>Roger Cole has hit the nail on the head, as I see it. >Longstreet seems to
have played the role of the "mulish >child" on 2 July 1863, refusing to
examine the newly >developing situation and to employ the initiative that his
>three star rank afforded him. Several contemporary >accounts suggest that
he clung dognatically to his >instructions, issued many hours earlier by Lee
who, at >the time, lacked intelligence concerning the Union's >"hanging
flank." My inclination has always
>been to recommend a court martial for Longstreet, just >as a number of
others recommended same for JEB >Stuart based on his wagon-chasing expedition
of the
>same general period of time. Longstreet seems to have >been generally
ineffective throughout the Gettysburg >campaign.
Col. Carlton;
There is a school of thought that considers the attack by Longstreet's
corps on 2 July to have been a successful engagement. He successfully engaged
and pushed back two federal corps. He was unable to take the flank
represented by Little Round Top but he was able to advance to the base of the
hills. The fact that Generals Hill and Ewell did not support Longstreet as
planned allowed the federal's to take advantage of their interior lines and
easily reinforce their left to brunt I corps attack. As to the charge that
"he clung dognatically to his instructions" seems inappropriate since his
superior who issued those instructions was still on the field. It has been
said that Lee's order to attack the left flank of the federal forces was the
only direct attack order he gave in the war. These are not the conditions
that lead one to exercise discretionary authority. I wholeheartedly support
the call for Stuart's court-martial but I would be hard pressed to make a
case for the court-martial of Longstreet based on his actions of 2 July,
1863.
Claude P. Foster
P.S.
I apologize to the members of this list who felt my identification of myself
was insufficient. My assumption was that having been cleared by the moderator
of the list, I would then be identified by the strength of my interest, the
substance of my thoughts and the clarity of my writings. I assure you that
no offense was intended.