The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-25
q E'CVvS Wv WG.


Lee.
BirutaNp. STAFFORD Go. VA. March II. 1916.
II The Editor of the Alexandria Democrat:
M Dcor Sir In reply to your gues
ton ! would state that | have duly re-
ceivcd copy Of the New Orleans Rrpub
iicdn, containing letter ftotn General
tongstreet to Mr.. Tracy whom / sup
pose to be Its editor, in response 10 n
communication OF mine, which Mr.
Tracy tells Gen. Longstreet he finds
''gong the rounds If the exchanges.
In view of certain publications made
by some one. and appearing from Zine
to time i'm the public press, to the effect
that Gen Longstreet had a plan to fight
the battle of Gettysburg different from
the one actually ordered. and that testi-
tnopy was at hand. from no less person
than the commanding general himself.
that Confederate success would have
crowned the adoption OF this plan, !
wrote short letter. you may recall.
asking for all the facts in the case. Two
reasons induced me to make such re-
quest
First Because such statements. taken
In what Gen Jongstrebt terms their
corroborative and sympathetic rela-
tons to the letter written by Gen.
Lee resguipg tho command OF the
army after the battle of Gettysburg.
minds OF some lit may be by Indirect i'm
plication.j that the very admirable and
self denying communication from Gen.
Leo to Mr.. Davis was penned because
Of the discovery. upon his part, OF the
superior military ability OF sub
ordinate. aud with his well known
self-depreciation. he desired to make
the vacancy for him. The President
was therefore urged to accept his resig
nation for a younger and ADLER man.
could readily be obtained" and be-
cause he wanted to see ut the head OF
tho "army of Northern Virginia one
that would accomplish more than !
could perform, and all that | have
wished"
And in the second place; Because the
short sentence Gen. Longstreet caused
to be published from letter from Gen.
Lee to him. written i'm January. 1864,
was not deemed sufficient proof to the
minds Of very many Of us, who knew
Gen. Lee best, as to the point he seem
ed anxious to establish.
SO after waiting for some time, with
the hope that some one else would de-
mand additional facts, / finally deter
mined to do so. and simply asked for
more information, and especially for the
whole Of the letter said to have been
written by Gen. Lee to Gen. Longstreet,
and from which only one short sentence
had been carefully distracted.
am very sorry Gen. LoDgstreet has
50 misapprehended the spirit OF my
letter as to charge that my object was to
"ardiP myself 'of political prejudices
in forstalling public opinion Us to facts
next to come, and really regret to SEQ
the only sentence in my letter which re-
ferred in any way to the First Corps,
viz: His splendid corps Is encamped In
the hearts Of all true Southerners re-
sponded to by Gen. Longstreet's state
ment that the said corps Twill stand like
a tower against the assaults OF Gen.
Fitzhugh Lee and his army as solid as
Gibraltar, after tho surging seas OF
many thousand years" Not being a
politician / cannot see what politics has
to do with the matter at issue. The
metaphor Of rock and sea Is pretty
figure Of speech, in spite Of the garb
with which 1t Is clothed by Gen. Long
streets ludicrous misapplication OF it,
but / fail to find in it, or in the whole OF
his letter, occupying three long col
umns in the New Orleans Republican,
the information originally asked for
and still desired. Very respectfully.
your obedicnt servant,
FITZUUGU LEE