Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 39.djvu/119

 Review of " From Manassas to Appomattox." 107

dignity in adopting this line of defense. He would have been better advised had he confined himself to a statement of facts, and have left it to others to determine whether his military ability was equal to that of Lee or Jackson. Nor are we of opinion that his attitude towards his great commander and his former colleagues becomes his reputation as a soldier. When he discusses the question whether Lee's strategy was not over- bold, whether he was not too fond of fighting, although we by no means agree with him, we follow him with interest ; but, when the friend and comrade of Lee and Jackson accuses the former of deliberate misrepresentation, of favoritism, of blood- thirstiness, and of hiding his own mistakes by throwing the blame on others, and when he goes out of his way to catalogue the tactical shortcomings of the latter, we follow him with re- gret. Space forbids that we should deal with General Long- street's charges against his colleagues. But we may say at once that his list of Jackson's blunders is almost ludicrously inaccu- rate. His statements are refuted, in many instances, by the ofificial records ; in other, a reference to any one of the surviving mem- bers of General Jackson's staff would have put him right. More- over, in his endeavor to belittle Jackson he has been hoist with his own petard ; and it is exceedingly interesting to find, after all these years, that he was the real author of the Confederate de- feat at Malvern Hill — a defeat which has hitherto been con- sidered, and with justice, the greatest blot on Lee's reputation as a tactician.

"General Lee," writes Longstreet, of July i, 1862, ''rode near Jackson's column to view the enemy on that front. Feel- ing unwell and much fatigued, he called me to temporary duty near him. As he rode to the left he ordered me * * * to make reconnaissance of the enemy's new position * * * and to report the feasibility of aggressive battle. * * * j thought it probable that Porter's (Federal) batteries, under the cross fire of Confederate batteries posted on his left and front, would be thrown into disorder, and thus make way for the combined as- saults of the infantry. I so reported, and General Lee made