Evening star., 1897-05-29
GENERAL JAMES lOHesTREfT
By HANLIN GARLAND.
Copyright. 1897, the S. $. Mcclure COZ

Copyright. 1897, the S. s. Mcclure Coz
Written for The Evening Star.
General Longstreet lives in Gainesville a
little town near Atlanta, Ga, town so
distinctively OF the mountain south that to
enter 1t as I did on Saturday afternoon,
after sixteen hours In a Pullman car, is to
enter another world.
The square swarmed with negroes on foot
and on mule back, with mountaineers IN
primitive carts drawn by bulls and driven
by rope lines. Behind the wagons boys
were wrestling, surrounded by laughing
huddles of their fellows. On the sidewalks
sad women. 1ank and forlorn, moved aim
lessly about, carrying babes in their nerve
less arms, and on all this teng.e of human
kind. horse kind, carts. cattle. were the
stains of the orange-colored loan of the
south. 1 stood before it and feread in it
the stories of Joel Chandler Harris and his
fellow novelists of the south. The types
were all there-the poor white, the white
bearded old squires, the negroes Of the
fiat nose and thick lips and of all shades
of color, and in the midst of them, serene.
rnafraid, might be seen occasionally
dainty, high-bred girl picking her leisurely
way. 1t made it possible for me to realize
never before the ante-bellum life of the
state of Georgia, for it Is only In an occa-
can see distinct survivals of all the classes
of the old-time south.
Ny inquiries for the general brought out
the grateful fact that his townsmen held
was a very fine old gentleman, and one
man recalled with pleasure that, at the
Atlanta exposition General Longstreet
rode a horse at the head of the procession.
and that the people cheered to see him
pass, erect and soldierly. "lIe lives on a
farm just on the edge of town. my in
formant said, and, taking his direction.
angled away. along the straight road to-
ward the suburbs. 1t was November, and
little darkies were raking and burning
leaves. and the smell was wonderfully fine
and pungent.
1 looked for a large, old-fashioned south
ern place, with pillars and wide hall. In
stead the house was ordinary story
and-a-half farm house, such as a northern
carpenter might build. A board nailed to a
tree offered wine for. sale at very low
across The road. A lean. farmer-ike person
told me that General Longstreet was in his
vineyard, and there l came upon him,
scissors In hand. busily pruning his vines.
He is big old man. STOPPING little now,
and slow of gait. He wears long white
whiskers cut away from the chin. His
hair is white as wool, but his skin is rud
dy though sleep and good digestion
were still his to command.
We talked for a time about his garden
and vineyard Il get out every afternoon"
he said "and work about. l find the sun
and air do me good
One of his arms is little disabled and
he is quite deaf in one car. He could not
hear very well in the open air and at his
suggestion We returned to the house.
Il live with my teLant He is a veteran
of the northern army. he said at the door,
and there was slight smile about his eyes.
The house was small and plainly furnish
ed. and out of it the general retains but
single small room. in which he sleeps and
smokes and writes.
AS we sat together and talked OF the war
and of the great Union commander, his old
conrade at West Point, 1 became aware
that / was in the presence of a very
markable personality. not merely a great
soldier according to the estimate of Grant
and others competent to judge, but also
thinker of unusual originality. and brave,
hlgh-mnded citizen. He was great enough
and magnaninlous enough to utter the
finest eulogium of Gen. Grant ever spoken
by southerner,and one excelled in its real
comprehension Of the man and soldier by
few from any lips whatever. l refer to the
address at Boston last summer.
He talked of Grant with affection and
with clear-sighted knowledge of his whole
career. He was n highly honorable man
as well as great man. A man sngularly
free from vulgarity and profanity. His life
was Uniformly good and true and kind
from the time he went to " est Point until
he died-was his judgment.
Grant on his part admired Longstreet
and loved him for his own sake as well
as for his close relation to his life Gen.
Longstreet was kinsman of the Dents
and was present at Grants marrage-was,
indeed, best man.. They were together at
West Point, at Jefferson barracks in A. in
Louisiana in '45, and then for three years
in Mexico. and they met once in St. Louis
after Grant had resigned from the army.
They met next at Appomattox. After the
first formalities were over. Grant stepped
up to Longstrcet and hooking his arm in
his and calling him by his cid West Point
nickname,
ton: Pete, let's see if we can't return to
the happy old days by playing game Of
Great Cod" exclaimed Longstreet, be-
meath his breath. why will men fight who
ought to be brothers,
What could a big, liberal-minded. honor
able man like Longstreet do but join hands
with his magnanimous conqueror and life
long friend and say: Sam, I'll do my part
to reconstruct our torn and dismembercd
nation" This he has done. He left the
war behind and set his face to the future
He fought, and fought hard, but when the
fighting was done he was done fighting
He steadily upheld every measure which in
his Judgment would restore the Union and
peace and harmony soonest, no matter
what his critics might say.
1T does not appear in Gen. Longstreet's S
talk that he holds any bitterness toward
his detractors. He talked like a philoso-
pher. gentleman, and a lover of the whole
America. He made most powerful i'm
preston upon me. First of all 1t was a
shock to find SO great figure living in
such cramped conditions. 1t made me I'M
defstand that l was in the land of the
conquered. His home was burned some
years ago during his absence. and all his
books, papers and pictures were destroyed.
His wife is dead, and his sons and daugh-
tiers live far distant from him. Therefore
he sits alone in his little room and smokes
his pipe and dreams Of the epic days Of
the war.
He has no pension, the victorious gen.
erals have, though he carries wound in
his throat which makes speaking diff
cult. 1 could not think of q man of his
rank in the northern army left so utterly
one side. This man, who set the first flag
on the redoubt back of the bishops palace
at Monterey. fifty years ago; who saw
Grant win his promotion at Molino del
Rey: who was present at his marriage;
who entered the southern army just in the
fuliness of his powers, and who won his
way by leaps and bounds to a foremost
place in the battle line of '65. and to q
position second to none in patriotism when
the war was over-is now pruning vines on
pleasant afternoons In little vineyard on
Georgia hillside. His life, like Grants, is
epic in its contrasts. l wonder if the past
does not all seem dream to him.
AS he took my hand to say Good night
1t was almost dark, and he loomed above
me with a hulking stoop in his massive