Book Review - General James Longstreet, the Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier by Jeffrey D. Wert

Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet's place in history has always been shrouded in controversy, much of it of his own making. In the decades since the American Civil War, he has traditionally been blamed by historians for the Confederate army's loss at Gettysburg, reviled as a traitor to the Confederacy's "Lost Cause," and condemned for his service in the Republican administration of President Ulysses S. Grant after the Civil War.

General James Longstreet, The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier by Jeffrey D. Wert is a candid, fair and balanced portrait of a man who should, but doesn't, rank at the top of any list of the greatest American military leaders in history.

General James Longstreet, The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier is an excellent book. Jeffry D. Wert, a high school history teacher and noted Civil War historian who has written three books on the subject, has written a lucid, concise, and easily comprehensible biography of this often misunderstood and maligned man. Wert presents General Robert E. Lee's "old war-horse" (as Lee affectionately called him) as a general possessed with great strategic vision, an outstanding ability to lead troops in the field, and with tactically conservative, yet sound, instincts.

According to General James Longstreet, The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier, Longstreet was a man with many personal flaws, chief among them his inability to control his emotions and support his superiors when he disagreed with them; and his vindictiveness toward his colleagues when they disagreed with him. These character flaws always seemed to manifest themselves at the most inopportune times for the Confederate cause. For example, on both the second and third days of the Battle of Gettysburg, Longstreet hesitated to order troops under his command to attack Union forces because he disagreed with Lee's overall strategy and conduct of the battle. A golden opportunity for the Confederates may have been lost, thereby depriving the grey-clad armies of victory at Gettysburg.

On the eve of the Battle of Chattanooga, he conspired with other southern generals to have the unpopular General Braxton Bragg removed as overall commander of the Confederate forces there. Only Confederate President Jefferson Davis' intervention saved Bragg's job, and Davis' opinion of Longstreet was forever tarnished because of the general's participation in this affair.

Although Wert explores these character traits with great objectivity, his admiration for Longstreet is plainly evident throughout this book. The overall portrait that emerges is favorable - a general beloved by his troops, depended upon for his wise counsel and military skills by his boss, General Robert E. Lee, but also a military leader capable of serious misjudgments both on the field of battle, and in his dealings with both his superiors and subordinates.

General James Longstreet, The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier is one of the better biographies of one of the major military leaders of the Civil War. This is a short book, running to only about 450 pages. It's not an especially deep or detailed study of Longstreet's life and times, but that fact added to, rather than detracted from, my overall the enjoyment of the book. When I had finished reading it, I found that I had gained an excellent understanding of Longstreet the man and the military leader. I might have preferred perhaps a bit more detail on Longstreet's life after the Civil War, but that is my only (and very minor) reservation.

I highly recommended General James Longstreet, The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier, especially for Civil War enthusiasts and anyone interested in American history. Read and enjoy!