Longstreet Looks Back on the War, 1895

I love old books. As I was preparing social media posts for magazine advertisers, I came across this book for sale at the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago: "James Longstreet, From Manassas to Appomattox." Curious, I located the digitized version on Internet Archive. Published in 1895, Longstreet's memoirs include a revealing passage about his view of the past, present and future.
Read the book: archive.org/details/manassasa...
Check out the sale item: alincolnbookshop.com/product/...
"Life on the Civil War Research Trail" is hosted by Ronald S. Coddington, Editor and Publisher of Military Images magazine. Learn more about our mission to showcase, interpret and preserve Civil War portrait photography at militaryimagesmagazine.com.
This episode brought to you in part by the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, the finest historical Americana since 1938. See the latest additions at alincolnbookshop.com
Image: National Portrait Gallery.

[@DoyleHargraves]

I really like your channel. Your story selections, and the way you summarize and get all the good points in there... thank you for making me take a break to watch.

[@peterplotts1238]

Longstreet is one of the most fascinating figures of the war and the post-war era. His words are as relevant and poignant today as they were then.

[@jim2376]

Longstreet took a lesson from Frederickburg. It's not surprising that Union troops were yelling "Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!" as they poured lethal fire into the advancing Confederates in Pickett's charge. Lee copied the Union mistake at Fredericksburg by sending men over open ground against fixed defensive positions.

[@keithsilverang7906]

I'm totally with you on old books.

[@billymule961]

This passage should be publicized today with the hope of assisting in the unification of opposing factions in our current society, especially those who would seek to rewrite history because of a lack of understanding of the 19th century mindset. All the people who fought and died for something they believed to be right should be remembered for their commitment to what they believed to be honorable and just, not for material gain, but for a principle they were willing to risk their lives for. It is that common struggle that should unite us Americans, not drive us apart.

[@johnlysic6727]

I hear what you say but the fact remains that millions of black Americans were horrifically abused by this man and his comrades, Lee and all the others. That abuse continued on, unabated by this same group of people who considered themselves so “honorable” for another 100+ years. As we have seen clearly during the 1960’s, the lynchings, rape and abuse was an everyday occurrence considered “normal” in the South. Thus, the statues that we haul down today are not those of “Honorable” citizens - no - they are reminders of horror visited upon a portion of our citizens. So, I say, what is more important? The respect and compassion towards Our friends and neighbors today? or some piece of cold statue commemorating a despot that brought death and destruction upon the land back in the 1860’s?

[@benjaminharris7091]

Yes, they all fought for something they believed in, however, the Confederates believed in slavery, white supremacy and secession. The Waffen SS fought for something they believed in. Should they be remembered and honored for their commitment to anti-semitism, genocide and the Holocaust? Moral relativism is actually a failure to condemn evil due to fear of offending the evildoer.

[@FuzzyWuzzy75]

HUZZAH FOR "OLD PETE"!!

[@jbos5107]

I'm a lover of books as well. Got some eyesight problems now so digital works better thanks to the wonderful zoom function!

[@francisebbecke2727]

One of my prized possessions is a 1905 children's history of Great Britain. I found it in a dumpster behind a used book store. It is very insightful as to how the peoples of the British Empire viewed themselves and the world prior to the First World War. History had ended and the world was now set. Warfare between the European states ended largely at Waterloo. Military was for show parades except for the occasional native uprisings. It was the duty of Europeans to spread Christianity and industrial age prosperity to the world through missionaries and colonialism.

[@jude999]

I've always been into books, but just recenlty have been appreciating and buying up old books. I agree on all points.

[@mr.sherlockholmes6130]

I just picked up a copy of this book. I got it at a antique store in Nashville Tn . I can’t wait to start to read this book . Gen Longstreet I believe has gotten a bad reputation. There are some who say he did not follow General Lees orders in Gettysburg. I believe he did what he was told to do . Those who talked negatively about him were not in his shoes . General Longstreet fought for his country bravely, he lived it battle by battle . He wrote from the heart the truth . Thank you for this video

[@thescarletandgrey2505]

Longstreet to me is one of the strongest examples of a man faithfully carrying out his duties as a man of his word while being utterly conflicted as to which side of a matter is the right one to be on. He can rest assured his was a job well done.

[@thomasg4324]

Lee mistakenly disregarded Longstreet's advice to disengage from Gettysburg, and force the Potomac Army to give chase to more suitable ground. Longstreet's advice could have stopped The Empire. *A great man he was indeed.*

[@francisebbecke2727]

If it were possible to resurrect Civil War veterans and show them the films and literature of how we viewed the conflict I suspect they would be quite surprised. One insight was at the initial viewing of the movie "Gone With the Wind." One old Confederate veteran of the siege of Atlanta upon the viewing of the wounded at the railyard scene reportedly said, "If we had had that many troops we would have won!."

[@benavraham4397]

The Civil War is unfortunately still unresolved. America's greatest disaster!😢 If only it had never happened. May peace and respect unify all Americans.

[@ronaldmessina4229]

This will NEVER happen because the damn yanks killed our SOUTHERN people, and many of them stole silver, e.g spoons butler, who STOLE silver and other things of value from the SOUTH, and MURDERERS like shithead sherman and his infamous march to the sea,whereby he and his lackies murdered everything in their path, including innocent animals ,so the WAR FOR SOUTHERN INDEPENDENCE will never be resolved

[@SaxonChronicles]

the book was in my college library. It was old but not a 1st edition with the painted general's sleeve on the cover. It was reprinted in mass in the 90's and the reprint turns up at half price books from time to time. I only skimmed it but like the part were he Longstreet mentions he hears for the 1st time of the victory at Chancellorsville. It must have been quite a relief to his corps which was detached at the time. I also remember that he mentions he was more interested in football than his studies at college. I don't know if he meant early American football or soccer but I remember laughing at that with my friends as we played madden

[@kenfox22]

Your just like me a book nerd. Too cool 😎. Was addicted to book stores growing up. No sweeter place. Nirvana

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

Guilty as charged!

[@dennisscott2607]

Thanks, I read a modern printing years ago & forgot about the intro. If anbody read the entire long book, it is hard not to get that Longstreet respected Lee emensley while being critical of of him with Gettysburg. But again what do I know as proud decendant of several union soldiers & not blinded by the propaganda of the Lost Cause.

[@Smithsj82]

Blind propaganda? You belittle those who gave all they had for a cause dear to them, and that was the rights of states. We are seeing the same today played out daily. It never was about slavery until Lincoln made it so.

[@DoctorX101]

@@Smithsj82 You mean those who gave all they had to keep men enslaved. The rebels made it about slavery: cited it in their acts of succession. The "Lost Cause" lives in you, sadly.

[@thomasg4324]

*The most I got out of Longstreet's reflection on his experience before the war, and the 30 years afterwards......is that Longstreet saw the HUGE MISTAKE of Blacks in America.* He saw it as a mistake to bring them, and a bigger mistake to maintain them. #TheProblemHeSaw

[@jackzimmer6553]

I think of Joseph Wheeler commanding US troops in the Spanish-American war three years later who mistakenly claimed that we have those ‘Yankees’ on the run! 😂😂😂

[@HeathInClearLake]

Dude. Your voice is as pleasant as an emery board.

[@markwest940]

I was thinking they should pause. Cough a little, honey and hot tea.

[@practicalhistorian]

I was wondering if making hurtful statements made you feel better about yourself?

[@practicalhistorian]

@@markwest940 I was wondering if making hurtful statements made you feel better about yourself?

[@stephenpowstinger733]

People today are too quick to condemn the South today and can’t understand why they believed they had a legal right to withdraw from the Union. Many sins were committed in the war, by both sides, so they had a large hurtle to get over to work was a nation again.

[@DoctorX101]

Yeah, most of us sort of reject this whole enslavement of others thing.

[@Smithsj82]

Lee screwed up. He should have listened to his staff.

[@jimmyanderson2988]

It never lelf and is in fact where it was invented but they don’t want to talk about that now do they !!!!

[@littlehummingbird1015]

huh???

[@larrymccolloch9469]

it takes to long to get to the headline story and has too much boring background

[@charlesbelser7249]

Longstreet should have been court marshalled at 7 Pines for defying Johnston , starting many hours late, and going on a completely different direction on a different road that completely destroyed Johnston's battle plan, blocked the road that another corp was scheduled to be using to get to where they were supposed to be according to the plan . He was responsible for the battle being considered only a draw instead of an overwhelming victory for the south. My GG grandfather in the 6th AL on the far right might very well have not been KIA that day. Longstreet also was half a day late getting his soldiers ready for the attack on the " little copse of trees" on that farefull day in July which was supposed to be at daylight . The south might have also very possibly won that day before the Yankees had all that extra time to strengthen their defenses. He was also found to have stopped to eat lunch at Chickamauga in the middle of the glorious charge and was basically shamed into resuming it energetically which I think gave George Thomas that little bextra time to deploy enough troops to hold back those charges that allowed the surviving Yankees time to escape to Chattanooga instead of overrunning them on that hill , running the rest into the ground and destroy them so they could not exist to even have a battle of Lookout Mountain and Missionary ridge . His forces obviously contributed to the great victory and Bragg as the over all commander is ultimately responsible for not following up on that one just like Murfreesboro and Perryville but just saying . Longstreet needed whatever Gen Thomas Stonewall Jackson and NB Forest possessed and so did Bragg .

[@Razorbacks1]

And this is the successful tarnishing of Longstreet by Jubal Early and the others who perpetuated the Myth of the Lost Cause and castigated Longstreet with their lies and misinformation because Longstreet after the war joined the Republican Party and actively promoted protecting the rights of African Americans who had been slaves.

[@dennisscott2607]

You read like a Lost Causer, typically love religous fanatic Jackson & KKK founder & butcher Forest. Longstreet was logical & undertstood the weaponary & tactics better than them but is hated because he dared to want unity after the war & dared to be critical of Lee whom Lost Causers give a deity-like status. Granted, Longstreet was aweful when he had his own command but was one of top Corps commanders on either side.

[@davidhenryhudson3102]

If only... If only...

[@edwardclement102]

Wake up slavery is in Africa .

[@jimmyanderson2988]

It never lelf and is one of the places it was invented but they don’t want to talk about that !!!!! Doesn’t fit their hate agenda !!!!!