Not to detract from the Gettysburg movie thread:

"Bring me Longstreet's head on a platter and the war will be over."
--President Abraham Lincoln.

"I recollect well my thinking, there is a man that cannot be stampeded."
--General Fitzhugh Lee on General Longstreet at Bull Run.

"Longstreet has no superior as a soldier in the Southern Confederacy."
--General Lafayette McLaws to General Richard Ewell.

"By the soldiers he is invariably spoken of as the best fighter in the whole army."
--Lt. Col. Arthur Freemantle.

"He was our hardest hitter."
--General John Bell Hood.

"It's no use to stop and fight Longstreet. You can't whip him. It don't make any difference, whether he has one man or a hundred thousand."
--General Gordon Granger, 1864.

"Drive Longstreet out of Tennessee and keep him out."
General Henry Halleck to General John Foster, December 1863.

"Longstreet's advice was sound military sense; it was the step I most feared Lee would take."
--General George Meade on Longstreet's advice to General Lee at Gettysburg.

"Our generals don't do that sort of thing."
--A captured Federal officer at Gettysburg on seeing Longstreet leading Barksdale's Mississippi Brigade against the Peach Orchard.

Longstreet Quotes

My favorite was when he was asked by Lee what his opinion was on Grants request for Lee's surrender. "not yet".

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

I consider myself a student of History. Expecially the War for Southern Independence. I must admit my knowledge of Longstreet is severely lacking. Prior to the tragic Death of Stonewall Jackson what was Longstreet s role in the army?

One hell of a soldier and commander. The Confederate general I most admire. Yes, more than Marse Robert.

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Oh well, what the hell.

He has been described as Lee's anvil where Jackson was described as Lee's hammer. He was a master of defensive tactics and at one time before Jackson's untimely death at Chancellorsville, had control of almost half of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

As far as favorite Southern Generals, well I'll have to go with Nathan Bedford Forrest

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

General Longstreet is my all time favorite historical military figure with Patton running a close second. There isn't enough room here to say it all about him but I will say that if Lee would have taken Longstreet's advice at Gettysburg, the town of Gettysburg wouldn't be what it is today and things would have turned out much differently for the southern army and the Confederacy. He, as well as many others, gave it their all for their rights.

My favorite is JEB Stuart. Dashing, brave, creative. He even took over an infantry division when its commander went down. His death probably hit Lee the hardest, both emotionally and tactically.

That was the fore-runner of McAuliffes "Nuts."

Only one thing wrong here. Its not "War for Southern Independence" its "War of Northern Aggression" ;-)) and other various terms.

I dont have an absolute top favorite Confederate General, but a few honorable mentions are:

Robert Edward Lee.
Longstreet--whose name is Americanized from the German: Langenstrasse.
James Ewell Brown (J.E.B.) Stuart.
Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Just to keep it a short list.

Sir. I have enough Confederate Gravestones in the family plot too call it War for Southern Independence.


If Lee had listened to Lomgstreet. If we had pushed the yankees at 1st Manassas we d have drove them back to Washington. If that fool Pillow had held the Tennessee River Forts. Gentlemen the South had too many if onlys. Devine Providence is the only logical explanation behind the fall of the Confederacy.

My family does as well.I grew up hearing it called many things--but mainly War of Northern Aggression. Peace be with you brother.

And thanks to Providence for intervening!

I always had a soft spot for Wade Hampton. Quite a character, before, after and during the "War for Southern Independance".

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

He was a very great general, as were most of the Souther generals. (Can't say the same for the North.)

BTW: in my family we normally said the second war for independence.

He used to be described as "Lee's Warhorse".
The North had plenty of good, even great generals. Thomas, e.g.

Taking nothing away from southern leadership and courage, so long as the Union prosecuted the war, the south was not going win simply based on the population and material imbalance. Europeans could never openly intervene in a war for slavery.

I prefer the term "War of Southern Stupidity". They never should have started a war, fought on their soil, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dead on both sides, that they coudn't possibly win.

Sheridan was anothe of their good Gens. Though people hate him (Sherman) for burning Atlanta and such--the hatred is actually misjudged on him.I read a boook written long ago--about how much (in his words) it tore him apart of "raze the ground" and it always bothered him.

I think that if Briton had come in on the Souths side? the outcome would have been much more different. I would love to see a good historian do a What If? book about that.....