Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-09
GENERAL LONGsTREET.
4 Veteran Challenges Statement
Regarding Him.

To the Editor OF the Dispatch:
Seeing in your most estimable edition
OF to-day copy OF an editorial from
the lndeN-Appeal of Petersburg telling of
speech delivered by General Longstreet
some two weeks ago at Gettysburg, who
was one OF the greatest and most diStin-
suished Of our southern generals l beg
To call a halt. and ask consideration. Not
for the purpose of critcsng his speech
aforesaid but to ask if it is not time for
some of us who know to assert most de-
cidedly that General Longstreet was not
one OF our greatest generals. however dis
tinguished he may have been. Such twad-
die IS iireSomc. and since he is proving
TO the North by his bad faith towards
| the South. his greatness, / would ask
that We judge the tree by its fruit in this
particular case.
On repeated occasions the trend of his
arguments. III his attempted self-vindica-
ton, has been TO belittlc the insulner-
able name and fame of General Lee The
untruth he has uttered in this matter
and the manner in which he has eXtolIed
and lnagniticd his own acts of Self-glOri-
ilcation s!laringly evidence his lack of
greatness in the present day, while those
VINO are familiar with his war record
have found ample proof of his ungreat-
ness at that time of his distinguished
to pieces, and left to tremble in the bal
ance for so long a time, in that fateful
second battle of Manassas, because of
ms proyerbial and ineScusable Hardness
Jackson's exhausted corps, call him
great? We were being literally cut to
pieces, lighting unto death. and contest
ing every inch of our biood-stained re-
treat before overwhelming numbers. while
he Was moving along the mountain side
under our aSonizea vision at the SnaiEs
pace, instead of laundering down upon
Pope's rear. as Stonewall jackson or any
other great general would have done, in
relief Of our peril Thanks to General
Jackson; our bleeding ranks gave way
could not make Roadway against us fast
enough to prevent General Longstreet
from getting in such close proximity as
10 require him to begin artillery firing
which, attracting the eneIny'S attention.
gave us an opportunity to charge again
into their advancing columns, which from
almost forlorn hope gave us victory
complete. But how narrow was our eS-
cape there and then from destruction
caused without a doubt by Longstreet's
want of greatness? Hundreds upon hun
dreds of Stonewall Jackson'S invincbies
We're sacrificed that day through want Of
an active, quick moving general to direct
the movements of Longstreet's otherwise
magnificent, all-etticient corps Of men.
who, when put to battle and given OPP
portuniry, proved themselves, despite i'm
proper leadership, splendid BODY of SOL
diery.
Over and over again. and with abso-
Lutte conclusiEeness, 1t has been proven
that victory at Gettysburg had been won
but was lost to us by General Long
streets disohedience of General Lees or
ders. When ordered to take and hold Lit
tie Round Top no obstacle was in his
path hut his Ahabi,ual slowncss and dis
position To act upon his own disordered
Judgment produced the hesitancy which
lost us that great victory, and probably
caused our final defeat.
Distinguished he may have been, but it
is time to assert, for truths own sake,
that General James F. Longstreet was
not one of our greatest generals
A. p. Hills men of the Third Corps and
Stonewall Jackson's men of the Second
Corps are willing and glad to acknowledge
and commend the greatness of the men