Lieutenant General James Longstreet.
Created | Updated Oct 4, 2004
Lieutenant General James Longstreet.
(1821-1904).
Longstreet was a very capable and cautious officer, Lee once said of him, "he is my old war horse", he led the Rebel assault at Chickamauga which annihilated the Union right flank, born in South Carolina, Longstreet graduated from West Point in 1842, and went into the Infantry.
At the start of the civil war he was promoted Brig General in Oct 1861, and given the command of a Division in the Virginia Peninsula against Union Maj. General G. McClellan, Lee gave him operational command of more then half the Army of Northern Virginia, with this command he fought in action at Second Bull Runn (Manassas) and Antietam, it was because of his bold leadership near the front of his command that General Lee asked him to lead his men from a safer position, without hesitation he replied "I can't lead my men from behind", General Lee had no alternative but to order him to lead from a safer position for his own safety, Just before the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, General Lee formed his Army into two Corps, given Longstreet Command of the 1st Corp, it was in July 1863 during the battle of Gettysburg that Longstreet was criticized by many officers for his procrastination.
Two months after the battle of Gettysburg he was sent to the west with two Divisions of his own Corp to reinforce General Braxton Bragg's Army of the Tennessee in time for the battle of Chickamauga, later in the early part of 1864 he returned to join General Lee back in Virginia, in doing so he was accidentally wounded by one of his own men in the battle of The Wilderness on the 6th may 1864, he did not return to active service until October of that same year, when he took command of the Bermuda one hundred and North of the James River.
After the civil war he was rebuked by his friends for criticizing General Lee for his tactic's at Gettysburg.
(1821-1904).
Longstreet was a very capable and cautious officer, Lee once said of him, "he is my old war horse", he led the Rebel assault at Chickamauga which annihilated the Union right flank, born in South Carolina, Longstreet graduated from West Point in 1842, and went into the Infantry.
At the start of the civil war he was promoted Brig General in Oct 1861, and given the command of a Division in the Virginia Peninsula against Union Maj. General G. McClellan, Lee gave him operational command of more then half the Army of Northern Virginia, with this command he fought in action at Second Bull Runn (Manassas) and Antietam, it was because of his bold leadership near the front of his command that General Lee asked him to lead his men from a safer position, without hesitation he replied "I can't lead my men from behind", General Lee had no alternative but to order him to lead from a safer position for his own safety, Just before the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, General Lee formed his Army into two Corps, given Longstreet Command of the 1st Corp, it was in July 1863 during the battle of Gettysburg that Longstreet was criticized by many officers for his procrastination.
Two months after the battle of Gettysburg he was sent to the west with two Divisions of his own Corp to reinforce General Braxton Bragg's Army of the Tennessee in time for the battle of Chickamauga, later in the early part of 1864 he returned to join General Lee back in Virginia, in doing so he was accidentally wounded by one of his own men in the battle of The Wilderness on the 6th may 1864, he did not return to active service until October of that same year, when he took command of the Bermuda one hundred and North of the James River.
After the civil war he was rebuked by his friends for criticizing General Lee for his tactic's at Gettysburg.
