National Republican., 1885-07-13

trusted by all the confederate officials, and
j believe even by Gen Lee, his immediate
commander. don't know how the matter
happened, but IL is certain that in 1865
Longstreot was watched by detectives, and
he never actively commanded his corps.
John u. Gordon did the whole effective
business Longstreet as power was elm
mated from tho army Of northern Virginia
after he received his wound at the battle of
the Wilderness ] recollect that there was
some talk OF treachery on his part, mainly
because he was n second cousin of Mrs. u.
s, Grant, but all was passed by as idle talk.
But there are some matters alluded to in
the article OF Gen. Longstreet in the July
Century which would seem TO call for an
answer from even the humblest private In
the ranks If he had the heart and brains to
write IL.
Gen. Longstreet, safe in his Georgia
retreat, makes statement In that maya
zine that is utterly surprising to every man
connected with the confederate army. He
says that Lees plans were all right and
skillful, but he trusted too much to his
subordinate generals. Then he intimates
that the aforesaid subordinate generals
completely failed to carry out their orders
j believe as far as Huger, Whiting, and
Magruder were concerned the allegation is
true.
But when Longstreet, as has done his
side partner, d. H. Hill, attempts to attack
the reputation Of Thomas Jonathan jack
son, man the latchets OF whose shoes they
were not worthy TO loose, then the gorge Of
n confederate who knows something of
these matters begins to rise. i recollect
that when Longstreet was being berated by
q Philadelphia paper about his afllliation
with carpet-baggers and others that then
infested the southern states, he replied in
a long article, and among the things he
said in effect, IL my memory serves me
aight-''I delivered the best battle (second
day ever fought on this continent. hated
to see my chief lose his grand usual mental
equipoise, and hesitated to carry out his
orders.n Longstreet wrote over his own
signature In addition, ~ did not expect
the support might have had," that Is to
say from the corps of Ewell and A. p. Hill
on his left. Continuing, he said seen.
jackson and myself understood each other
We always stood shoulder to shoulder, and
without hitch In our arrangements
Now let any one compare the above state.
ment with that made by Longstreet In the
Century aforesaid TO wit "Gen. Jackson was
pretty good commander against sucl
men as Fremont, Shields, Millroy, and
Banks, but against the best federal com
manders he did not show up so well.n Wa:
there ever such difference Of opinion
And who compares Longstrect with Jack
son?
But started out to write about Jane.
b. Longstreet In n descriptive way. Wher
first saw him-he was brigadier general
commanding the LIST Virginia brigade ther
--he was o stalwart man Of pursy build
nearly six feet high. He wore full browl
beard, and / think, barring Gen. Lee, hC
was the most graceful horseman | ever saw
in the army. l don't believe that Long
street ever had any intercourse with til,
privates Of his army. He was utterly un
sympathetic, as much so rs Gen. Jos. L
Johnston, as have stated In another arti
| Gle. Longstreet never made or attempted
| to make friends Of the soldiedrs under him
In the first fight where commanded us, hi
| broad back was always turned to us-thi.
was on July Is, 1861, at Blackburn's Forl
| when he gave the order about the conclu
| sion Of the fight to attack the opposite
| bluffs, he was the very first man to leal
| into the stream.
/ believe that Longstreet was us brave q
q lion, but somehow he didn't win the aifec
tions OF his men. And yet there was some
thing theatrical about him, too. For in
stance, at Yorktown, one or two days be
fore Gen. Joe Johnston retreated, the,
had grand prayer meeting under beau
| tiful grove OF trees, just In rear of ou
| fighting line, and Gen. Longstreet read to u
| from the book Of common prayer all thai
would make us melancholy and think o
our latter end. The generals sonorou'
voice and solemn oountenance didn't i'm
| pose upon us In the least, and events justl
fled our appreciation of the ST tuation, TO
within two days thereafter we were in full
| retreat from the position. 1t was one o
| Joe Johnston's clever lodges.
But want to speak of Longstreet's
inuendo against jackson. Perhaps a genera
is best gauged by his successful action
| There was no man or officer IN the confed.
crate army who had better chance fol-
distinguishing himself than James B. Long
street.
He was given every chance that a mar
could ask by the authorities, and in every
instance he failed. First he was sent dowl
| to Suffolk, Va, with 10000 men, compris
| ing two Of the crack divisions Of the con
federate army, and II he had only exercises
ordinary generalship the battle Of Chancel
lorsville would never have been fought, be
cause we could have squelched Gen. Peel
at Suffolk, and reoccupied Norfolk as cas-
as rolling off log. Next LoDgstreet wa
sent out west to help Brag, and at Chica
mauga, when all the rest Of the Union arm
was In full fight, he permitted Pap Thoma
| to hold him ut bay, and finally defeat him
| The completest tiasco known In the htstor
of the war was his attempt to besieg
Knoxville, Tenn, when Burnside held hir
! at bay, and the most rtlinous of all TIL
ruinous movements Of confederate officer
was when, in his blundering, pig-heade
style, he did precisely what Gen. Lee ha
ordered him not to do on the fatal field @
| Gettysburg.
But, as I have said, may be prejudice
against Longstreet, and who would not b
| against such men as ID. III. Hill and hin
self, who have seized upon the columns q
popular magazine to stab Stonewall Jach
son In the back.
| GEN. A. p. HILL.
| II is pleasure to turn from the consider
alton OF Longstreet's course to that of thi
chiyalric soldier. Gen. Hill succeede
Longstreet In the command Of our brigad
first brigade), and he soon won the bes
wishes Of all Of us. Like Longstreet, he wa
a thorough drillmaster, aud, barring fa
tigue on the part OF the troops, he wa
always ready to put us through course {
sprouts. He was kind and affable, too
"Boys," he would say, 'these drills n
necessary for efficient service, and you mui
go through them cheerfully." Another thin
about him-he always fought right up wit
his advanced line of battle. For instanc,
at the battle Of Williamsburg, in 1862, til
two fighting lines were not more tina
geant and file closer and was arme
with a Mississippi rife, caliber Al
/ had fired about fifty rounds when I'll
rifle became so much clogged that coul
not get another bullet down the muzzl,
/ turned to my lieutenant, Col. Morto
Marye, of Alexandria, and he held the rau
rod while drove it against stump. A
this time the noise of the battle was raging
just here up sprang A. p. Hill, revolver
hand, and, with a flowing linen haveloc