James Longstreet: The Man, The Soldier, The Controversy [Hardcover]

Richard L. Di Nardo (Author), Albert A. Nofi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 1998

Few figures from the American Civil War have generated more controversy than Confederate general James Longstreet. As the senior officer present at Pickett's Charge, he has been blamed by many, particularly in the South, for the decisive Confederate defeat at Gettysburg. Other scholars have cited his exemplary combat record during the Civil War and looked to rivals within the Confederate hierarchy or his post-war support for the Northern-based Republican Party as sources for the criticism leveled at him. Richard L. DiNardo and Albert A. Nofi have assembled some of the top Civil War and Longstreet scholars to fully examine this still-controversial topic.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Albert A. Nofi has a Ph.D. in Military History from the City University of New York and was associate editor for many years of the ground-breaking military journal Strategy and Tactics. He was a founder of wargaming, the conflict simulation system used both by hobbyists and military planners. Dr. Nofi has written numerous books and articles on military history and was a news media military commentator during the Persian Gulf War. He is also the author of The Gettysburg Campaign and The Waterloo Campaign.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (May 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938289969
• ISBN-13: 978-0938289968
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,385,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent book that rights many wrongs!!, July 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: James Longstreet: The Man, The Soldier, The Controversy (Hardcover)

DiNardo and Nofi have compiled a group of essays that fairly critique the different periods of the life of General James Longstreet. While the authors of these essays address the strengths of Lee's "Old War Horse", they also point out areas where the general could have made better decisions. The authors take a very scholarly approach to attacks made on General Longstreet and are able to refute many of the attacks made by the anti-Longstreet movement. If you are looking for a book that gives a balanced view of a great Civil War general and that succeeeds in trying to set the record straight, look no further. "James Longstreet-The Man, the Soldier, the Controversy" is an outstanding book.

Steve Galligan

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stands with Jeffry Wert's Longstreet Biography, March 29, 2005

By 

James Longstreet - See all my reviews

This review is from: James Longstreet: The Man, The Soldier, The Controversy (Hardcover)

As an avid Longstreet admirer and biographer so to speak, books on Pete strike very rare and shows the creeping comeback of this man's stellar record.

A very early book of Longstreet was written in the 1930's called "General James Longstreet: My Old Warhorse". This book showed the south's view of the man still as very bitter toward his after war activities--which in turn turned to badgering his war record.

As the years have gone by, Longstreet's memory has grown to be more respected, either by research by an individual or by the 3 or 4 books that have been published since that 1930's time period which detract many of the ant-Longstreet cabul.

Lt. General James Longstreet served in the Confederate Army in high command positions from 1861-1865, from Manassas to Appomattox. "Old Pete" (nickname) became known as Lee's "Old War Horse" and the best fighter and corps commander in the Army.

Despite a distinguished military record and several brilliant victories where his prescience, strategic vision and well-executed tactics saved the Army of Northern Virginia from certain destruction, General Longstreet was unfairly scapegoated and blamed for the loss of Gettysburg (and the war itself) for many years after the conflict.

Within the past decade historians and Civil War experts have refocused their attention on Longstreet with a view toward rehabilitating his reputation with a more balanced assessment. Various programs, roundtable groups and memorial funds emerged as a consequence of the Longstreet "revival," culminating with the unveiling of a Longstreet statue on Seminary Ridge at Gettysburg in July 1998.

Despite these good efforts there remains a strong sentiment among Longstreet's modern-day admirers that more can and should be done to rectify the wrongs heaped upon "Old Pete" and his family for the sake of honesty and decency in the treatment of heroic (if controversial) figures and American History itself.

Just as these negative, media-driven barrages took a toll on Longstreet and his family and countless other Americans, we are all reduced by these vicious, orchestrated falsehoods. Our history becomes distorted and truth becomes a casualty. Moreover, we as a nation are nullifying, even negating the enormous sacrifices made by our ancestors, particularly the noble soldiers like Longstreet, if we permit the erasure from history of their lives and achievements --the actions which have created our current bounty.

James Longstreet's life encompassed much of the tumultuous nineteenth century. As a West Point-trained officer, Longstreet served with distinction in the Mexican War and matured with the young nation's Manifest Destiny, honing his military skills in the rough wilds of the West. Longstreet knew the frontier and its values, and he drew strength and vision from his experience which served him well in the Civil War and beyond.

Longstreet's struggles with the exigencies of the South's military situation and his acute awareness of broad facets of the interlocking tragedy which unfolded after Appomattox did not inoculate him from one of American history's cruelest outbreaks of scapegoating and ostracism through which he endured an unrelenting barrage of personal attacks on his military record and beliefs. For nearly four decades Longstreet stood against the ill winds, did his duty, and helped the country grow into an industrial power.

Serious students of American history need to understand Longstreet's life, especially after his last great battle at The Wilderness (where he was nearly killed by accidental wounding) -- what happened to him and why it happened to gain a fuller understanding of what has transpired in the past one hundred and thirty-five years. There are profound lessons for all of us in understanding Longstreet, his travails and times.

This book--which is the most new addition to the Longstreet collection comes through as a "Gallagher essay" type format where various authors from Dinardo, to Nofi, to Piston, to Wert, all chip in with new and original essays on the man--Lee's Old War Horse.

Regards,
Cory

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Collection of Essays that High Light Longstreet, January 23, 2004

By 

Daniel Hurley (Chesapeake, VA.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: James Longstreet: The Man, The Soldier, The Controversy (Hardcover)

This book is a collection of essays much like Gary Gallagher does for his Civil war battle series. The book starts with an explanation of how Longstreet became the scapegoat for the south engineered by the post war attacks of former VA. officers some of which were not held in high esteem during the war. Suffering from this malignment, Longstreet's place in history has not been very kind or in some cases accurate. The authors cover Longstreet's career describing him as a modern general in thinking strategicaly about inside lines of communication utilizing railroads and concentrating forces against a stronger foe. Essays include Longstreet at not only Gettysburg but Chickamauga, the latter being the last great southern victory. Wert covers the controversial aspects of Longstreet's role at Gettysburg and puts the bed any thoughts of the infamous but false allegation of a "sunrise attack order". A fascinating essay is DiNardos comparison of the staffs of Longstreet's and Jackson's where Longstreet's staff come off as more professional with many receiving independent commands. Piston covers Longstreet in the antebellum prewar army where favoritism and connections were ripe and in the final essay covers Longstreet place in Southern History where he was succesfully vilified by Jubal Early.