#general james longstreet

General James Longstreet(Confederate)

One of the most prominent generals of the war, and later one of the Confederacy’s most controversial figures, this picture of Longstreet was taken at some point after the war had ended. We find him looking well-fed and distinguished, with his salt-and-pepper beard perhaps betraying a touch of artificial help in his very dark hair.

Longstreet was one of the best generals on either side, a senior corps commander in General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia for much of the conflict. His finest moment came perhaps at the Second Battle of Bull Run, when he led 25,000 men in the largest mass assault of the entire war to rout the Union Army’s left flank. After the war, Longstreet became the most senior Confederate to join the Republican party during Reconstruction, supporting his old military school friend Ulysses S Grant’s bid for the presidency 1868. Longstreet later served the US government in a variety of roles, including Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Derided as a traitor by many in the South, Longstreet was blamed for the defeat at Gettysburg and much else besides, and his reputation has only recovered in recent times.