conquest of western Tennessee and gain of New Orleans with the outcome of the Seven Days campaign.