In November of 1865, former Confederate General James Longstreet was in Washington DC seeking a pardon from the US government for his role in the US Civil War. There he agreed to be interviewed with William Swinton, a former correspondent for the New York Times. Swinton was in the process of writing a book about the US Civil war in the East. In the interview, Longstreet voiced his opinion about the ill fated Pickett's Charge that Longstreet objected to. He and General Lee had disagreed on this point. In 1866, Swinton published his book which contained Longstreet's opinion about Gettysburg.As long as Lee was alive, there was no Southern criticisms of Lee and the Battle of Gettysburg. Lee died in 1870 and within 2 years, Longstreet's 1865 criticism of Lee resurfaced and many people in the South branded Longstreet as a traitor.
During the US Civil War James Longstreet was a general in the Confederate Army.
Confederate General Longstreet
James Longstreet
James Longstreet
James Longstreet held the rank of major general in the Confederate army. He graduated 54th in the West Point class of 1842.
Confederate General Pickett reported to Lieutenant General James Longstreet at the US Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. General Pickett led the infamous Confederate charge that crippled his forces on the last day of the 1863 battle.
President Andrew Johnson refused to grant James Longstreet a pardon but an act of the US Congress extended him amnesty and restored his rights to citizenship of the United States in June 1868.
James Longstreet
In a letter to General Samuel Cooper, General James Longstreet offered to be relieved of duty due to the defeat at Knoxville, Tennessee. Longstreet took responsibility for the attempt to be successful in Tennessee.
Confederate General James Longstreet played a major role in the Southern victory at the Battle of Chickamaugua. The Union forces under General Rosencrans had forced the Confederates into frontal assaults because he had thwarted the Rebel attempt to outflank him. Longstreet led an assault that broke through the Union lines, mostly because Rosencrans did not realize that his defensive line had a gap, which was exploited by General Longstreet.
In a 1893 newspaper article former Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet evaluated General Lee in two major categories. One was Lee's effectiveness when fighting on the defense and the other was Lee's performance on the offense. Longstreet said that Lee was "perfect" when leading a defensive battle. Longstreet was less enthusiastic on Lee's offensive abilities. There Longstreet politely said that Lee was not a "master in offensive battles".
Lee commanded the Confederate forces.