Longstreet YouTube video on James Longstreet at Gettysburg

While I do think some blame can be assigned to Longstreet, I would hope and I believe that he was a professional soldier, and as such would have acted as one and would have exercised whatever discretion he thought he had in modifying Lee's orders if the situation required it. Lee lost faith in Macgruder early on at Malvern Hill for not using discretion and continuing to attack when the situation did not favor it. To me, the greatest thing in Longstreet's favor regarding all this is that Lee never lost confidence in him.
 
CowCavalry, that is one of my major arguments - Lee never lost faith in Longstreet. Lee kept Longstreet and promoted him after taking command of the ANV despite Seven Pines. Lee backdated Longstreet's promotion so that he ranked Jackson. Lee regretted letting Longstreet go to the Western Theater in late 1863 and begged him to return after Longstreet's wounding in 1864. They kept in touch after the war. It is hard to know how long after due to Longstreet's papers being burned in 1889. From all I've read about Lee and Longstreet I just can't agree with the idea that either one had any disdain for the other.
 
Hmmm...based on the title it looks like Lost Cause mythology at its finest.
I should have summarized the video, but it mentions Longstreet not doing well in Ethics class at West Point (as though that means he wasn't ethical), and (post-war) accounts of him sulking when he didn't get his way. He then connects this to the 2 July attack at Gettysburg, where Longstreet's sulking derailed the attack.
 
Longstreet committed three unforgivable sins in the Lost Cause mind and none at Gettysburg. The whole Gettysburg controversy is a red herring.

1) He questioned some of Lee’s and others decisions in post-war writings.
2) He survived the war so wasn’t endowed with the quasi-religious hero worship that surrounds Jackson.
3) Post war he worked towards reconciliation and tried to uphold African American rights in Louisiana (this is the gravest of all)
 
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I hate to complain but this narrator can't even say the name of the author he is quoting correctly. He says "Kirk" when he should be saying "Krick." As I said, Lost Cause mythology at it's finest.
The maker of the video checks two of the usual boxes for 2 July:
1) Whatever you do, deflect criticism away from Lee and his plans; and
2) Question Longstreet's character to the point that he deliberately derailed the attack for petty personal reasons.

The only thing he doesn't mention is the "Sunrise Attack," presumably because Krick doesn't mention it in his essay.
 
@rpkennedy , I don’t want to put you through the needless pain of watching the video, but you are far more versed on the actions of Longstreet’s Corps on July 2, 1863 than many. Wasn’t this one of the most devastating attacks of the war?
 
@rpkennedy , I don’t want to put you through the needless pain of watching the video, but you are far more versed on the actions of Longstreet’s Corps on July 2, 1863 than many. Wasn’t this one of the most devastating attacks of the war?

I would indeed. In exchange for suffering about 6500 losses (including an estimate of Anderson's Division which acted in conjunction with Longstreet's attack), his attack inflicted around 9000 casualties and came within a hair of breaking the Union defensive line.

Ryan
 
@rpkennedy , I don’t want to put you through the needless pain of watching the video, but you are far more versed on the actions of Longstreet’s Corps on July 2, 1863 than many. Wasn’t this one of the most devastating attacks of the war?
Longstreet said of his men
on July 2nd that they did 3 hours of the greatest fighting of any troops on any field of war.
 
I hate to complain but this narrator can't even say the name of the author he is quoting correctly. He says "Kirk" when he should be saying "Krick." As I said, Lost Cause mythology at it's finest.
I was thinking the same thing... he can't even pronounce his name correctly... and Krick is known to be Anti-Longstreet.
 
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