Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-02-03
LONGSTREET.

--s-- III OW 81
LONGSTREET.
what a Correspondents Says About
li. Him. Uh iU UN s.
Chicago Tribune letter.
L met General Longstreet few even
ings ago, and had good opportunity to
determine what manner of man he is, SO
far, at least, as his,eonyersation and ap-
pearance went. Longstreet is one Of
the mostsperfect types of professional
soldier He was born in South Caro-
lima, but is of Georgia extraction, and
he says that his family name is German.
He is nephew of the celebrated Judge
Longstreet, author of the Georgia
Scenes" )" which, in their day, were con-
sidered to be a unique contribution to
our periodical literature. Longstreet is
man considerably above the medium
size, feshy, but not fat, and his face is
particularly of a. hard, lean texture, ap-
parently indurated by exposure to.long
training. His address is soft, amicable,
almost modest, and he speaks in quiet
tone of voice, never rising above tete-
a-tete conversation, and while not seek
ing to be vivid in his description or mar
rative, there is a truthful, well-bred world
ly presentment attending whatever. he
tells. He seems to. be about tifty-fye
years of age, but is probably several
years younger than he looks, having suf-
fered partial paralysis of his right arm
ever since he was struck at the battle of
the Wilderness, when musket ball took
him fairly under the throat, stunned him
absolutely, and traversing his ribs came
out somewhere near his hip. He was
taken from his horse covered with blood,
within few rods of the place where
Stonewall jackson had met his death
wound the previous year. Longstreet
has brown hair, somewhat turned in
color, and not very thick, and gray mus
taches and whiskers, cut like those of
the King of Prussia. He has a fine
head, which indicates the possession of
executive rather than suggestive proper
ties, however, and small, deep-set eye
of blue, with short eyelashes, a long,
straight nose, and clearly cut and prom
inent chin, rather low cheek bones, and
an ear which has an extraordinary long
lobe, reaching about an inch from the or
ifce to the bottom, but which is not
yet, in other respects, a very large ear.
BE wears plain dress, and his whole pre-
sence has a nameless selfpossession and
self-respect, which is not unfrequent
amongst Southern men. He told me
that he never cast a vote in his life till
last year. Longstreet 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 member of the
Lost Cause" He says nothing which
indicates his regret at the part he took,
but on the contrary seems to have a do
cile sort of fondness for his military life
and prominence during the rebellion.
He evidently considers Joe Johnston's
to be the first military reputation of the
South, and he speaks of all the Federal
Generals with respect, accounting even
for McClellan's failure in the Peninsula.
| asked him if it were true, as had been
related, that at Gettysburg he ad-
vised the turning of the Federal
position on Cemetery Ridge. He
said "yes," that on the third day
he had proposed to General Lee to ex-
tend his lines so as to cover the roads
leading back to Maryland, and this
would compel an evacption of the Fede-
raj position. mo" replied Lee, !" the
enemy is right there, and we must fight
him." Longstreet says that he sat upon
fence and watched with feld-glass
Pickett's division making that celebrated
but fatal charge, and that he felt salts
field that the Cemetery Ridge could not
be carried. l asked him what he would
have done had Lee permitted him TO
turn Round Top to the right, and he re
piled that he should have moved by
forced march directly upon Washington
City Longstreet says that both sides
in the civil war committed mistakes
when 'they put engineer officers at the
head of large armies, and that the prop
critics which make a Field Marshal are
not those required in an active General.
He does not believe that, if Generali
Meade had pursued General Lees army
after Gettysburg, Lee would have been
beaten, bat says be wanted to stand at
Hagerstown and make a fight He al
ways speaks of the Federals, in discussing
these war matters, as the enemy. He
does not believe that Mcclellan could
have got into Richmond if he had been
bolder in his Peninsular campaign, but
saws that at q later period OF the war
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 for
tunate that Meade had replaced Hooker |
in command of the Federal army there.
He spoke of a number of instances
where the Federal troops had behaved |
as we'll as any body could expect soldiers
10 behave, and that his own troops, which |
were collected from nearly all of the |
States, we're as good as he wanted. He |
has not a particle of bitterness for any
body in the South or North seems to
admire General Grant, and talks over
the whole subject philosophically. a
Immense chignons and heavy padded /
false chatelaine braids looking like a |