Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-01-19
a Famous Confederate General.

| Gen. Longstreet is writing book On
the war, says a letter from Gainesville,
Ga. As he finishes Il caapter he sends
the manuscript to Washington to have
all dates and figures verified from the
official records. Il expect both sides to
pitch into me, he says, .'and | am tax
ing time to be certain of my state
ments."
There is little doubt both sides twill
pitch into hiKl" if he writes as he talks.
Frankness is one of the Generals
| strong characteristics. But no ele-
ment of recklessness enters into the
operation of his mind. He is out
| spoken, but deliberate. His life since
the war has been such as to relieve him
of prejudices in favor of the side he
fought on. He is Tout of politics en-
tirely," to quote his own language,
and cut of utilization with his old army
associates. But at the same time there
is no trace of disappointment, of
malice, of bitterness in his manner.
Under such conditions he sits down to
write his narrative of the war. And it
will be history.
Having led the life of soldier from
the time he entered West Point up to
the time the states seeded, Long
street stepped into almost the highest
position at the very outset of the civil
war. and he saw hard and continuous
service to the end. 1t was Long
streets corps which, on the second of
the three days lighting on and about
Chickamauga, jumped from the cars
on which they had come all the way
from Virginia, $4,000 strong, and
rushed into battle from Ringgold, en-
aiding Bragg to drive Rosecrans back
on Chattanooga. 1t was Longstreet's
corps that covered the retreat of Lee at
Gettysburg. 1t was Longstreet every
where in Virginia, from Bull Run to
the end, and then at Appomattox
Longstreet was the one selected by
Lee as the ranking officer to 90 and
arrange the preliminaries of surrender.
The moist atmosphere of New
Orleans gave Gen. Longstreet the
rheumatism, which was aggravated a
good deal probably by a bad wound
received in the storming of ChapuItc-
pee. Since he came to Gainesville his
health has improved. He is a busy
man at sc. A short distance out of
'the metropolis of northeast Georgia, =
as the city is called, the general has a
farm of one hundred acres, with large
old-fashioned mansion. The house
stands on an elevation in the midst of
trees and shrubbery. From the upper
gallery there is grand view of
mountain scenery, Kennesaw and a
dozen other wooded peaks being in
view. The generals farming is con-
fined mainly to the care of a vineyard
of scuppernongs, and other varieties of
grapes, to which he gives a good deal
of personal attention.
Gainesville is a popular summer re-
sort for the gulf states. The altitude
insures right temperature which
often sends the new conner providing
around at o'clock in the morning for
more bed-clothes.
There are iron and sulphur springs
scattered through the mountains.
People who have ills, and people who inn
agine they have, summer here for the
waters. Some years ago a Minnesota
man came down here and built large
hotel, the general furnishing some of
the capital. The property fell into the
generals hands in the course of time.
He has usually rented it. This year
he opened it, and has had a great
colony of summer boarders from the
low country to look after. A son at
tends to the details, but the general
comes in from his vineyard every day
to see that his guests are comfortable,
At the battle of the Wilderness
ball tore through his right shoulder,
and the wound left the arm partially
paralyzed. For long time after the
war he could only write by moving his
whole arm for each stroke of the pen,
and even then had to assist the stiffened
member with his left hand. Concluding
that this would never do, he set to
work to learn to write with his left
hand, and now does all his extensive
correspondence and literary work in
that way.
He looks his improved health. His
face is ruddy. His eyes are bright and
he walks firmly. The long, heavy
whiskers are as white as snow. His
publishers have put him under in
functions not to talk about the con-
tents of the book.