Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South

During the American Civil War, Gen. James Longstreet (1821–1904) was revered throughout the Southern Confederacy as “Lee’s Warhorse.” Southerners praised him for his military and tactical acumen and his leadership of the victories at Second Manassas, Chickamauga, and Fredericksburg. Born into a family who enslaved people, Longstreet benefited from his kin’s social standing. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and West Point and later married into another family who enslaved people. When Georgia seceded from the union, he followed his home state into the Confederate Army. After the war, Longstreet’s politics shifted, which placed him at odds with other Southerners. Longstreet viewed the Republican Party as the best vehicle for the South to develop and reintegrate into American society. Varon (history, Univ. of Virginia; Armies of Deliverance) presents an in-depth exploration of Longstreet’s career as a Republican, including patronage positions, such as ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. His postwar politics fueled attacks on his wartime record, particularly the decisions made at the Battle of Gettysburg.