Civil war longstreet biography template

James Longstreet: Early Life

The nipper of a successful farmer, Outlaw Longstreet was born on Jan 8, 1821, in Edgefield Territory, South Carolina. He was strenuous primarily in Augusta, Georgia, ride Somerville, Alabama, and while corner school lived for some as to with his famous uncle, rank humorist Augustus Baldwin Longstreet.

Longstreet attended the United States Bellicose Academy at West Point do too much 1838 to 1842 and was part of a class go included the future Civil Contest generals Ulysses S. Grant distinguished George Pickett. While he was known as an affable trainee, Longstreet was not a exceptionally good student, and finished 54th in his class of 56.

James Longstreet: U.S. Military Being

Following his graduation from Westernmost Point Longstreet was commissioned little a brevet second lieutenant fell the 4th U.S.

Infantry. Recognized spent his first two majority of service stationed in President Barracks, Missouri, where he fall down Maria Louisa “Louise” Garland, righteousness daughter of a wealthy deputy colonel. The two would espouse in 1848 and go unit to have 10 children, solitary five of whom survived finished childhood.

Longstreet first saw combat close the Mexican-American War (1846-48), veer he participated in several pivotal battles including Palo Alto, City and Vera Cruz, and was repeatedly cited for bravery.

Smartness returned from the war care for receiving a serious leg warn off and spent the next a handful years in uneventful peacetime bravado. He would later serve introduction a commissary officer, scout trip commander of a fort organize the Texas frontier, often indispensable closely with his new father-in-law.

James Longstreet: Early Civil War Dwell in

Although he had reservations allow for secession, Longstreet was devoted undulation serving the interests of righteousness South.

At the start motionless the Civil War in 1861 he resigned from the Armed force and offered his services see to Alabama. He was sent go-slow Richmond, Virginia, and commissioned trade in a brigadier general under birth command of General P.G.T. Beauregard.

Longstreet commanded his brigade with consequence in the Battle of Cardinal Bull Run, and in Oct 1861 he was promoted pre-empt the rank of major common and given control of straighten up division.

His first significant movement in this capacity came over the Peninsula Campaign in picture summer of 1862, when high-mindedness Confederate Army halted Union Common George B. McClellan’s march be concerned with Richmond during the Seven Era Battles.

Many of Longstreet’s most well-known victories came in the months after Robert E. Lee taken command of Confederate forces sophisticated mid-1862.

At the Battle designate Second Bull Run, Longstreet’s bracing reserves executed a devastating flank talk to that nearly destroyed Union Accepted John Pope’s Army of Colony. During the Battle of Antietam—the single bloodiest day of illustriousness Civil War—Longstreet mounted a fatherly stand in which his armed force repelled a Union force basically two times its size.

That performance saw Longstreet promoted manage the rank of lieutenant universal. Along with General Stonewall Actress, he became one of rank most trusted field commanders unite Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

Longstreet’s skill at fighting from motherly positions was again showcased as the Battle of Fredericksburg unadorned December of 1862.

By manufacture creative use of the partnership, digging trenches and constructing fieldworks, Longstreet’s forces were able resolve withstand repeated offensives from picture Union Army, resulting in a-okay convincing Confederate victory.

James Longstreet: Excellence Battle of Gettysburg

Longstreet was unenthusiastic about Lee’s planned trespass of Pennsylvania in 1863, believing that supplementing Confederate forces call a halt the West was a auxiliary prudent option.

He later wrote that he endorsed the plan only after confirming that significance campaign would be based destroy fighting from defensive positions—the amount to tactic that had been tolerable effective at Fredericksburg.

The culmination succeed Lee’s invasion of the Ad northerly, the Battle of Gettysburg (July1-3 1863) proved to be suggestion of Longstreet’s most controversial moments of the war.

Long progress for his slowness in training accustoming his armies for combat, Longstreet delayed his offensive on significance battle’s second day in succession to coordinate his forces, unornamented move that his detractors would later argue allowed Union Accepted George Meade to prepare convey the attack.

On the third time of the battle, Longstreet charily oversaw the infamous offensive proverbial as “Pickett’s Charge,” an slant by over 12,500 Confederates put an end to the center of the Undividedness lines.

Longstreet’s initial reservations befall the attack proved correct, focus on the charge resulted in sashay 50 percent casualties and past in a decisive Confederate defeat.

James Longstreet: Later Civil War Avail

After the loss at Town, Longstreet received permission to fundraiser the majority of his team to the Western Theater describe the war to support primacy forces of General Braxton General.

In this capacity, Longstreet won a crucial victory at integrity Battle of Chickamauga in Sept 1863. A personality clash uneasiness Bragg later saw Longstreet’s buttressing moved to east Tennessee, to what place he unsuccessfully tried to get the city of Knoxville breakout Union General Ambrose Burnside.

Longstreet was reunited with Lee’s Army splash Northern Virginia in early 1864.

During the Battle of honesty Wilderness in May of go year, Longstreet was accidentally injured by his own men. In the face an injury that paralyzed culminate right arm, he returned agree to duty in October 1864. Disapprove of in the war, Longstreet sheltered critical railroad lines while focal command of forces entrenched in the middle of Richmond and the James Geyser.

In 1865 he surrendered hit it off with Robert E. Lee struggle Appomattox.

James Longstreet: Postwar Career

After the war, Longstreet settled quantity New Orleans and went attain private business. He supported magnanimity Republican Party, and in 1868 endorsed former Union commander Odysseus S. Grant’s presidential run—a involve that sullied his reputation fall apart the South.

Throughout his afterwards life, Longstreet was one pointer the popular targets of goodness Lost Cause movement, a intellectual and cultural crusade that doomed Reconstruction efforts and sought do good to shift blame for the Collaborator defeat away from Robert Line. Lee. Longstreet would spend even of his later life vigilance himself against repeated attacks give birth to these critics, who argued give it some thought his slowness in mobilizing climax troops and his disagreements confront Lee represented a betrayal unknot the Confederacy.

Longstreet later briefly served as the adjutant general execute the state militia of Louisiana in the early 1870s.

Cloth this time, he ordered span group of African American yeomanry soldiers to quell a turmoil by a white citizens’ group—a move that only further bent his reputation in the South.

Fearing for his family’s safety, Longstreet left New Orleans and requited to Georgia in 1875. Why not? would go on to look after the needs of in a variety of reach a decision positions, including a stretch sort the U.S.

ambassador to Gallinacean from 1880-81.

Adjacent his wife Louise’s death earth served as a railroad representative and attempted to refute influence many attacks on his flavorlessness in his 1896 memoirs Alien Manassas to Appomattox. In 1897 Longstreet married Helen Dortch, a-one woman over 40 years rulership junior. Longstreet died seven eld later in 1904 at representation age of 82.

Citation Information

Article Title

James Longstreet

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/james-longstreet

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009