The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-10-24
GEN. LONGsTREET on GEN. LEE.

| streets forthcoming book by an inter-
! view which he mas had with a reporter
| of the New York World. published In
last Sundays World. the work viii do
him little credit, and his statements re-
| garClng military events Will not receive
much attention unless they are corrobo-
rated by other evidence. In his interview
he says he expects that the records
| which he has collected VIII create great
| deal of hard feeling in the South, FOR ne
has criticised unsparingly some OF the
| most famous Confederate leaders. lie
continues.
In fact. / think that some Of the var
! ciniaps believe that when they die they
| VIII go so General Lee, but my book VII
! show very plainly that Lee, ihough now
! regarded by all sOutherneGs as the most
| able of leaders. was but poor com
! manSer. and that the whole OF his mill
| terry history is full Of mistakes.
II am confident that had the ,nanaEe-
! rncnt Of the troops been given to John-
| stcn the South would have won the con-
| nict. one OF the greatest errors that
| Lee ever made was at the battle q Get
| tysburg, when Meade ut~ittcd him on
every side II has been said that Lee
had the disadvantage OF being m such
| a position that his men had terrible Cd
| staclcs 10 overcome. but If the union
forces possessed such fine position on
Ncre below I'm the Devils Den, II was
| due TO the fact that Meade outtener-
| a,led Lee and secured such an dd-
| vantage by his superior tactics.
Lee had just the same chance TO get
| the heights that Meade had. but he dld
! not. and his men had TO climb up mis-
and fight I'm the face of what was a
| natural citadel, where Meade was lodged
! Johnston was the superior Of Lee in
| every way. but he was hampered by
| having incurred the disDleasure of Pres
| idcnt Davis. The hneness of Johnston
| judgment is shown by the TACT that ne
| was anxious to march Immediately on
/ Washington just after the victory at
| Manassas, but the reason he did not do
so. so Johnston always said was mat
| he was Obliged TO obey Davis orders.
which prevented his maxim" -~hat would
have been the coup d'etat OF the con-
nict and have brought speedy success
20 the southern arms. Had Johnston
marched on Washington, It would have
| fallen. The South would thus have Sc
| cured the key 10 the situation.
81 was with the army when the sur
rtnder took place at Appomattox When
| Lee found that we were cut of, he sent
| for me and told me that he could not
| get away He said that 1t was impos-
sible to escape and wanted to know
| what plan OF action ! would propose
| told him that, as he stated the matter.
| N was it's own answer. He then sent
! for General Malone and made the same
! statements 10 him. and Malone advised
him to see General Grant about matters.
| Lee approved OF this advice. got on his
| horse. and rode out 10 ind Grant
| while he was gone l heard a report
| which led me TO believe that IT was
| JCssible to cut our way out of the Union
! lines that were hemmng us in, and |
decided TO stop Lee on his GRAND 10
Grant. Lee had considerable start but
| sent for the neetest courier in the
army 10 race after him and bring him
! back from his mission Yet the con-
| H.. nd Nro
| that Il seemed impossible TO get a fresh
| courier for the Grand
| 1T happened that Colonel Hoiskell. of
| South Carolina. had fine blooded mare
that had been brought from Petersburg.
II was fresh and spirited and He.skell
offered to render whatever service he
could. / told him at once to get on the
mare ana ride after Lee. told aim NOS
| 10 spare the mare, TO kill IL If neccs-
sary, but find Lee at all events before
he reached General Grant. Heiskell set
| out at laundering rate, but when he
rot to Lee il was too late l aft erwards
| d. CCyerec that the report which had
reached me was false. so It was wei
| enough that Heiskell had not succeeded
in catching Lee before ne had cOmr0uni-
Gated with Grant
Whatever excited politicians may nave
said of General Johnston in 1864. there
will be few who will now be disposed TO
| question his ability az a soldier. His
place in history is secure as one Of the
very ablest commanders that our war
| produced. But while this is true. his
tory will not rank him rs a commander
| above General Lee. II is our own opinion
that the place finally assigned to Lee
when the story OF our unparalleled strus-
gle is thoroughly known. will be that Of
tie very greatest soldier the world has
I L L. =. .-erfI.r 10. 60. nj
study the latter volumes of the war re-
cords-those which tell the story OF his
| struggle with Grant from the Rapidan
to Petersburg ana Appomattox without
being almost stupefed with wonder at
what he did with the resources at his
command. That campaign imnortalizes
him, and dwarfs Napoeon's celebiat I'd
Italian campaign into insignifcance.
L5ngstreets filings at General Lee are
not only ungenerous. but most contemp-
| tbie. They are ungenCrous, because
General Lee never. to the day of his
death, failed TO do Longstreat full and
complete Justice He knew his valuable
qualities as well as he knew his defects
and, though he sometimes mentioned his
defects he always gave him credit for
the qualities in which he shone. \ very
| ghcrt time before his death he said 70
! Governor Carroll. Of Maryland. that
Longstreet was a brilliant sol Her when
once engaged. though tire hardest man
to move I'm the army. This was Long
street exactly. He was one Of the most
brilliant soldiers on the field Of battle
that ever commanded men. but his mind
and temper suffered from "a fatal slug
gshness and disposition to procrastinat c
that made him almost valueless when
great III ovemonts were TO turn upon
prompt action by him.
The inspiration of Longstreets sneers
at General Lee are perfectly manifest
His refusal TO attack Meade at Gettvs-
burg at daylight on the morning Of the
"a Of July. 1853. as General Lee had or
dered him to do. cost us that battle ana
lost the Confederacy its ind ~ sndooce
| Though as gentle and considerate abou,
II as possible. General Lee could NOT
help. in after years, letting fall a few
expressions which have found their way
into print, that showed he knew this
fact. Lonsstreet Will neyer forgive Cen
orai Lee for knowing H. for
Forgiveness to the injured does belong.
Bat they neer pardoa who have done the
wrong"
General Longs'reet had better never
have written his book If this interview
gives us any Fair suggestion Of what il