The state chronicle., 1893-06-27
LongstreeI and Lee.

Longstreer and Lee.
Communicated.
KITTRELL, n c., June "a.
Gen. Longstreet's criticism of
Gen. Lees strategy and tactics,
which you reprint from the New
| Orleans Times Democrat, are
adroit but specious and misleading.
This is fact patent enough to the
older men amongst us, but fearing
that some of the younger genera
tion might be misled by it. the fol- |
lowing explanation of the three bat
ties he criticises will not, / hope |
be out of place. It might also be |
promised that Gen. Longstreet, like
Shakespere's hero, is Nothing if
not critical" Perhaps, too, his
political utilization while they have
dispelled the glamor which for us
enwraps the Southern leaders, have
supplied its place with haze of
prejudi ,e still moro apt to warp the
judgment.
But to return tc Gen. Lee and bis
, battles. 1t is a fact so well known
? as hardly to need repeating that the
great military geniuses OF the world
8 from Hannibal and Alexander
8 down to Napoleon and later have
r won their battles not by adhering
s to the established rules of warfare,
Q but by departing from them.
i Indeed in most cases In exact pro-
q portion as they departed from these
r cast-iron rules, has been the bril-
d liancy of the results achieved. Such
l. men gain victories by departin G
% from rules because they know that
l. it is the last thing that their oppo-
g nents will expect, or be prepared tc
1t take advantage Of. If they are for
g. tunate enough to be aware OF any
at mental bias Of the opposing leader
y. they have eagerly availed them
selves of it and shaped their cam
paigns and battles to correspond.
1t ls admitted, even by our foes
m that Lees knowledge of tne lido
81 syncracies of both Hooker and Nc
ly Clellan was correct and pregnan
K with advantage to the Souther
ok arms. When at Chancellorsvill
IT, Lee found that his $4,000 was phi
yn ted against Hooker's 100000 G
!ly more, intrenched in his rear, know
ng ing the habituai over confdenc
ag and unwariness of the mar, afte
an masking his movement in the mo'
'as mastery manner by an imrenetr'
ers BILE cavalry screen, divided his arm
om and crushed the foe as if betwee
nd the upper and neither milestone.
er- When in the Sharpsburg (Anti
tic tam) campaign he detached Jackse
of to capture Harper's Ferry, the ov
in caution and dilatoriness of McCle
nd Ian were counted on to give the a
asst my time to re unite OF course L.
.he could not foresee and never kne
OF that the loss of copy of his orde
ler at Fredericksburg was to place
army almost at the mercy of the fo
But even then so leadened- paced VI
McClellen, so swift-footed Jackst
Pc that he gobbled up the eleven tho
lde sand men at Harper's Ferry and +
lile joined Lee in time to make Sharp
or burg drawn battle. But for Il
ale unforeseen accident by which
iv- order was lost, the issue of the ca,
ck- paign would in oil h uman probabili
to have been different, and disastrous
sci. the Federals as at other times it {
the ways was when Mcclellan wss p
Of ted against Lee and his immor.
at lieutenant.
ale Longstreet's structures on L
the touching the battle of Gettysbu
ins are in part unfounded, and in t
ack other part highly overcharged. 7
lily battle of Gettysburg was polite
Itly necessity. It was well known tn
foreign recognition was then wav,
ing in the balance. Louis Napole
was anxious to recognize u.s.
~ move to that effect had already be
hy planned by the English Parliame
LII LII tary leaders. The situation iustif
! I"u that every risk be taken to gain 6
- other Southern victory. In all lii
ans @ lihood even partial success rig
.Io I there meant peace, independer
;a ;ae and all the dazzling train of ever
lue to follow. To decline battle mea
ion. ou to lose the prestige which t
'aso a1 terrible Southern infantry had
oiy bloodily won. The mandate of
Confederacy was to fight. Urg
on by all these manifold reaso
when Lee, ny Stuart's error, fou
. himself SO completely in the face
c5 the foe that fight or downright
With