The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-01-13
Gordon and Longstreet.

Mrs. Longstreet gives out for publ
cation statement to the effect that,
when the General was stricken With
his last illness, she was engaged IN
completing reply to the recent criti-
cism Of General John B. Gordon, on
her husbands conduct at the battle Of
Gettysburg.
We suppose Mrs. Longstreet's article,
will be published in due time, and
that it will be taken as the last utter
ance of her husband on the subject of
Gettysburg; for, while the composition
is hers, we suppose the views presented
are in the main his.
Mrs. Longetreet is represented as
saying that General Longstreet's
operations at Gettysbrg were "aboYe
suspicion OF reproach, until he came
under the political ban of the South. ~
Inasmuch as Mrs. Longstreet has
referred to this question at this time.
it may not be amiss to quote what
General Gordon did say. Gordon in.
his memoirs conceded that Longstreet
was undoubtedly among the great
American soldiers who have attained
distinction in our Civil War, and he
added. But it is now certain that
impartial military critics, after thor
ough Investigation, will consider the
following as established:
81. That General Lee ordered Long
street to attack early the morning Of.
the second day, and if he had done So.
two of the largest corps of Meade's:
army would not have been in the fight:
but Longstreet delayed the attack IN
til 4 O'Clock in the afternoon, and thus
lost his opportunity of occupying
Little Round Top, the key to the
position, which he mighG have done
in the morning without firing shot
or losing man.
"2. That General Lee ordered Long
steet to attack at daybreak on the
morning of the third day, and that he
did not attack until 2 or O'Clock n
the afternoon, the artillery opening at
once
"3 That General Lee, according to,
the testimony of Colonel Walter II.
Taylor. Colonel C. S. Venable and
General A. L. Long, who were present
when the order was given, ordered
Longstreet to make the attack on the
last day, with the three divisions OF
his corps, and two divisions of A. P.
HIPS corps, and that instead of doing
so he sent fourteen thousand men to>
assail Meade's army. in his strong:
position and heavily entrenched.
''4. That the great mistake Of the
halt on the first day would have been
repaired on the second, and even oEe
the third day, if Lees orders had been
vigorously executed, and that General
Lee died believing (the testimony on
this point is overwhelming that he
lost Gettysburg at last by Longstreets'
disobedience of orders.
"It has remained,'' said Mrs. Long
street, "for Major General John 8.
Gordon, once Of the Army of Northern
Virginia, to revive this controversy,
etc. -
1t will be seen that she refers to
General Gordon not as lieutenant
general, but as major-general. The
fact is, We believe that General Cor
don, though but major-general, CON-
manded corps towards the close OF
hostilities, but it had been promised
that commission as lieutenant
general should be forwarded to him.
from Richmond. Whether the com
mission was actually made out and
signed or not, we do not now remem-
ber, but we do recall the fact that
General Gordon once published
card claiming that the circum--
stances were such that he was
entitled to be called a lieuten--
ant-general. 1t may be, indeed, that
the commission actually had been
mailed him.
In this connection we may say that if
it is not fact, as stated in some
newspapers, that the last of the COM
missioned lieutenant generals of the
Confederate army died with General
Longstreet. That is an error. Gen
eral A. P. Stewart and General Simon
P. Buckner, both of whom were lieut.
enant-generals, are living. So, toe.
are Stephen D. Lee and General
Wheeler. but whether they had actually
received the commission intended for
them before the surrender, we cannot
say.-Richmond Times Dispatch.