James Longstreet is considered by some historians to be the finest corps commander on either side of the conflict. He impressed multiple superiors throughout the war and was an excellent defensive tactician.
Longstreet served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the Eastern Theater, but also with General Braxton Bragg in the Army of Tennessee in the Western Theater.
Perhaps no Confederate officer is surrounded by more controversy than James Longstreet. Called “Old Pete” and “My Old War Horse” by General Robert E. Lee, Longstreet was Lee’s trusted advisor and friend.
He was reluctant to participate in Lee's plan on Day 3 of the Battle of Gettysburg that sent Pickett's Charge into the center of the Union line.
Nonetheless, after the war, Longstreet became the target of many “Lost Cause” attacks. Longstreet's letters to the New Orleans Times, his support of the Republican Party, and his memoirs alienated many Southerners.
He had been friends with Ulysses S. Grant and became an ardent supporter of his.
He was nominated to be ambassador to the Ottoman Empire by U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes. Longstreet held that position until June 1881.
He continued to serve the government of Georgia and published his controversial memoirs that his second wife would always defend.
He died in 1904 during the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.
Controversy
The controversy that surrounded James Longstreet after the war came from those who did not like that he joined the Republican party and was critical of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.
His memoirs criticized various actions taken by both of them. If he had lived in the North, then he would have been accepted. Ulysses Grant and William Sherman also published memoirs that criticized Lee and Jackson and often praised defensive Generals like Longstreet and Joseph Johnston.
James Longstreet has been vindicated in modern times as the South's spin on history has faded over the past few decades.
Read Article: Famous Generals of the Civil War
Family Overview
James Longstreet experienced many tragedies in his personal life.
His father died in a cholera epidemic when he was 12 years old, and his mother was left to raise many children she had. Longstreet had to grow up quickly, and the military seemed like a great way out of his situation. His family had ties to previous wars, such as the American Revolution.
He would serve in the Mexican-American War, where he would meet many of the men he would fight against in the Civil War.
He married Maria Louisa Garland, and the couple had many children but endured a terrible tragedy.
Of their first 6 children, the couple lost 5 prior to 1862. Three of them died within the same week with scarlet fever when Longstreet was away at war.
Their oldest son died young, but after his father's death.
His wife died in 1889, and he remarried Helen Dortch, who was half his age. She became a staunch defender of him and pushed for many reforms.
She became a well-known person in politics and lived until she was 99 years old. She would help improve his legacy despite Southern revisionist history.
Family Tree Chart
Parents:
James Longstreet Sr. (1783 - 1833) - He was born in New Jersey but moved to Augusta, Georgia with his parents. He married the daughter of a Revolutionary War veteran, and the two had 11 children. He died during a cholera epidemic.
Mary Ann Dent (1793 - 1855) - She had deep roots in Maryland Colony until her parents moved to Georgia. She was the daughter of a Revolutionary War veteran and the mother of a Mexican-American War and Civil War officer.
Spouse:
Maria Louisa Garland (1827 - 1889) - Maria Louisa Garland was born at Fort Snelling, Minnesota Territory. She was the daughter of John Garland and Harriet Smith. Harriet Smith was the daughter of fur trapper and trader Jacob Smith and a half- if not full-blooded Chippewa Native American squaw. She married Longstreet in Lynchburg, Virginia, and the couple had 10 children together.
Helen Dortch (1863 - 1962) - She married Longstreet when he was 76 years old. She worked hard to secure his legacy and was active in many political issues, including conservation and civil rights. She lived until she was 99 years of age and witnessed World War 2. During that time, she was a Rosie the Riveter at the Bell Aircraft plant in Georgia. She did not have any children.
Children:
John Garland Longstreet (1848 - 1918) - He served with his father as a young boy as a courier during the Civil War. After the war, he served in the Louisiana Militia and made it to the rank of Major. He then moved to Atlanta and practiced as an architect. He died and never married.
Augustus Baldwin Longstreet (1850 - 1862) - He was born in Texas. He died of scarlet fever at the age of 11.
William Dent Longstreet (1853 - 1854) - He died just after his first birthday.
Harriet Margaret Longstreet (1856) - She only survived a few months after birth.
James Longstreet (1857 - 1862) - He died of scarlet fever around the same time as his brother Augustus and sister Mary Anne.
Mary Anne Longstreet (1860 - 1862) - She was only 1 year old when she died of scarlet fever. She died the day after her brother James died.
Robert Lee Longstreet (1863 - 1940) - He would rise to Lt. Colonel of Cavalry in the United States Army. He never married.
James G. Longstreet (1865 - 1933) - He served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 13th Cavalry, stationed at Ft. D. A. Russell (Cheyenne, Wyoming). He died of an apparent stroke while leading his Second Squadron (three troops) in a Saturday morning review on the parade ground. He was not married.
Fitz Randolph Longstreet (1869 - 1951) - He was the only son of James Longstreet to get married and have children. He died at 82 years of age and lived through World War 2.
Maria Louisa Longstreet (1872 - 1957) - She was born in Flint, Michigan, and married into the Whelchel family. She and her husband had six children. Three of her children fought in World War 1 or World War 2.
Siblings:
Anna Longstreet (1814 - 1839) - She married and had one child before her death in 1839.
William Longstreet (1817 - 1889) - He served in the Civil War. There is little known about his life before or after the war. He married and had four children.
Sarah-Jane Longstreet (1819) - Not many records of her. Most likely died as an infant.
John Longstreet (1820) - Most likely died as an infant
Julia Longstreet (1821 - 1904) - She married and had two children. She died at a young age, a year after her husband passed.
Henrietta Longstreet (1822 - 1889) - married Dr. Archibald Clemens of Huntsville, Alabama. He was related to Samuel Clemens, better known as "Mark Twain". Henrietta and Archibald had two children, Mary Anne and James Longstreet, the latter born in September 1844.
Rebecca Longstreet (1824 - 1881) - She married twice, but there is no record of children.
Eliza Park Longstreet (1828 - 1914) - She married and had many children. When she died, she was one of the oldest and most well-known people in the county.
Maria Nelson Longstreet (1829 - 1913) - She married Elisha Dismukes in 1849. Of their six children, three died as infants. The three remaining daughters married into the families of Featherston, Cavett, and Smith.
Sarah Jane Longstreet (1831 - 1920) - She married into the Ames family and had three children. She lived until she was 88 years of age.