Helping Restore Longstreet’s Reputation

Although he had several times called the man his "Old War Horse," in the aftermath of Robert E. Lee's death, James Longstreet came in for unwarranted criticism from the fabricators of "The Lost Cause" school of history. It was nearly a century before the man's reputation began to be recovered by the work of such historians as Thomas Connelly and William Piston, and the mythic version of the general's performance still has influence. Cory M. Pfarr's new book offers additional evidence helping to restore Longstreet's record.

Pfarr opens with a look at the origins of what might be called the "anti-Longstreet" campaign. There follow four essays on various aspects of the general's role in battle on July 2nd which have drawn unnecessary – often wholly fabricated – criticism, and a look at the defense of the general by Helen Dotrch Longstreet, his second wife, in her 1904 book Lee and Longstreet at High Tide,

All of the papers are rooted in primary sources, something critics of the general's performance usually neglected, or faked, are well written, and help throw additional light on the fabrications that have long marred Longstreet's reputation. A good read for anyone interested in the war, Gettysburg, or the man.

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Note: Righting the Longstreet Record at Gettysburg is also available in e-editions.

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