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"I never heard of any other cause of the quarrel than slavery." This is very, very similar to a statement attributed to John Mosby: "I've always understood that we went to war on account of the thing we quarreled with the North about. I've never heard of any other cause than slavery." (Link: /info/en/?search=John_S._Mosby#Death_and_legacy) It's very likely that both men held that view and expressed it similarly on different occasions: Both were Confederate generals who, after the war, joined the Republican Party and supported Reconstruction. I'm suspicious, though, largely because I can't access all the sources cited on the two articles. 2601:18C:4302:85A0:20E1:E2EF:D6A9:CBFA ( talk) 00:12, 12 December 2021 (UTC)
Is it really accurate to describe the southern US as "more Lutheran"? Wouldn't "more protestant" be more accurate? Grant65 (Talk) 12:58, Nov 1, 2004 (UTC)
I have tightened up certain parts of the article by dispensing with unneccessary words and sentences, together with, IMHO, improper use of language. Furthermore, I have tried my best to remove POVs within it.
Babyrina2 10 Feb 2006
I am in the process of a large update to this article, including extensive footnotes. However, I am starting to fall behind my intended schedule, so I have removed the inuse template from the top of the file. I hope to finish within a week, but others are welcome to jump in in the meantime. Hal Jespersen 21:51, 26 December 2006 (UTC)
I have reverted the recent edit about family. Please take care of the following before resubmitting:
Thanks, Hal Jespersen 21:47, 29 January 2007 (UTC)
I worked about 20 minutes trying to sort out the two paragraphs of updates some anonymous editor applied this morning and gave up and reverted it. If you would like to reapply any of these changes, please do the following:
Thanks. Hal Jespersen 20:26, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
Looks good to me, I have no complaints. JRP 01:39, 12 April 2007 (UTC)
This fascinating article has been reviewed as part of Wikipedia:WikiProject Good articles/Project quality task force. Although I found one or two minor issues (detailed below), I believe it still meets the GA criteria and should remain listed as a Good article.
For improvement in the future:
Thank you for your hard work. The article history has been updated to reflect this review. Regards, EyeSerene TALK 19:35, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
Around citation 44 the article states Gen Longstreet's nasty wound was received about a mile from the local where Gen Jackson was mortally hit. I thought in Foote's third "C.W. Narrative" book he states it was a distance of around four miles. Since his books aren't part of any citations in the article (and sometimes noted for their accuracy) I'm not going to edit anything. Just curious which is accurate, if known. The shorter distance is also more creepy! Kresock ( talk) 01:44, 20 November 2007 (UTC)
I have made some modifications to the edits of April 8 regarding Longstreet's actions on July 2. The passage cited from Fuller was too rudimentary a description of what happened that morning; Fuller's book on Lee and Grant spends only seven pages on the entire Gettysburg campaign, after all. I added another footnote from Sears and Coddington, both of whom have lengthy descriptions about Lee and Longstreet on the morning of July 2. I also restored the citation from Wert, which had been removed with no explanation. If someone can find a citation from a reputable historian who claims that Longstreet enthusiastically and aggressively prepared for the battle on July 2, citations can be added to that effect. Hal Jespersen ( talk) 23:41, 8 April 2008 (UTC)
I added a NPOV tag, because it seemed to be very, almost too much, pro-Longstreet, especially during the part about Bull Run I and also Seven Days. Anyone else agree? NuclearWarfare ( talk) 02:59, 3 May 2008 (UTC)
This part of the article seems rather anti-Longstreet. I do know of some other sources that seem to contradict what is written; Longstreet's delay was indeed unavoidable. Should I add them, or not? NuclearWarfare ( talk) 03:02, 3 May 2008 (UTC)
One of my books (Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography) contains a brief evaluation of the general, and I was wondering if it merits inclusion in this page, perhaps either the legacy section or split up within the article. Here's the relevant part:
"Longstreet was an ambitious, confident, tireless, and capable commander and administrator; an able tactician, he possessed less strategic sense; he was vigorous in battle but a cautious planner; his actions at Gettysburg remain controversial; much respected by his men, who called him 'Old Pete.'"
The mentioning of "tireless" I remember from other works I've read (such as in The Killer Angels , Three Months in the Southern States, and others; especially noted during Sharpsburg) but it isn't in this page, and his military abilities I think are only lightly covered. Any thoughts? Kresock ( talk) 02:11, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
I have reverted two edits as follows:
Hal Jespersen ( talk) 01:12, 19 July 2008 (UTC)
I see that #1 was removed and #2 was at least partially cited, so I have tweaked it up. Thanks. Hal Jespersen ( talk) 23:17, 21 July 2008 (UTC)
This is not a neutral phrase to include in an encyclopedic statement. There's lots of these kind of interpretive statements in recent contributions by User:110fremont. I remind the user that this isn't about being correct; its instead about proving one's points in any arena of disagreement. If one is going to add non-neutral language to a page, one is expected to bring the citation to prove such assertion. BusterD ( talk) 12:01, 21 July 2008 (UTC)
I don't have the Knudsen ref, so can't look further into this, but what does this mean?
Longstreet advocated the first strategic movements to utilize rail, interior lines, and create temporary numerical advantages in Mississippi or Tennessee prior to Gettysburg.
Johnston at First Manassas and Bragg prior to Perryville both used rails and interior lines strategically before Longstreet suggested it. And what does Gettysburg, which had no rail traffic involved, have to do with it? Are you saying that Longstreet was the first to suggest movement from Virginia to Mississippi or Tennessee? Certainly President Davis had suggested that previously. Most authors imply that Longstreet was merely looking for his own self advancement in getting out from underneath Lee's command, not promoting a new Confederate "grand strategy" (which is misusing the term in this context). Hal Jespersen ( talk) 15:13, 22 July 2008 (UTC)
Unless this confusion is reconciled, I intend to remove the passages on August 2. Hal Jespersen ( talk) 17:40, 25 July 2008 (UTC)
'Despite Lee's brilliant victory at Chancellorsville, Longstreet once again came under criticism, claiming that he could have marched his men back from Suffolk in time to join Lee.'
Not clear. He had been following Lee's orders. Do you mean that Lee came under criticism from Longstreet?
Valetude (
talk)
10:55, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
Ever since the infobox was changed from military person to officeholder, there is stray text around Longstreet's picture ([[file: |225px|alt=|James Longstreet]]). Does anybody know how to fix this? Thanks. - Cwenger ( talk) 20:35, 25 July 2010 (UTC)
People need to be careful when inserting details about the relationship between Longstreet and Grant. Although their friendship is a popular topic for historians to throw out there because of their obvious roles during the Civil War, many of the details are unclear or in dispute, not least of which concern Grant's wedding. The idea that Longstreet was Grant's best man at Grant's wedding has become so ubiquitous within the popular narrative between the two that it is all over the Internet and often even stated to be so without reference by historians. In his 2001 biography of Grant, Jean Edward Smith says that Longstreet was Grant's best man but provides no direct reference. In his 2002 book To America, Stephen Ambrose states that Longstreet was the best man without reference and as if it were simply common knowledge fact. It appears that Longstreet's supposed role as best man at the wedding has been repeated so often in secondary literature that it simply became accepted as fact somewhere along the line. We should be careful with this, lest the Wikipedia article also becomes another beacon of possible misinformation on the subject. Longstreet himself in an interview submitted to the New York Times after Grant's death in 1885 simply said that he had been "among the guests" at Grant's wedding:
http://www.granthomepage.com/intlongstreet.htm
We know that neither Grant nor Longstreet ever stated in their memoirs that Longstreet serves as best man at the wedding. So far as I know, there is no letter/book/manuscript/source where either of them stated that he did. Further, as might be understandable, there were slip-ups among the recollections of those who were at the wedding that may have contributed to misnomer. Julia Dent Grant, for example, stated in her memoirs that Sid Smith was one of Grant's groomsmen. This was impossible, being that Smith had died during the Mexican War. Therefore, the editor to Julia's memoirs posited the idea that Longstreet "may have been a groomsman." Just food for thought. I tried to clear up the section as cleanly and succinctly as possible. Harry Yelreh ( talk) 23:27, 21 October 2010 (UTC)
In G. Moxley Sorrel's memoirs, Sorrel mentions Longstreet as Grant's best man on page 28. I don't know if he heard this from Longstreet, but given his position on Longstreet's staff the relationship it is possible. Semperpietas ( talk) 04:26, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-forgotten-confederate-general-who-would-make-a-better-subject-for-monuments/2016/01/27/f09bad42-c536-11e5-8965-0607e0e265ce_story.html?utm_term=.a312942fe5fa. Legacypac ( talk) 04:42, 24 August 2017 (UTC)
The opening paragraph states that Longstreet performed "poorly" during the seven days battle (a confusion with Jackson?) which completely contradicts the section on the battle later on, as well as the assessment of his contemporaries, most of which considered him one of the strongest confederate commanders during this (overall poorly-led) campaign. I also feel that the opening paragraph disminishes his merits in a subtle way. It is said that "his men stood their ground at Antietam and Frederiskcburg" thus minimizing his own role in these battles, even though his defensive performance at Fredericksburg may have been unmatched by any commander in the whole war — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.113.177.85 ( talk) 18:49, 7 October 2017 (UTC)
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For some reason, this article completely skips Longstreet's biggest failure in the Civil War--his refusal to secure Lookout Valley, and the subsequent debacle at The Battle of Wauhatchie. This is probably the most concrete example of Longstreet's insubordination toward Bragg, and the main reason he was sent to Knoxville. 204.93.125.230 ( talk) 17:51, 16 February 2019 (UTC) RW
This article manages to somehow ignore the fact that Longstreet committed Treason ("levying war against [the United States]") and also broke his oath as an officer in the United States Army:
"I, _____, appointed a _____ in the Army of the United States, do solemnly swear, or affirm, that I will bear true allegiance to the United States of America, and that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies or opposers whatsoever, and observe and obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the rules and articles for the government of the Armies of the United States." (1830s oath)
Can we maybe say something about that instead of whitewashing it? Bgoldnyxnet ( talk) 06:26, 23 June 2020 (UTC)
Anyone who fought for the Confederacy definitionally committed treason. This is especially true for former US Army officers, and even more so for Longstreet, who accepted a commission from an enemy nation before resigning from the US army. Powderhound522 ( talk) 15:05, 11 December 2021 (UTC)
Defecting from your nation to fight against them in the service of another, enemy nation is exactly treason. There’s no other definition to be applied to that action. I make this point to say that just because he wasn’t charged at the time doesn’t mean we should obfuscate the meaning of his actions in the present. Powderhound522 ( talk) 22:14, 12 December 2021 (UTC)
Bubba, this is the racist history of the Lost Cause. It’s a lie, propagated by former confederates and their allies. Powderhound522 ( talk) 23:25, 12 December 2021 (UTC)
This paragraph was added today - does it really need to be in the article? I don't think so. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 22:42, 14 August 2020 (UTC)
I saw this in the featured article review, and thought to edit a few issues. I combined the different sources into a single citation to clean up sources. In addition, the multiple citations sometimes made it look like multiple secondary-source authors agreed, when often the additional citations were Longstreet himself and Alexander. Here's the changes I made:
As mentioned, this was done in one large edit (hence the conflict) so that you could revert it. There are larger issues I saw when editing, but will put these in the Featured Article Review.
A lot of work has gone into this article, mostly by a small number of editors. Congratulations! Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 00:56, 14 October 2021 (UTC)
I am undoing the revisions recently made to the article. None of them had a single edit summary, meaning that it's impossible to know what exactly the editor who made them was thinking. There were numerous problems. The editor moved citations around so that the end of one paragraph was without any citations, which is unacceptable. [1] The claim added that Molino del Rey was one of the bloodiest battles of the Mexican-American War [2] was unsourced. Grammatical problems include substituting a person's name for a pronoun when the name was already mentioned in the sentence ("Porter told him that had he attacked Porter") [3] but also substituting a pronoun for a person's name when the person's name had not been mentioned for several sentences. [4] The link to the 8th Infantry Regiment in which Longstreet is supposed to have served before the Civil War links to an article about a unit not created until after Longstreet's death in 1918 [5], meaning that it cannot be a correct link. The other edits to the article were not all clearly bad. A few of them were good and I am going to restore them. However, most of them, even if they didn't necessarily hurt the article, also did not appear to be helpful. The editor in question should use better judgment in the future to ensure that his or her edits are factually correct, sourced, and necessary, the last of these meaning that they actually make the article better and that they aren't just tweaks made out of boredom. Also, please use edit summaries to help other editors figure out what you're doing and why. Display name 99 ( talk) 14:50, 4 January 2022 (UTC)
I see there was a good-faith change by a new contributor, an appropriate reversion explained in edit summary by a seasoned editor, then a re-application of the change, this time with stronger sourcing and an attempt to explain the change in edit summary. I've created this thread so this insertion can be discussed if necessary. First, Welcome! I appreciate when re-inserting the material, an effort was made to improve the citation with the Atlantic Magazine source, so I thank the new editor for that attention. For the record, our normal working procedure on Wikipedia is (Bold, Revert, Discuss). For my part I'd prefer to see more discussion on the talk page and less in edit summary. Does anyone wish to further discuss these edits? BusterD ( talk) 09:38, 16 February 2022 (UTC)
MaxSand458, I will explain why I have reverted your edits to the article.
The edits have bad formatting. I am specifically speaking about putting a period in between references and improper writing of dates in articles. "April 13th of 1873" should be April 13, 1873. The style of writing in general is bad. You inserted a 2-sentence summary of the Colfax Massacre, which had already been mentioned in the article, in the middle of a general discussion of Longstreet's legacy, completely breaking the flow of the article. It is especially problematic and confusing that the Legacy section had more detail than the Reconstruction section.
The recent addition contains excessive detail. The article is already close to being too long under WP:Article size and cannot afford the addition of more detailed content. This is especially true when such detail is in entirely the wrong part of the article, as it is here.
The sources are not of a particularly high quality. The article should rely on peer-reviewed monographs and not on short articles written by journalists specializing in modern issues. Granted, the Redemption book is popular history written by someone who was not academically trained as a historian, but it is still a book rather than a popular magazine article, meaning that it would have required a much heavier amount of research.
The most recent change does not adhere to WP:Neutral point of view. This is exemplified by the use of "so-called" and the sentence "Longstreet's bravery was not in leading the militia, but in standing up to the white power structure."
I encourage you to consult Wikipedia guidelines and familiarize yourself with our policies before making further edits. Display name 99 ( talk) 21:32, 16 February 2022 (UTC)
@ Display name 99: The article currently reads His offenses included visiting after taps referring to Longstreet's West Point student time, linking to Taps (bugle call). But the tune specifically linked to was written by Dan Butterfield during the Civil War, decades after Longstreet was at West Point. I'm assuming the actual reference is to Tattoo (bugle call), Scott Tattoo, or some similar thing, but can't say for sure without being able to consult the cited source (Wert's bio). Hog Farm Talk 19:12, 15 November 2022 (UTC)
In the article and Infobox, it list “Louisiana State Militia” I had previously made this hypertext to the Louisiana National Guard, but this edit was reverted, claiming that the national guard did not exist then.
The state militia forces were simply the name each state used to refer to what is now the national guard. And according to the Louisiana National Guard website, they trace their origin back to 1600s.
https://geauxguard.la.gov/history/ Digital Herodotus ( talk) 18:13, 23 January 2023 (UTC)
I’m bringing up the below referenced video in the event this has not been discussed here previously. Early on in the video, there is an interview with a man with the Longstreet Society who is described as its “resident expert” concerning the general. He maintains that the early years and upbringing of General James Longstreet was confused by an early historian of the general who mistook the general’s nephew (from his older brother William), James Carter Longstreet, for General James Longstreet. He notes that his source for this is the family’s modern historian, a direct descendant of the general, who extensively researched the life of his ancestor.
I know that many Wikipedia editors are passionate about accuracy regarding all things Civil War and, therefore, for any unfamiliar with this video and interview who might want to view it and determine its validity as a source for the article, please click below. If it is deemed credible, then it would appear that the section of the article dealing with General Longstreet’s childhood might have to be revised accordingly. If any disagree, please don’t attempt to argue with me as I am hardly an expert on the subject and am just trying to be helpful for the benefit of others. I would, however, enjoy reading discussion among others here more educated than myself regarding the subject. Again, I do not know if this has been brought up here before.
Thanks to all for producing such a splendid article! It is most appreciated. For the video:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS968US968&q=james+longstreet&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiN887e0rb-AhVnFVkFHW47AUEQ0pQJegUIqAEQAQ&biw=1280&bih=578&dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:900d97f1,vid:-Doop5_RKtU HistoryBuff14 ( talk) 20:03, 19 April 2023 (UTC)
The article talks about the tactical ideas that Longstreet learned from Dennis Hart Mahan but describes Mahan as his "engineering instructor". Did Longstreet really learn tactics in an engineering course? I'm guessing that "engineering" has crept in here because Mahan was an engineer as well as a military theorist but that the course was not an engineering course. Bill ( talk) 01:05, 25 December 2023 (UTC)