The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-02-10
4 Talk with Longstreet.

Cath, Of the Chicago Tribune, ha:
recently had talk with the recon
structed Confederate General Longstreet
He says:
| met General Longstreet a few even
ings ago, and had good opportunity
TO determine what manner of man he
is, so far at least as his conversation
and appearance went. Longstreet is
one of the most perfect types of a pro-
fesSional soldier He was born in South
Carolina, but is of Georgia extraction
and he saws that his family name is
German. He is a nephew of the cele.
brated Judge Longstreet, author of the
Georgia Scores" which, in their day,
were considered to be unique contri.
button to our periodical literature.
He wears plain dress, and his whole
presence has a nameless selfpossession
and sel-respect which is not unirequent
amongst Southern men. He told me
that he never cast a vote in his life until
last year. Lengstreet discusses with
calmness and good judgment the mill
tary ability Of his old associates, and
it is not palpable that he has lost any
of the zest and heartiness which used
to distinguish him as a member Of the
Lost Cause" He says nothing which
indicates his regret at the part he took
but on the contrary seemed to have a
doclle sort OF fondness for his military
life and prominence during the rebel
lion. He evidently considers Joe John
stOn's to be the first military reputation
Of the South, and he speaks of all the
Federal Generals with respect, account
ing even Tor McClellan's failure in
the Peninsula. asked him if it were
true, as had been related, that at
Gettysburg he advised the turning
OF the Federal position on Cemetery
Ridge. He said yes that on the
third day he had proposed to General
Lee to extend his line so as to cover the
roads leading back toward Maryland,
and this would compel an evacuation
OF the Federal position. NO. replied
Lee, "the enemy is right there, and we
must fight him Longstreet says that
he sat upon a fence and watched with
Il fled glass Pckett's Division making
that celebrated but fatal charge, and
that he felt satisfied that the Cemetery
Ridge could not he carried. | asked
him what he would have done had Lee
permitted him to turn Round Top to
the right, and he replied that he should
have moved by forced marches directly
upon Washington City Longstreet
says that both sides, in the civil war,
committed mistakes when they per-
mitted engineer officers at the head Of
large armies, and that the properties
which make Field Marshal are not
those required in an active General.
He does not believe that if Meade had
pursued Lees army after Gettysburg
Lee would have been beaten, but says
he wanted to stand at Hagerstown and
make a fight He always speaks of the
FederaIs in discussing these war mat
tiers as the enemy. He does not be-
lleye that Mcclellan could have got
into Richmond if he had been holder in
his Peninsula campaign, but says that
at later period of theawar there were
several occasions when the city might
have been easily captured. He thinks
Gettysburg was, on the whole, the best
fight OF the war, thinks it unfortunate
that Meade had replaced Hooker in the
command of the Federal army there.
He spoke Of a number of instances
where the Federal troops had behaved
as well as anybody could expect soldiers
to behave, and that his own troops,
which were collected from nearly all
the States were as good as he wanted.
lie has no particle OF bitterness tor any
body in the South or North; seems to
admire Gen. Grant and talks over the
whole subject phiIosophicaliy.