The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-22
LEE AND LONGSTREET.
Latter's Corps Bore the Brunt of the
Fighting at Gettysburg.

The death of Gen. James Longstreet,
as was to be expected, has revived to
some extent the controversies which
have ragged over certain memorable in
cidents in his military career. For the
last twenty-five years persistent eff
forts have been made to throw on Gen.
Longstreets shoulders responsibility
for Lees defeat at Gettysburg. Not
few southern writers have gone so far
as to accuse him, if not of insubordina-
ton, at least of culpable inattention to
orders given him by the confederate
commanders chief. Gen. John 3. Cor
don. in his recently published reminis-
cences, revived and amplified these
charges against Longstreet, stating ex-
plicitly-aS his own conclusion and as
that of impartial military critics gen.
erally-that LongstreetS blunders had
blasted confederate hopes at Gettys-
burg, and that Gen. Lee died believing
he had lost by Longstreets d1sobed-
fence" Strangely enough, Gen. Long
crate REPUTATION of Gen. Gordon's the
cries, and had arranged for its pupil
cation on January 3-the day following
Gen. Longstreet's death
sustain the contentious of General
Iongstreet's critics. They are interest
ing enough as post-mOrtem demonStra-
lions of what might have been. but
they ignore actual conditions. Ihey
picture a situation which could have
existed only as a military afterthought.
General Longstreet cannot be made a
scapegoat for all the sins of hesitations
or omission chargeable to confederate
commanders at Gettysburg General
Gordon is himself disposed to censure
General Lee for not vigorously attack
ing the federal forces in their new po-
sition on the evening of July l. He
condemns utterly Longstreets failure
to assault the federal left wing early
in the morning of July 2 But he
waves aside entirely the exhaustion of
A P Hills corps at the conclusion or
the first days battle and the physical
irnpediments to forming and executing
an attack on the federal left wing be-
fore noon of July q That Longstreets
assault suffered in effectiveness from
the delays of July 2 is greatly to be
doubted. The fighting done by his
corps far exce1led in dash and brill
Ewelrs corps or A. p. HIPS. Long
street bore the brunt of both the sec
ond and third days struggle and
emerged from the conflict with his rep
utation as a corps commander unlrn-
paired. There is no reason to think
that he could have fought more bril-
| liantly or more successfully if he had
attempted the attack which General
Gordon philosophers about in the
early morning of the second day.
Gen. Lee at the close of the battle just
~ and honorably assumed entire respon-
sibility for the confederate defeat. Lee
siva he seemed incapable of rising to the
| full height OF his military talent HIS
generalship in his two brief invasio IIs OF
Jackson's death at Chancellorville had
robbed him of the one great genius of
battle in the southern armies. Stripped
of Jackson's aid his operations in Mary
/ land and Pennsylvania lost their vlgor
and certainty Longstreet was 5. d not a
But certainly, of all Lees remaining lieu
tenants, he was the one who-as his as