Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-05-22
GEN. LONGSTREET.
4 WALK AND TALK WITH THE NOTED
Ex-CONFCDERArE.
The Generals Vineyard -Georgia's Grape
Regional Chat About the War-Some
Opinions which win Sut BE
Universally Accepted.


John II. Beadc in Rockville Tribune
spent good part of yesterday with
Gen. Longslreet, who lives in a tine resi-
dence nearly two miles north of this
town. lie is "A delightful companion and
easy talker, and | enjoyed the day very
much, though | was greatly astOnished at
some of his opinions. We walked over
his farm. on which he is making a
large vineyard, part of it already
in bearing He is enthusiastic
about the capacity of this country for
grapes, in which | agree with him. If
the upper valleys OF the Ltowah and
Chattahoochce are not the finest grape
region in America, nature has told a lie
for she has put all the signs here, Gen.
Longstreet said one man had produced
1000 bushels per acre ut this seems to
me incredible. Aid yet there are not
dozen vineyards in all the nine counties
The seasons here run thus: mild winter,
wet spring, rather dry summer and long
dry autumn. 1t is plain. therefore that
1t is not good corn country, and where
the soil suits, is good grape country.
There is an old. Bavarian German some-
where in this county who has produced
good crop annually for thirteen years
Yet his shiftless neighbors have not
planted a vine. ScuppGrnong and Catawba
,
had given me this information, we reached
his Gold Spring as he calls it. on hill
side, where we were out of the cold
wind; so we sat down and talked some
two hours about the war.
Il never doubted the final success of the
Confed rates till after hicamauga, said
he; after that | knew we were beaten
just as well as knew it after AppomatoX
1t was simply question of tigures-like
man in gallopng consumption; every
ounce he loses is lost forever no maChin-
cry in him to restore it. Eut you western
boys are all wrong about your armies
The best army you had was the Army of
the Potomac
considerably astonished at this l
asked why il was so often defeated.
"Bccausc it always fought at the great.
est disadvantage, was badly generated
and was opposed to our best. Just see
how quick it came on top as soon as it
met us with equal advantages. -
lie then traced on the ground the llans
of the various battles in irginia and
showed that tie Confederate advantages
balanced a proportion of three to one in
the two armies and rendered their victory
certain. " here the edCrals had any al
vantagrs whatever, he knew in advance
that de.eat was certain; at Gettys-
W
siIered the greatest biunder of the on
federatcs. After that. " he added, II
went to t hcamauga with the assurance
of on" government Ina if We whipped
RoseCrans we should have ali the avail.
able forces t, drive him back to the Ohio
or destroy his army. The Richmond
folks refused to keep this promise, and SO
we sat dowa there and waited till the Fed
erals got strong enough to drive us away.
Then | knew that the end was near.
such chance could never come again !"
/ did not venture to ask him why he
fought on a year and a nuif after he knew
the sacrifice was useless; but | wanted to
mighty bad
Gen. ongstrcct has been in thirty two
pitched battles, Known and noted in his
tory, besides many Skirmshcs lie gradu
atcd from VI est Point early enough to be
a lieutenant in TcXas in 1874, and then
al lutaat Of the Eighth Unite Safes in
fantry, in which position he took part in
every battle in Mexico exec t I;ucua
Vista. At MoIino Dcl Key his regiment
had 40 killed and wounded at thanu-
tepec he was wounded in the thigh, but
was able to oin in the closing battle and
entrance mo the city. At the Wilder
ness he was shot through the right
breast and shoulder, which wound has
lately deprived him almost entirely of the
use of his right arm. ctherwise lie is in
fine heath and remarkably well preserved
for a man up in 20. lie laughed with
boyish gIee at the bombastic histories Of
the first battles in MeXico-at Palo Alto,
for instal &c, said he, the total American
loss in killed, wounded and scared half to
death. was less than fifty.
We all remember how, the first two or
three years OF the war, all the talk in the