Hide Article Text (OCR)
THE INDIANALES IINEW BOOKS.[ As awhatelished v that•J thatL*ular^y white Ab parts andhe ac~ tie kid-is essed and in as-Impor-nd lilts' thetnthe In-eculiar As par-%ttle ofIn thets, thebrated Us are id the tin its►st del-g and blood, abso-i ster-ig spells are id sold e bookne Co.,“From Mauiiim * To Vppoma(tox)James Longstreet, one of the most distinguished generals of the Confederate army, has written, ami J. B. Llpplncott Company (Philadelphia* publishes “From Manassas to Appomattox: Memories of th* ClvH War in America.” General Long-•treet’s work has been written frankly.It will he r*tne«nber*d that he was not always In accord with other distinguished ,Conf%'derat«s, and In this book he tell* what he thought, and what he thinks, of the leader* of the Confederacy. At thef ,he *“r- General l.onK-^, remeJ“Bnd ga gggSfffltl!Mre* Utmw a ami accept* h„ eu„ offlcers aboul „office from hl» old antagonist. Presidentstreet says It Is difficult to reconcile th^se fult; t* with the reports put out after Lee’s death by member* of his family, and of hi* *taff, and poit-bellum champions, that Indicate hi* later effort* to And point* by which to work up public opinion and to shift the responsibility for Gettysburg, on Longstreet’s shoulders. General L^ng-s#reet Insist* that every order given by him was given In the presence of Lee; and that If the movements of the first corps ers, wl were not satisfactory In time and *pe*Hl acteristl of moving, it was in his power, duty and privilege to apply the remedy. “Hut it was not his pow*»r, duty and privilege,” concluded General I^ongstreet, “to witnessadaptewomen prise ii events, print e: says arHarp of the icently.Youngdistinct dianapc be glar artist 1things that did not suit him, fail to apply . tlona tcj thekingicantsell*ncesJhtgart;fulltheirii!iun!th in lit jI the andGrant, he suffered a good deal of severecriticism from his Southern friend1*. H«says that after General l^ee’s death vari-ious writers combined, with one accord, tofhold Longstreet and his command, Ui*»'Army of Northern Virginia, riMnpotislolefor all the adversity that b**fell that! corps. General Longstreet complainsthat the misrepresentations of his ehcmle*'were widespread, and that from reiterationthey were in many quarters accepted asfact. Tho history at the First Corps la! here given with fuilnsse and apparentS fairness, and future historians will find*lts use essential in writing of the civilwar. Surratt? ^ % •General Longstreet was born in SouthCarolina in 18H, and was graduated frlt;5mWest Point in 1842, being sixtieth In a class ot sixty-two. In his class were Generals Hoeecrans and Pope, of the Federal army, and Gen. D. H. Hill, who held Important commands in the Confederate armies. General Grant was graduated a tj year later than Longstreet, and the first j assignment of both was to Jefferson Barracks (St. Louis). General Longstreet records that he had the pleasure of riding iwtth Grant on the latter’* first visit to the home of Frederick Dent, a few miles from the garrison, where the future commander of the Union armies and President of the United States, met Miss Julia Dent, ’whom he married five years later. Miss Dent was a frequent visitor at the garrison bails, where one of the lieutenants, who was given to teasing, would inquire If she could teil wh^re he might find* “the small lieutenant 'with the large epoj-lettes.’* General Longstreet's services in the Mexican war were not conspicuous, and after that conflict, and until the outbreak of the civil war, he wa* stationedat Albuquerque. N. M.f as paymaster. Malls were due there semi-monthly, and occasionally an Interval was extended to six weeks. When news came of the fall of Sumter^ a numlier of officers of the post called on l,ong»treet and tried to persuade him to remain in the Union service. June 29, 1861, Longstreet reported to the War Department of the lt;?onfed«*ralt;y, at Richmond, and asked, he says, to be assigned to the pay dtipartment, in whtch he had lately served in the United 'States army. He says that when he left tho service as a line officer and accepted a staff appointment, he gave up all aspirations of military honor, and settled down Into more peaceful purstfits. But he was destined to fight, and not to pay others for fighting. July 1 he received notice of his appointment as brigadier-general, with orders to report at Manassas to General Beauregard.Tho armies which met at Manassas orBull Run, for the first battle of the war were commanded by West Point graduates, both of the class of 1838—Beauregard and McDowell. The strategy of the engagement 1* de*cr!Belt;rminutely by Gen. Longstreet. He says thaf-the first shots fired were most startling in their effect on the raw rebel troops. Part of Long-street’s line broke and started to run. To stop them Longstreet “rode with saber in hand for the leading file*, determined to Clve them all that was In the sword and my horse's heels or stop the break. Of the ^results of the battle of ManassasGeneral Longstreet has a criticism to offer of both commanders. McDowell's first mistake was his display, and march for a grand military picnic. He also put on his division commanders the odium of error and uncalled-for exposure of the troops. This broke the confidence between them, antf worked more or less evil through the ranks in the subsequent employment of the command. He charges Beauregard with failure to take advantage of opportunities, Both he and McDowell had had no previous experience except on staff service. But Beauregard gave Indications of a comprehensive military mind and reserve powers that might, with experience, and through encouragement from his superiors, have developed him into eminence as a field marshal. His adversary “seemed untoward and not adapted to military organization or combinations/*In spite of the “masterly inactivity” of McClellan during the period of his com* mand of the Federal army. Longstreet testifies to his .high regard for the Union general. The Confederate President also(ieneral Longstreet says that, in his Judgment, # the South lost Its last opportunity when the Southern armies failed to follow up Chlckamauga and capture or dispers the Ui f^ari President Ia\ went west at this time, and there wen? many discussions as to the demand for a | acquali new commander in place of Bragg. Gen. villaj Longstreet nominated his lt;dd friend, John- ! *urveylt;Eight in the merit d givasthe Led'III Ut’es a a l lt;\Burns by cha roman t his uffl the tlirThepany NXIII a 1 ear in from jchambtfriend lt;they ai the innAn ii St. Nl Christ! an acclt; interns stantiy a num worklt; Jodeiof 10 Clt; ber coi ter. M acceptalMEOtherAn adency IFebruaappear“Glass*The h Februa Mt. AnMark fcrd th ccme bThe 1ston, for the command in the west, but this greatly displeased Mr. Davis, who was always unfriendly to Johnston. He rebuked Longstreet, who continues his account of the meeting ttiua:[- I recognized the authority of his high position, but called to his mind that neither ! his words nor tils manner were so Impressive as th* dissolving scene* that foreshadowed the dreadful end. He referredto his worry and troubles with politicians and non-combatants. In that connectionI suggested that what tfhe people asked for was success; with that the talk of politicians would be a* spiders’ webs before him. And when restored to his usual gracious calm. 1 asked to have my resignation accepted, to make room for som* one who could better meet [his Idjeas of the Important service. He objected that my troops would not be satisfied with the change. I suggested a leave of absence, as w’nter was near, when I would go to the transmississlppl department, and after the troops were accustomed to their new commander, semd in my written resignation from Texas, but he was not minded to accept that solution - of ttiepiftjtf*. I i I rEarly in 1804 Longstreet again saw the Confederate President. He had gone east to confer with Lee,land submitted a plan for a spring campaign to the commanding ^general. This providede for a husbanding ^of the resources of the South and a series of movements looking to a combination of the armies of Johnston and Longstreet. Lee and Longstreet went together to see Davis, and this plan was carefully discussed.General Bragg was present, and objected.The plan was rejected. General Longstreet gives this account of the meeting:General Lee wore his beard full, but neatly trimmed. He pulled at It nervously and more vigorously as time and silence grew, until at last his suppressed emotion was conquered. The profound quiet of a minute or more seemed an hour. When he ! contrib spoke it was of other matters, but the air i of Ha was troubled by hfcs efforts to surrender hopeful anticipations to the caprice of empirics. He rose to take leave of the august presence, gave his hand to the President, and bowed himself out of the council chamber.’* F j T fnOf the final battles of the war, General Longstreet writes simply. He was severely wounded In the battle of the Wilderness and Incapacitated from duty for several months. He was, however, a?tlve in all the fighting in the east immediately previous to the surtenden He gives in detail the incidents leading up to the signing of the terma of capitulation between Grant and Lee. This Is his account of the return of Lee from his meeting with Grant:As General Lee rode back to his army the officers and soldier* of his troops about the front lines assembled in promiscuous crowds of all axtna and grades In anxious wait for their beloved com- I fl!S mander. From force of habit, a burst of ;salutations greeted him, but quieted as suddenly a«« they rose. The road was llo“ iSpacked by standing troops as he ap- “J;' JJ® proached, the men with hats oft, heads | \ end hearts bowed down. A^ he passed 1 1 1)4 they raised their heads and looked upon him with swimming eyes. Those who could find voice said good-bye; those who j could not speak, and were near, passed | f°r their hands gently over the sides of Trav- , recenrlj eler. He rode with his hat off, and had sufficient control to;ftx his eye* on a line between the ears of'Traveler and look^ . neither to right nor left until he reached / a large whtte oak tree, wnere he dismounted to make his last headquarters, and finally talked a little.”General Longstreet expresses the opin- _ Ion that if the Southern States had been j among permitted to depart in peace, as General J 56 of th Scott recommended, they would have ; uments found their way back to the Union with- j *out war far earlier than they did by war. {service. Leaflet* and re: the subMr. ( ler’s w tically rltz, ar Clarenc up^-But he cons he asks“Some cia.”Mrs. of “Thi latelyof the in ChiThe with tion in sonal n lng theYalecourse “Loma they h* novel s France1 votes, and Stlt; next in: Mr. V has em he has iThepseudo: w*. Ilianthe son and pu to h sof whitPresic 1S23, cor roe Dolt;There are a number of interesting portraits of distinguished rebel commanders, letters bearing on the battles of the war, etc. General LongstreetM book Is thoroughly interesting. As already indicated, he has not hesitated to place honor where he believed It to be due. even at the expense of generally accepted opinion. The book will doubtless evoke much comment, both North and South.
Newspaper Details
Indianapolis News
Indianapolis, Indiana, US
Wed, Jan 29, 1896
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
VA, USA 05 May 2020
Other Publications Near Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis Daily Sentinel
Indianapolis Republican Convention
Indianapolis Daily State Sentinel
Indianapolis Indiana Democrat
Indianapolis Press
