Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-07
Replies to Criticism Of Long
streets Record.
ACTION ATGETTYSBURG
DENIES THAT HE WAS GUILTY
OF DIsoBEDIENCE.>
Claims That Lee Always Spoke Most
Additionally Of Him, While He
Blamed Other Commanders.

Cen Thomas L. Resser of Virginia, wlfo
commanded regiment at Gettysburg, and
who was with the ArmyTof Northern Vir-
ginia from the first battle to the surrender,
bitterly resents the criticism Of Gen. Long
streets course at Gettysburg. Gen. Rosser
was appointed an officer In the Spanish war
by President Mckinley and in recent years
has been acting with the republican party.
Reviewing the workAof some Of the great
confederate generals, Gen. Rosser said to
reporter for The Star:
with the death zof Gen. Longstreet
passes the last of the great soldiers Of the
Army of the Northern Virginia. He fought
alone the battle Of the 18th of July, 1881,
and won the first victory OF that splendid
army. He shared in the glory Of the great
battles that army fought He was badly
wounded in the Wilderness, near where
Jackson fell. and under similar circum-
stances, and had he died there he would
have gone down into history side by side
with jackson and Lee. Longstreet and Lee,
as soldiers were similar in many respects.
Both were great defensive generals, but
neither can be classed among the successful
offensive generals OF history.
Jackson's Remarkable Movements.
'Take Jackson. for instance. His cam
paign from Kernstown to Port Republic. in
the Valley of Virginia, in 1862. was as bril-
liant as the first italian campaign of the
great Napoleon. He drew Mcdowell from
Fredericksburg. He left Shields, Fremont
and Banks confused as to his whereabouts.
dashed across the mountains, Joined Lee
on the 26th Of June. striking Mcclellan the
surprise blow, forced him to the James ana
raised the siege Of Richmond. With the
dispatch Of lightning he wheeled around,
met Pope at Cedar Mountain. stopped ms
advance upon Lees rear and flank. held
him until Lee could arrive with reinforce
ments, passed to his rear and fought the
battle Of the 18th of September at Groveton
Heights: opened the way for Lee to press
on with his army. and crowned the cam
paign with the successful battle OF the
second Bull Run. He crossed the Potomac
with Lee. was detached, sent back, captur-
ed Harper's Ferry and joined Lee a.
Sharpsburg in time to stop Mcclellan ana
save Lees army. In May 1853. when Lee
was hesitat1ng in the Wilderness, believing
that Hooker's movement below Freder1cks-
burg was a serious one, with the fore
sight of genius, Jackson pronounced 1t
feint. urged Lee to allow him to move
around Hooker's righI which, in audacity,
boldness and brilliancy. seemed to paralyze
Lee. and while on this wonderful march
Sickles got between him and Lee with an
army nearly equal his own. Jackson press
ed on, turned Hookers right, as he con-
templated dissipated the 18th corps ana
all it's support, and was within half mile
of his goal, the Bullock house, had he gam
ed possession of which Hooker's retreat
would have been impossible and he would
have been at the mercy OF the confederate
army, when he was shot and mortally
wounded by his own men.
Alleged Blunder by Lee.
s'Lee, then in command Of an army that
knew no defeat and not realizing that his
great offensive general had been taken
from the army committed the fatal blunder
of attempting an invasion of the north. AT
no time during that campaign did he move
with CELEBRITY, maneuver to the surprise OF
the enemy or do anything OF q brllllant
character marking him with the genius OF
war The battle of Gettysburg was lost
the first day, although Sthe confederates
claimed a victory and 1t might have been
turned into victory hadsLee been mas
ter of the art of aggressive warfare. But
he followed up the first day with stub
born attack of the enemyiin an entrenched
position, and, failing to dislodge him, SEEM
ed to hesitate and his plans seemed to be
confused. Finally he committed a great err
ror in attacking q superior enemy In an en-
trenched position at the strongest point.
I'm the history of battles very few gem
erals have ever made an attack OF the enc
my's position, and history gives only one
example Of where such an attack has been
successful. That was the battle of Wag-
ram, where the great Napoleon deceived
the Archduke Charles by so threatening his
flank as to cause him to weaken his center.
when, quick as flash, Napoleon struck the
center of the enemy with Macdonald and
his reserves But then the world has only
given us one Napoleon. and the western
hemisphere has given us only one jackson.
when Lees army was beaten from the
fatal attack which he ordered on the 80 OF
July, he rode among his fleeing soldiers.
begging them to rally and reform on Semi
nary ridge, telling them that 1t was his
fault that they had failed and not their
own. No criticism was made or Longstreet
at that time Longstreet was retained in
the most important corps of Lees army and
served honorably and faithfully under Lee
to the end.
Accepted the Issue Of War.
eat Appomattox Longstreet, with Lee
and the army of northern Virginia, at the
close Of a most glorious achievement, hon
estly surrendered. The southern confed-
eracy was eliminated from the map OF the
world, It's flag was forever furled. and all
soldiers who surrendered there had either
to return to the Union and become loyal to
the flag of their country or remain hypo-
critics and traitors, which they could not
do if they had honestly surrendered and &C
cepted the terms that Grant had given
them
'Longstreet came out OF the war with
record for courage, devotion to the cause
he had espoused, and LOYALTY to the star and
cross second to nome Disabled by wounds,
his right arm hanging lifeless and helpless
at his side, his profession, that of a soldier,
gone. he turned his attention to civil pur-
suits and was struggling for living when
his old friend Grant, the President Of the
United States, offered him service In the
government Lee was dead. Southern poll
ticians had expected Longstreet to keep the
fires of southern antipathy to the north
alive. and as they were seeking to infiame
the passions of the people as a basis upon
which to unite the south and to fuse with
the copperhead party in the north, as a
means for repossessing themselves of
government they had lost by the results of
the war; this action Of Longstreet in ac-
cepting the offer Of Grant tended to break
their influence with the old soldiers Of the
south
Trumped-Up Charge.
ITO counterfeit that they brought up the
charge of disloyalty and disobedience to
Lee at Gettysburg. never having thought of
It before and never in fact having had a
foundation for it. This. In measure.
he az -