Lee and Longstreet at High Tide: Gettysburg in the Light of the Official Records

by Helen Dortch Longstreet

RESOLUTIONS BY CAMPS AND CHAPTERS

(Sterling Price Camp.)

“His chivalry is as lasting as the hills of the Old Dominion.”

Tribute to the memory of General James Longstreet, adopted by Sterling Price Camp, No. 31, Dallas, Texas.

Comrade A. W. Nowlin, in submitting the report of the committee, said in part:

“Comrades, we have assembled here as a camp to pay tribute to the memory of the late Lieutenant-General Longstreet. One of the great soldiers of the age has fallen. He has answered the last roll-call. Taps has been sounded ‘Lights out.’ The ‘War-Horse of the Confederacy’ is dead. This great, brave, and fearless officer is gone. The hard fighter of the Army of Northern Virginia has surrendered to the arch-enemy death. General Longstreet possessed the esteem and confidence of his troops in a marked degree. They were devoted to him, and when and where he led they were invincible.

“His name and his deeds of daring and chivalry are coupled and interwoven with that of the Army of Northern Virginia, and are as lasting as the hills of the ‘Old Dominion.’ The heroic battle-fields of Virginia will ever attest and pay tribute to the military genius of this great leader. History will hand down to posterity the name of James Longstreet as one of the great generals of the nineteenth century.”

The following was adopted as Camp Sterling Price’s tribute to Lieutenant-General James Longstreet:

Whereas, Lieutenant-General James Longstreet recently passed away at his home in Gainesville, Georgia, and was buried, amid the tears and regrets of thousands of those who loved him and had assembled from every part of this country to pay this last honor to him; be it

Resolved, That the comrades of Camp Sterling Price have heard with profound sorrow of the death of this great Southern soldier and comrade.

Resolved, That, educated in the profession of arms, he gave many years of his young manhood to the service of his country in the war with Mexico and in conflicts and campaigns with the savages of the West, and everywhere distinguished himself for courage and ability so as to win promotion and the gratitude and applause of his countrymen.

Resolved, That when wrongs and passion disrupted the nation, and his native State withdrew from the Union and united with the Confederate States of America, he felt that his allegiance no longer belonged to the other States of the Union, but to the one of which he was a citizen, and he resigned his office in the United States army and offered his services to the government of the Confederacy. He received the rank of brigadier-general, and, being always in the front when campaigns were most important and the enemy the most powerful and battles were furious, he was promoted for distinguished bravery, conduct, and generalship to be major-general, lieutenant-general, and second in command of the great Army of Northern Virginia, under the great commander Lee.

As brigadier-general at Manassas he held the left wing of the enemy, by his boldness, so that it could not give assistance to the defeated right wing. As major-general he covered General Johnston’s retreat in the Peninsula before the advance of McClellan, and fought the victorious battle of Williamsburg. As major-general he commanded the right wing in the bloody battle of Seven Pines, and with D. H. Hill drove the enemy from the field. In the Seven Days’ battle around Richmond no general gained greater renown, and soon thereafter, when Congress directed the President to appoint seven corps commanders with the rank of lieutenant-general, Major-General Longstreet was made the ranking lieutenant-general and second in command of the army under Lee, which position he held through the great battles and campaigns of that army for three years, until with Lee and the remnant of his heroes he surrendered at Appomattox.

At the second battle of Manassas he commanded the right wing of the army, and with Jackson on the left drove Pope into the fortification of Washington. At South Mountain he held McClellan with a death grip until Jackson could storm Harper’s Ferry, and commanded the right wing at Sharpsburg and fought more than double his number under McClellan from early dawn until darkness spread her sombre shadows over the bloodiest scene in American history. It was here that Lee knighted him as his “War-Horse” as the last guns were sending their hoarse echoes among the mountains. Next, at Fredericksburg he commanded the left wing, and at nightfall on the 13th of December, 1862, eight thousand of the enemy were stretched out dead or bleeding in front of his corps.

At Gettysburg, riding by the side of Lee, without expecting nor desiring at that time to join battle with the enemy, they heard the thunder of Hill’s and Ewell’s guns, and hastened to their assistance. The first day’s battle was fought and won before Lee or Longstreet could take an active part. On the second day Longstreet commanded the right wing and fought one of the bloodiest battles of the war, driving almost the entire army of Meade before him, and leaving more than ten thousand of the enemy slain or wounded on the field. The third day of this great battle he exhibited the loftiest courage.

Next, he and his corps were sent from Virginia to Georgia and joined Bragg in the terrible battle of Chickamauga, where he commanded the left wing and routed the right wing of Rosecrans’s army. When Grant and Meade, with their forty thousand veteran soldiers, were advancing upon Lee in the Wilderness of Virginia, the great commander of the Army of Northern Virginia called Longstreet with his men back from Tennessee, and with panting breath and quick step and double ranks he headed the Texas brigade and rushed upon the cheering and triumphant enemy on the second day in the Wilderness, and drove them over their works amid the blazing woods, and a great victory was in the grasp of Lee, when a bullet from our own men, by mistake, crashed through his body and he was carried from the field desperately wounded. The guiding hand of the great general and fighter was gone, and victory fled as the fatal opportunity was lost.

In the long siege and through the many battles around Richmond and Petersburg, lasting nearly twelve months, Longstreet commanded the left wing on the north side of the James, and stood like an immovable mountain between the enemy and the Confederate capital.

When the sad day of Five Forks came, and Lee’s lines were broken about Petersburg, Longstreet was called from Richmond with his men to the assistance of his great commander, and covered the retreat and gave blow for blow to the charging enemy, and when the sun rose on the day of the 9th of April, and Grant was about to offer terms for the surrender of the Southern army, Longstreet told General Lee that if the terms were not honorable they would fight again and die fighting. Thus he fought and stood by his chief to the bitter end, retaining the confidence of his commander and his President to the last; and if they who knew him best and trusted him most, and were with him day and night and knew his thoughts and opinions, and witnessed his deeds and actions throughout all the vicissitudes and trials of those days that measured the souls of men,​—​if they believed in him, trusted him, leaned on him, and kept him second to Lee, who shall have the temerity to criticise, to condemn, and to throw stones at this imperial soldier?

Those of us who have heard the thunder of his guns; those of us who have seen him leading his warriors in battle; those of us who have seen him stand like a Gibraltar against the charging thousands of a fierce foe, will honor him as a great soldier who has added to the fame of Southern manhood, and who is worthy to stand through the ages with Lee and Johnston and Jackson and Stewart, and all the brave men who laid their bare breasts to the storm of war in the name of freedom and independence. We honor ourselves by honoring such a man.

Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of this Camp and a copy be sent to Mrs. James Longstreet by the adjutant.

A. W. Nowlin.
J. R. Cole.
J. W. Taylor.
T. C. Bailey.
Milton Park.

*****

(Camp 435.)

“A Solomon in council, a Samson on the field.”

The following resolution in memory of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, introduced by Captain Wm. Dunbar, was adopted by Camp 435, U. C. V., Augusta, Georgia, by a unanimous and rising vote:

Resolved, That we deplore the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet. We recall how, in the opening of the campaign of 1862, his stubborn gallantry saved the Army of Northern Virginia for its long career of glory; how, later in the same campaign, his superb strategy rescued Stonewall Jackson from the swarming thousands about to overwhelm him; how, in 1863, he flew to the aid of the heroic Army of Tennessee, and with it won the resplendent victory of Chickamauga. In short, we know him by the proud title of the War-Horse of the Confederacy, a title worthily bestowed by General Robert E. Lee himself. He was a grand soldier, a Solomon in council, and a Samson in the field.

Resolved, That these resolutions be inscribed on a special page of our minutes, and that a copy thereof be transmitted by our adjutant to the family of the valiant dead.

*****

(Longstreet Chapter.)

“His fame is imperishable.”

Verily, though dead, yet in history he will continue to live; be it therefore

Resolved, That while we, the Daughters of the Confederacy, deplore the loss of our beloved Confederate General James Longstreet, who was the first ranking general of the Confederate army, passes one of the most gallant spirits of the nineteenth century. In the war drama of his life he played a most important part. At the beginning of the scene of the Civil War he took up the Southland’s cause and began as brigadier-general a career of courageous fighting which won for him the admiration of the world. He was a comrade of Jackson and a companion of Lee. In personal appearance General Longstreet was well adapted to play this important part. So distinguished in appearance, he was indeed a veritable “war-horse.” His career in the Confederate army was a magnificent display of this loyal adherence to his views of truth and right. His fame as a soldier is imperishably inscribed on the scroll of history.

Worn by recurring paroxysms of exquisite pain, the great warrior was weary as the evening shadows fell, and patiently asked his devoted wife to rearrange his couch. “I shall rest better on the other side,” he said, gently. Then the spirit took its flight.

Let us cherish in our hearts the golden story,
How the chieftain bravely lived and calmly died​—​
Living for his Southland’s never fading glory​—​
“Resting better now upon the other side.”

Perish the hand and strike down the pen that would rob him of a people’s gratitude to a brave and loyal son.

Resolved, His death caused universal sorrow among those who honor the chivalry, gallantry, and bravery which lent to the Confederate cause the lustre that can never dim, and left a laurelled history that will never die.

“For he who best knows how to endure shall possess the greater peace.”

Resolved, That we extend our heartfelt sympathy to his bereaved family in this hour of unspeakable sorrow, and pray that the hand of our Heavenly Father may be laid in gracious healing upon their broken hearts. That the Holy One may abide with them in comforting influence, and that the sunshine of His wonderful presence may brighten the present sad separation by the sure promise of reunion with their beloved in the land where suffering and death are unknown.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the city papers, and to the bereaved family, and that they be inscribed in our minutes.

Mrs. R. H. Smith.
Mrs. Ernest Ham.
Mrs. J. C. Dorsey.
Mrs. C. C. Sanders.

*****

(John A. Green Camp.)

“The battle-fields of Virginia will ever pay tribute to Longstreet’s genius.”

Head-Quarters Colonel John A. Green Camp,
No. 1461, U. C. V., Dickens, Texas.

We have assembled here to pay tribute to the memory of the “War-Horse” of the Army of Northern Virginia, General James Longstreet, who died recently at his home in or near Gainesville, Georgia, at the ripe old age of eighty-three years. General Longstreet earned his first laurels at the first battle of Manassas, and fought his way up to lieutenant-general. Being the ranking lieutenant-general in Lee’s grand army, he served with conspicuous gallantry in nearly all the battles in which that army was engaged,​—​Manassas, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, under Johnston, the Seven Days’ battles around Richmond, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg (it was here that General Lee knighted him as his “War-Horse”), Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, the Wilderness, around Richmond and Petersburg, and in almost all the great battles in which Lee’s army was engaged. However we may have differed with him in the political path which he chose, when the army which he led with such conspicuous ability laid down their arms and returned to peaceful pursuits, we recognize in him a great general, and the battle-fields of Virginia will ever attest and pay tribute to his military genius. History will hand down his name to posterity as one of the great generals of the South, one who was true and faithful to the Star-Spangled Banner under which he fought, and in whom our great commander, General R. E. Lee, placed his confidence and trust. General Longstreet possessed the esteem and confidence of his troops in a marked degree in camp and field, and in advance or retreat his deeds of daring are coupled with that of the army of General Lee, and are as lasting as the hills of Virginia. We extend our sympathy to the family of this grand old general who has passed over the River.

Jno. A. Green, U. C. V.,
Thos. L. Woods, U. C. V.,
B. D. Glasgow, S. U. C. V.,
R. L. Collier, S. U. C. V.,

Committee.

W. C. Ballard,
Commander.

*****

(James Longstreet Camp.)

“A patriot who commanded the admiration of the age in which he lived. One of the world’s great generals.”

To the memory of General Longstreet, passed by Camp James Longstreet, U. C. V., at their regular meeting in Ennis, Texas, January 17, 1904:

Whereas, The Commander-in-Chief has been pleased to call the late Lieutenant-General James Longstreet across the river, to rest in the shade on the other shore with his former commanding general, R. E. Lee, and his associates, Hood, Jackson, and others, who had preceded him; and

Whereas, In the removal of this great soldier from the walks of life to his future reward the military world has lost one of the most distinguished military characters known to the history of civil warfare; America has lost a loyal patriot, whose inflexible devotion to duty, as he saw it from a view-point of patriotic loyalty to his country, commanded the admiration of the age in which he lived; the South has lost a son, whose distinguished services as a gallant soldier and whose superior ability as a general in the Army of Northern Virginia easily classed him with the greatest of the world’s great generals, one whose brilliant record sheds an honorable lustre on the Southern soldier of which the American people feel justly proud; therefore be it

Resolved, That while we deplore with sadness the death of General Longstreet, who enjoyed the full confidence of his commanding general and of the officers and men of his command as a gallant and prudent officer, we cherish his record as a general in the Army of Virginia as a spotless sheen of soldierly merit and worth, faultless in every respect.

Resolved, That a page in the record-book of Camp James Longstreet be set apart, and that these resolutions in memory of our departed general be recorded thereon.

Fraternally,

L. A. Daffan.
T. G. May.
J. C. Loggins.

*****

(Hattiesburg Camp.)

“He was the chosen leader and central figure in every great conflict from the first battle of Manassas to the fateful day at Appomattox.”

Longstreet was the chosen leader and central figure in every great conflict from the first battle of Manassas to the fateful day at Appomattox.

Sparta never had a worthier son than the South had in General Longstreet. From the firing of the first gun his ardor never ceased, his courage never failed. Often in the midst of the greatest battle did he stand with his men when they fell around him like forests in a storm. His presence was inspiring, and his word talismanic. No soldier was ever more loved or confided in than he. Who shall say that his name shall not emblazon the brightest page of our history? Who will deny him that great praise, so justly his own by reason of his great services and terrible suffering? History will be incomplete without according him her brightest page; and as long as we live to recount deeds of valor and heroism on the battle-field, will live the names of Lee, Longstreet, and “Stonewall” Jackson. Who that was at Gettysburg, Spottsylvania, and the Wilderness, when the earth rocked with the tramp of armed men and the roar of battle resounded almost to heaven, would deny him this mead of praise?

In all these was General Longstreet a prime warrior, a conspicuous actor. He rarely, if ever, was defeated. He planned his marches, battles, and retreats with a strategy little less than transcendent; and when he made a stand he placed his back to the rock and bid defiance to his enemies.

He was to Lee what Ney was to Napoleon, a guide, a friend, and a confidant.

I cannot pass this occasion without recalling an incident at the Wilderness. On the 5th day of May, 1864, General Grant had devastated the entire country from the Rapidan River to Fredericksburg. His soldiers were as numerous as the Assyrian hosts. Hancock’s corps had advanced to the west side of the plank road that ran through that dismal swamp, and had driven both Pendor and Heath out of their breastworks, thus breaking through the centre of our line of battle. It was an awful hour​—​fear and despair could be seen in every face. In vain did Heath and Pendor try to repossess their works.

Just at that moment Longstreet arrived on the ground. Hood’s Texans were in front. Lee came in a gallop to meet them. With tears in his eyes and his long hair flying in the wind, he asked, “What troops are these?” “Hood’s Texans,” was the reply. “Follow me!” he said. When he started to lead them, a Texan belonging to the First Texas Regiment, commanded by Colonel J. R. Harding, now of Jackson, Mississippi, caught the bridle of General Lee’s horse and turned him back. Away went the Texans followed by the Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana brigades, and drove the enemy back and saved the day. This was but one of the glorious acts of General Longstreet.

Cold Harbor, Seven Pines, Gaines Mill, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg are not less glorious than others named, and all made so by the energy and courage of Longstreet and his faithful soldiers. At the battle of Sharpsburg for a long time our army was threatened with defeat; our lines began to waver before the terrible fire of the superior numbers with which we were contending, when General Longstreet, just from a hot contest on our left, was brought around to the centre, and for six long hours he repelled the assailants of this numerous host and “kept the executives at bay and drove back the Mamalukes of power.” Forget him? No! The names of Lee and Longstreet will live as those of Cæsar and Napoleon, and when this physical world shall have perished, and the heavens rolled together as a scroll, the names of these men will be remembered.

Resolved, That in the death of General Longstreet the South has lost one of her most brilliant soldiers.

Resolved, That in battles his name was a synonym of success, and his presence an inspiration to his men, a terror to his enemies.

Resolved, That the Camp wear the usual badge for thirty days and a copy of this paper be sent to his family at Gainesville, Georgia.

T. B. Johnson,
For Committee.

Adopted by Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Camp, No. 21, U. C. V., February 6, 1904.

*****

(John M. Stephen’s Camp.)

“Where his flag waved his lines stood as immovable as Gibraltar.”

Comrades,​—​At his home at Gainesville, Georgia, at 5 P.M., Saturday, January 2, 1904, in his eighty-third year, Lieutenant-General Longstreet answered his last roll-call. If Alabama had done nothing save to give us Longstreet and Pelham, she would have done much for herself, the Southland, and for fame. If with Alexander, Hannibal, and Napoleon, Robert E. Lee takes first rank among the world’s great generals, surely General Longstreet may stand with those who occupy second rank among the world’s great military men.

If Jackson was Lee’s right hand, Longstreet was his left from Manassas to Appomattox.

Longstreet was a very thunder-bolt of war. When Jackson at the second battle of Manassas was hard pressed by Pope’s whole army, Longstreet rushed to his aid and, striking Pope’s flank, crushed it as an egg-shell in the hand of a strong man. Thus always and everywhere that Longstreet led, his men hurried to death as joyously as the bridegroom to greet the bride; where his flag waved his lines stood as immovable as Gibraltar to the storms of the ocean, and when he moved forward, there the enemy were beaten or death and carnage reigned supreme. If after Appomattox, Longstreet made mistakes, or we imagined he did, the mantle of death covers them all. Remembering there has only One lived without fault, they are forgotten, and standing by his grave we remember only his virtues and the heroism and skill which made him great in times and places where great men were thick as fallen leaves in Vallombrosa; therefore be it

Resolved, That we mourn the death of our great leader, and tender to his bereaved family our sincere sympathy.

Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of this Camp, and that copies be furnished our town papers for publication and a copy be sent to General Longstreet’s widow.

Silas C. Buck,
McD. Reil,

Committee.

*****

(Jeff Falkner Camp.)

“His officers and men have never doubted his courage and loyalty.”

Commander John Purifoy spoke of the death of General Longstreet and introduced the subjoined resolutions which were unanimously adopted.

“In the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet a great soldier has ‘passed over the river’ to his final rest. No more will he wake to behold the splendor and fame of his men. He has fought his last battle. In the school of war he had learned courage, promptness, and determination. Its stern lessons had taught him fortitude in suffering, coolness in danger, and cheerfulness under reverses. Every Southerner should feel proud of his record as a soldier.

“While some of those who were associated with him in the many great battles in which he was a conspicuous figure, have permitted themselves to engage in some adverse criticism of his conduct on one occasion only, the officers and men under his immediate command never for a moment doubted his courage, his skill, his integrity, his sincerity, or his loyalty to the cause for which he unsheathed his sword. Nor did the great Lee, whose confidence he retained to his death, ever intimate that Longstreet was not faithful, brave, and prompt in the discharge of every duty as a soldier.

“As surviving comrades we will cherish his memory; as Alabamans, we are proud of his record. His integrity, his honesty, and his heroic conduct are worthy of emulation.

“Resolved, That our sincere condolence is hereby tendered his bereaved widow and other members of his family.

“Resolved, That this memorial and resolutions be spread upon our minutes, and that they be given to the press for publication.

“Resolved, That a copy of the same be mailed to his widow at Gainesville, Georgia.”

*****

(George B. Eastin Camp.)

“His fame will endure as long as the story of the great struggle shall be told.”

Whereas, We, the members of the George B. Eastin Camp of United Confederate Veterans, Louisville, Kentucky, have heard with profound regret of the death of our distinguished comrade, Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, and feel that we should pay tribute to the memory of one who was so conspicuously associated with the cause for which we fought; therefore be it

Resolved, That we recognize and testify to the valor and devotion which he exhibited on so many fields made memorable by Confederate effort, and caused him to be worthily ranked among the best and bravest soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia.

With the history and the glory of that army his name will ever be signally and inseparably connected. His fame as a skilful, resolute, and sagacious commander, the honor due him as a dauntless defender of his native soil, his record for faithful performance of duty and unflinching courage from “Manassas to Appomattox,” will endure so long as the story of the great struggle shall be told.

Forgetting in the presence of his death and grave all later differences, we remember and acknowledge his services and his heroism in the hour of need and trial.

Resolved, That these resolutions be spread on the minutes of this Camp, and the daily papers of this city be requested to publish same; also, that a copy be sent to the bereaved widow of our distinguished comrade.

Respectfully submitted,

D. Thornton.
Jas. S. Carpenter.
J. S. S. Casler.

*****

(Pat Cleburne Camp, No. 88.)

“He was as true as the needle to the pole in every position in which he was placed, whether in civic or military life.”

January 17, 1904.

Two weeks ago to-day the wires flashed the news over the country that General James Longstreet, the soldier, statesman, and diplomat, died Saturday night at his home in Gainesville, Georgia. He was born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, January 8, 1821, hence lacked only a few days of being eighty-three years of age. He graduated from West Point in 1842, was in the war with Mexico and brevetted for meritorious service at Churubusco and Molino del Rey. He was wounded September 8, 1847, at the storming of Chapultepec. He was commissioned brigadier-general in the Confederate army at the first battle of Bull Run, in 1861, where he commanded a brigade on the right of the Confederate army and held in check a strong force of the enemy in a vain effort to turn General Johnston’s flank; and from then until the dark day at Appomattox, when the sun of the Confederacy went down in gloom to rise no more, the flag of “Old Pete,” as he was familiarly called by his old comrades, was everywhere in the thick of the fight; and he was one of Lee’s most trusted lieutenants, and every true Confederate soldier will drop a tear to his memory. He has crossed the dark river and is now resting with Lee, Jackson, and thousands of others who have answered the last roll-call, heard the last tattoo, and will hear the roll of the drum and the call to arms no more forever. Peace to his ashes and sympathy to his living comrades is our sincere wish; therefore be it

Resolved, That the death of General Longstreet takes from our earthly ranks another of the brave and true, one who was ever ready to obey the call of duty, as the writers of this resolution can testify, having followed him through many bloody engagements where he was indeed a leader whom any might feel honored to follow. He was as true as the needle to the pole in every position in which he was placed, whether in civic or military life.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be spread upon our minutes, a copy forwarded to the widow of our deceased comrade, and that we tender her our sincere sympathy in this the darkest hour of her life.

J. M. Mallett,
Captain Commanding.
M. S. Kahle,

Adjutant.

*****

(Joseph E. Johnston Camp.)

“His sword was one of the most trenchant ever drawn in the South’s defence.”

At a regular meeting of Joseph E. Johnston Camp, U. C. V., No. 119, held at Gainesville, Texas, on the 9th day of January, 1904, the Committee on Resolutions as to the death of General Longstreet presented, and the Camp unanimously adopted, the following resolutions:

Resolved, That we have heard, with deep sorrow, of the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, late of the Confederate army.

Resolved, That in the death of General Longstreet the world has lost one of her greatest military chieftains, the United States one of her most illustrious citizens, and the South one who in the darkest hours of peril boasted him among her noblest and best; his sword was one of the most trenchant ever drawn in her defence, and to her is left the proud heritage of his brilliant career.

Resolved, That as this sad news is flashed around the world, it is fitting that every ex-Confederate soldier should bow his head in deep sadness as his bier passes us to the silent city of the dead.

Resolved, That as our great comrade has obeyed his last tattoo, and after a long and useful life has gone to peaceful rest, where war’s dread alarm is heard no longer, that we pray the reveille of resurrection morning will wake him to receive a crown of glory brighter far than heroes ever won in the battle-field.

Resolved, That we, his comrades in arms, tender his noble wife and family our genuine sympathy in their sad bereavement, assuring them that a grateful people will lovingly cherish the proud military record of this wonderful soldier.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be mailed to Mrs. James Longstreet, and copies be delivered to the press.

E. F. Comegys,
F. A. Tyler,
H. Ingle,

Committee.

Robt. Bean,
Commander pro tem.
W. W. Howeth,
Adjutant pro tem.

*****

(Merrill E. Pratt Chapter.)

“Years will only add lustre to his crown.”

The Merrill E. Pratt Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, of Prattville, Alabama, paid a tribute of respect to the memory of General James Longstreet, by adopting the following resolutions:

Whereas, Fully cognizant of the fact that there will be many tributes of condolence offered, tributes that thrill with eloquence and lofty sentiment, yet there will be none more sincere or more truly heartfelt than that offered by the Merrill E. Pratt Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy; therefore,

Resolved, That in the death of General Longstreet the whole nation lost one of its truest statesmen, while the South lost one of its greatest chieftains and one of its stanchest friends.

Resolved, That while we deplore his death, we bless and praise the Glorious Giver for the gift to the Southland of such a patriot as General Longstreet, a patriot whose fame time cannot wear away, and years will only add lustre to his crown.

Mrs. James D. Rise,

President.

Mrs. J. A. Pratt,

Corresponding Secretary.

*****

(Tom Smith Camp.)

“He was the last survivor of the South’s great warriors.”

Mr. Commander and Comrades,​—​Your committee appointed at the last meeting of this Camp to draft resolutions expressing our sorrow and grief at the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, respectfully report as follows:

Lieutenant-General Longstreet was the commander of the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, and the last survivor of the great warriors upon whom that rank was first conferred when the Confederate armies were organized into corps. He was known as the “Fighting General,” and, with the exception of the battle of Chancellorsville, was with General Lee in all his campaigns from the Seven Days’ fight around Richmond until the war ended at Appomattox, save only when incapacitated a few months by wounds received in the battle of the Wilderness in 1864. He was loved and respected by his soldiers, and the surviving veterans of his corps have always honored their leader and are mourners at his grave.

Resolved, That we who knew him and followed him through the dangers and trials of protracted war claim the privilege of paying our tribute of heartfelt sorrow to the memory of our dead commander.

Resolved, That we extend to his widow and surviving children our sympathy in their affliction.

Resolved, That this memorial be spread upon the records of this Camp, and that a copy be sent to his bereaved family.

Thos. M. Smith,
J. C. Causey,

Committee.

*****

(J. E. B. Stuart Camp.)

“General Lee leaned on him as a strong arm of defence.”

In the death of General James Longstreet passes away one of the most prominent generals of the Southern Confederacy. He was born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, January 8, 1821. When ten years old, in 1831, he moved with his mother to Alabama, and from this State he was appointed to the United States Military Academy, from whence he graduated in 1842. He was assigned to duty at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, in 1842–44; on frontier duty at Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1844–45; in the occupation of Texas, 1845–46; and in the war with Mexico. Here he was wounded, was promoted several times for gallantry, his courage being observable on all occasions. He faithfully discharged his duties as an officer of the United States until June 1, 1861, when he resigned and entered the service of the Southern Confederacy. His career is well known to his comrades, and is a part of the glorious history of our Southern cause. He was a brave soldier, a superior officer, brave and true, and one of the hardest fighters of the Army of Northern Virginia. General Lee had implicit confidence in him, and leaned on him as a strong arm of defence in the most desperate fighting and splendid generalship. Longstreet was a man of the front, where he stood to execute orders the most difficult and hazardous, and did not lay aside his sword until his leader surrendered his shattered forces, until there was no more fighting to do. He was cool, deliberate, and yet generous. It became an acknowledged fact that where Longstreet and his brave men were, was sure and desperate fighting. He stood in line of battle ready for engagement when the surrender came, loosening his grip on his faithful sword only when the war had ended.

We honor him for his works’ sake, and bow our heads in memory of his wonderful achievements, his devotedness to duty, and love for our great Southland.

Resolved, That this memorial be spread upon the minutes of this Camp, a copy furnished the family of our deceased comrade, and a copy furnished such papers as may wish to publish the same.

Done by order of J. E. B. Stuart Camp, No. 45, U. C. V., Terrell, Texas, January 16, A.D. 1904.

Vic. Reinhardt,
Adjutant.

*****

(Horace King Camp.)

“He was one of the most persistent and determined fighters that any country ever produced.”

Your committee appointed by Horace King Camp, No. 476, U. C. V., Decatur, Alabama, to prepare resolutions expressive of their profound sorrow at the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, of Confederate army fame, beg leave to report,​—​

First, That in General Longstreet’s death we have lost one of the bravest generals who fought on either side of the Civil War​—​one whom the great Lee called the right arm of the Army of Northern Virginia. He was one of the most persistent and determined fighters that any country ever produced.

Second, He was independent, self-reliant, watchful, devoted to the cause he espoused. He never flinched from unexpected difficulties, and showed his readiness to die at his post if need be. He was a man of superb courage. “He not only acted without fear, but he had that fortitude of soul that bears the consequence of the course pursued without complaint.” In the presence of death, the good man judges as he would be judged. In the grave should be buried every prejudice and passion born in conflict of opinion. Fortunate are we, indeed, when we become great enough to know and appreciate the great. Longstreet was brave enough to follow the path of duty as he saw it, no matter where it led. In speaking words of love and praise over his grave, we honor ourselves. May we with gratitude remember the good that he has done. May he rest in peace.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent the family of the deceased, and that they be spread upon the record of the Camp.

W. W. Littlejohn,
Samuel Blackwell,

Committee.

The foregoing resolutions were adopted by a rising vote of the Camp, January 14, 1904.

W. H. Long,
Commander.
W. R. Francis,
Adjutant.

*****

(New York Highlanders.)

“We had reason to respect him as a foe.”

Head-quarters Seventy-ninth Regiment,
New York Volunteer Highlanders,
Veteran Association.

Whereas, It has come to our knowledge that our esteemed Honorary Member, Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, late of the Confederate army, has passed to that bourne from which no traveller has ever returned; and

Whereas, We had reason to respect him as a foe with whom we were often in conflict, and to whom we sometimes had to yield the palm of victory, and especially do we remember the gallant fight he and his tried veterans made at Fort Saunders, Knoxville, East Tennessee, on November 29, 1863, when we were victorious only after he had thrice been repulsed; and

Whereas, We also remember with pleasure the reunion of the Blue and the Gray held at Knoxville in 1890, where we again renewed our acquaintance with the General and his gallant band, but under far different and pleasanter circumstances​—​they were our foes in 1863, our friends in 1890; and we also recall the many hours we passed in his company when we fought our battles over and over again, and where we had the pleasure of placing upon our roll the name of General Longstreet as an honorary member; therefore, be it

Resolved, That in his death we feel that there has passed away a gallant soldier and gentleman, who in the conflict and struggle of the Civil War, where so many gave their lives to defend the cause which each espoused, we learned to respect, and in peace we learned to love; and we therefore extend to his widow and family in their bereavement our heartfelt sympathy, committing them to the loving care of the Divine Master, who alone can comfort them in their affliction.

Francis W. Judge,

President.

Charles Crawford,

Secretary.

*****

(Camp Frank Gardner.)

“He won for our armies a world-wide reputation.”

Camp General Frank Gardner, No. 580, U. C. V.,
Lafayette, Louisiana, January 14th, 1904.

Whereas, This is the first meeting of this Camp held since death has claimed as one of its victims the distinguished Confederate soldier, General James Longstreet, who departed this life on the 2d day of January, 1904, at Gainesville, Georgia; and

Whereas, This Camp recognizes the great services rendered to the cause by the brilliant soldier, and desires to render its meed of just tribute to the memory of the gallant officer and commander; therefore be it

Resolved, That in the death of General James Longstreet we mourn the loss of one of the most illustrious of the great generals who led our armies to victory on many a hard-fought field against almost overwhelming odds, gaining for our devoted armies a world-wide reputation that ranks them among the best soldiers of the age.

Resolved, That these resolutions be entered in the records of our Camp as a memento of our admiration and appreciation of this distinguished general and citizen, and that a copy be sent to the family of the deceased.

C. Debaillon,

Captain Commanding.

P. L. DeClouet,

Adjutant.

*****

(Pat Cleburne Camp, No. 436.)

“The Gettysburg charges are not supported by authentic history or satisfactory evidence.”

Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to call to him the immortal soul of General James Longstreet, lieutenant-general in the Army of the Confederate States of America, whose record as a broad-minded citizen and conscientious, upright, and honorable officer in the various civil positions he has held, is only excelled by the great service he rendered his country, as the soldier and general, whose bravery, fortitude, ability, and devotion to duty was excelled by none whose fortunes were cast with his, beneath the “Stars and Bars;” and

Whereas, There is among certain ones in the South a disposition to reflect upon his fidelity to the trust imposed upon him at the battle of Gettysburg, and place upon his shoulders the blame for General Lee’s loss of that engagement; be it

Resolved, That we deprecate the spirit that would induce one Confederate soldier to stoop from the pedestal upon which history has placed him, to deprive another of the honor to which he is justly entitled.

Resolved, That we heartily approve of the course taken during his life by the late General Longstreet,​—​in ignoring the attacks and calumnies heaped upon him by those who were his comrades in arms,​—​as showing the true greatness of the man.

Resolved, That we further believe, when the true facts are known, an admiring and grateful people will place him second only to the immortal Lee, who, though all the facts were known to him, exhonerated Longstreet from all blame, saying, “The fault is mine.”

Resolved, That this Camp do hereby attest its belief in his fidelity, ability, and high moral character, and that the so-called Gettysburg charges are not supported by authentic history or satisfactory evidence.

Resolved, That we here extend to the family of General Longstreet our heartfelt sympathy in this, their, and their nation’s loss, and that one copy of these resolutions be mailed to Mrs. James Longstreet, one be printed in our local papers, and another be spread on the minutes of this Camp.

Respectfully submitted,
James R. Keith.

The above resolutions were adopted by Pat Cleburne Camp, No. 436, U. S. C. V., of Cleburne, Texas, at a regular meeting of that Camp, held on Sunday, January 24, 1904.

Jas. R. Keith,
Commandant.
W. F. Black,
Adjutant.

*****

(Pat Cleburne Camp, No 222.)

“He was a true and tried leader of men.”

To Pat Cleburne Camp, No. 222, Waco, Texas:

Your committee respectfully recommend the following resolutions as to General Longstreet:

Whereas, We have heard with deep regret of the recent death of General James Longstreet, commander forty years ago of the First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, Confederate States army; therefore be it

Resolved, That in the death of General James Longstreet the country at large has lost a true and tried leader of men, and the Confederate Veterans have parted with a comrade and commander in whom they reposed implicit confidence and one ever ready to defend his cause against any foe, foreign or domestic.

Resolved, That the war that has been and is being waged on the military record of General Longstreet for failure to do his duty at the battle of Gettysburg is not in keeping, in our opinion, with the record as it is made up from the reports of General Lee, commander-in-chief of the Confederate army in that conflict. If General Longstreet had failed to execute the orders of General Lee, and been the cause of the defeat of the Confederate army, as is charged, we believe he would have been court-martialed and dismissed from the service instead of being retained and trusted on down to Appomattox, as he was.

Resolved, That we deplore and deeply regret the action of the Savannah Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy in refusing a floral offering to be placed on the bier of General Longstreet. His heroic conduct as a soldier of the Confederacy, his wounds and sacrifices in our glorious but disastrous struggle for freedom, would have certainly entitled him to the slight token of gratitude as he was passing out from among us forever.

Geo. Clark.
John C. West.
M. B. Davis.

*****

(Cobb-Deloney Camp.)

“At the end of the unequal contest he sheathed a stainless sword.”

Whereas, It has pleased an all wise Providence to remove from this life Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, commander of the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, and second ranking officer in that army; and

Whereas, In all the eventful campaigns of that army, from Manassas to Appomattox, General Longstreet was a conspicuous figure, enjoying the full confidence and affection of our peerless chieftain, General Robert E. Lee, whose own right arm leaned on him for support; and

Whereas, In our second struggle for independence he displayed sincere devotion, great military skill, serene courage, and an indomitable will and resolution, which has shed honor upon Southern arms and added lustre to the imperishable fame of Southern soldiers; and

Whereas, He shed his blood freely in our behalf, and at the end of the unequal contest sheathed a stainless sword which for four years had flashed in the front of battle and victory.

Resolved, That we mourn with deep sorrow the death of this illustrious leader, and will ever cherish with gratitude and admiration the memory of his example, his sacrifices, and his heroic achievements.

Resolved, That we tender to his family our sincere sympathy in this great bereavement.

Resolved, That a page be set apart in our minutes upon which these resolutions shall be recorded, and that a copy be sent to the family of General Longstreet.

Copy from the minutes of Cobb-Deloney Camp, United Confederate Veterans, Athens, Georgia, January 14, 1904.

Wm. G. Carithers,
Adjutant.

*****

(Mayor and City Council, Atlanta, Georgia.)

“He was ever loyal to duty and the Southern cause.”

Whereas, Lieutenant-General James Longstreet died at his home in Gainesville, Georgia, on the 2d day of January, 1904; and

Whereas, As a Southern soldier General Longstreet won imperishable fame and glory as a corps commander in the armies of the Confederacy during the fateful days of the ’60’s, and was held in the highest esteem and confidence by the knightly and matchless Lee, and was ever loyal to duty and the cause of the Southern Confederacy; be it therefore

Resolved, That we have heard with sincere regret of the death of this gallant gentleman who in his lifetime exemplified in the highest degree the courage, chivalry and patriotism of the South, upon a hundred of his country’s battle-fields.

Resolved, That in common with all citizens of the Southland we lament his demise and honor and revere his memory for his great service to his country and his people as a soldier of the Southern Confederacy. No braver heart beat beneath the Confederate gray, no more heroic soul paid allegiance to the Stars and Bars. Honor to his memory! Peace to his ashes!

Resolved, That this resolution be entered upon the minutes of the General Council and a copy thereof, certified to under the hand and seal of the clerk, be forwarded by him to the family of the distinguished dead, and that the City Hall flag be lowered to half-mast on to-morrow the 6th instant.

Adopted by a unanimous rising vote.

Georgia, Fulton County,
City of Atlanta.

I, W. J. Campbell, clerk of Council of the city of Atlanta, do certify that the attached is a true copy of a resolution adopted by the General Council of said city on January 5, 1904, the original of which is of record and on file in the office of said clerk of Council.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my hand and seal of office, this January 11, 1904.

W. J. Campbell,
Clerk of Council.

*****

(Camp Walker.)

“We deplore and deeply regret the action of the Savannah Daughters.”

The committee appointed to express the views of Camp Walker, U. C. V., No. 925, on the military record of General James Longstreet, beg leave to report as follows:

Whereas, We have heard with deep regret of the recent death of General James Longstreet, commander forty years ago of the First Army Corps, A. N. Va., Confederate States army; therefore

Resolved, That in the death of General James Longstreet the country at large has lost a true and tried leader of men, and the Confederate Veterans have parted with a commander in whom they reposed implicit confidence, and one ever ready to defend his cause against any foe, foreign or domestic.

Resolved, That the war that has been, and is being waged on the military record of General James Longstreet for failure to do his duty at the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is not in keeping, in our opinion, with the record as it is made up from the orders of General Robert E. Lee, commander-in-chief of the Confederate army in that great conflict. If General Longstreet had failed to execute the orders of General Lee, and had been the cause of the defeat of the Confederate army, as is charged, we believe he would have been court-martialed and dismissed from the service, instead of being retained and trusted, on down to Appomattox, as he was.

Resolved, That we deplore and deeply regret the action of the Savannah Chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy, in refusing to supply a floral offering to be placed on the bier of General James Longstreet. His heroic conduct as a soldier of the Confederacy, his wounds and sacrifices in our glorious but disastrous struggle for freedom, would have certainly entitled him to this slight token of gratitude as he was passing out from among us forever.

M. V. Estes,
J. B. McFadden,
J. G. Ramsey,

Committee.

Resolutions unanimously adopted by order of the Camp.

J. S. Holland,

Commander.

James G. Ramsey,

Adjutant.

Atlanta, Georgia, January 11, 1904.

*****

(Longstreet’s “Boys.”)

“A noble, heroic, and spotless soldier.”

“I was a member of Longstreet’s corps for three years,” said General McGlashan, in the preface to his resolutions, “I followed the fortunes of that corps, served with it, saw its work, saw its sufferings, its victories, and its grandeur of behavior on every battle-field from Seven Pines to Appomattox, for I was fortunate enough to be wounded at only one fight, and if any one in so humble a position as I was could say anything about his leader, I think I can.

“You all know the reputation of Longstreet’s corps; you know the glory of its service and what it accomplished on many battle-fields, and you cannot dissociate General Longstreet from the glory and reputation of his corps.” General McGlashan was here interrupted by cheers. Continuing, he said, “We are concerned with nothing that may have been said of General Longstreet after the war; we are here to remember him as a great Confederate general and leader.

“When General Longstreet, in his old gray coat, came to Atlanta in 1886, Jefferson Davis received him with open arms; there was no lack of confidence or acceptance there, and it is not for any others to say what Lee and Davis left unsaid.”

General McGlashan then introduced the following resolutions:

Whereas, It hath pleased our Almighty Father to call to himself, in the fulness of years, our beloved comrade and leader, General James Longstreet; be it

Resolved, That in the death of General Longstreet, we have lost a true and gallant comrade, an able and victorious leader of the Confederate hosts in the past, whose deeds are among the proudest memories of the South; the South a noble, heroic, and spotless son; the nation a true citizen who reflected honor on whatever cause he undertook; and the world a great soldier whose fame will survive with the annals of the Lost Cause.

Resolved, That we extend our deepest sympathy to the family of our deceased comrade in their great bereavement, and that a copy of these resolutions be sent them.

*****

(Floyd County Camp.)

“The patriot who gave his all.”

Rome, Georgia, January 12, 1904.

Mrs. James Longstreet,
Gainesville, Georgia:

Madam,​—​At a meeting held to-day of Floyd County Camp, United Confederate Veterans, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted:

Whereas, Our honored and beloved fellow-comrade of the United Confederate Veterans, Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, quietly and peacefully died at his home in Gainesville, Georgia, on Saturday, January 2, 1904, and recognizing in him the true man, the good citizen, the soldier without fear, the patriot who willingly offered his all and shed his own blood on his country’s altar, and the man who feared nothing but God; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Floyd County Camp, No. 368, United Confederate Veterans, while bowing to the ever-wise, always loving decrees of God, are deeply grieved and sincerely sorry at this the death of another great captain of the Southern Cause; at the same time rejoicing in the confident assurance and abiding trust that he has, only a little in advance of us, passed “over the river and is now sweetly resting under the shade of the trees” with Lee, Jackson, Beauregard, Johnston, Polk, Gordon, and the thousands of others who grandly and gloriously followed the same dear flag.

Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of this Camp, that a copy be forwarded to the family of our deceased comrade, accompanied by our sincerest and deepest sympathy.

Thompson Stiles,
G. W. Fleetwood,
M. W. Bratt,
A. B. S. Moseley,
J. H. Camp,

Committee.

*****

(Camp Niemeyer Shaw, Berkley, Virginia.)

“His life full to the brim of manly principle.”

This Camp has heard with profound sorrow of the death of Lieutenant-General Longstreet.

His life had reached the full measure of human probation; but it was full to the brim of manly principle, heroic service, and dauntless courage. Loyal to his Southland and to all the interest committed to him by his country, he maintained his integrity of character and the unbounded confidence of all right-minded men to the end.

Tried in the school of civic life and in the crucible of battle, he filled a creditable page in the fateful and tragic incidents of the sixties, and then shared all the privations common to his fellow-comrades in helping to rehabilitate the homes of a people wrecked by the scourge of civil war.

As a Camp we desire to re-express our unbounded confidence in his military career and in his unswerving devotion to the best interests of mankind.

Having passed through the gate which is ajar for all humanity, we mournfully bid the old commander and veteran of the “Lost Cause” a final adieu.

J. A. Speight,
J. S. Whitworth,
J. L. R. Harris,

Committee.

E. L. Cox,
Commander.

*****

(Camp Ben McCulloch.)

“His fame and glory belong to the South.”

Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to remove from this earth our distinguished comrade, General James Longstreet; therefore be it

Resolved, That we deeply lament the death of our comrade, and shall ever cherish and revere his memory.

Resolved, The ever memorable relief of that arch hero “Stonewall” Jackson, when hard pressed by overwhelming forces of the enemy at the second battle of Manassas, by which prompt action pending defeat was turned into glorious victory, entitles General Longstreet to a lofty pedestal in the Temple of Fame.

Resolved, We honor and revere our deceased comrade not only for his great military achievements, but for the personal solicitude and care that he always had for the welfare and comfort of the private soldier, causing all who served under him to regard him with unbounded confidence and affection.

Resolved, The fame and glory of General Longstreet, one of the last of the great lieutenants of the incomparable Lee, belongs to the South, especially to those who, like him, fought for its independence, and by them it will be kept and cherished as one of its precious treasures.

“Sleep, soldier, sleep, thy warfare’s o’er.”

J. B. Wolf.
Ed. F. English.
W. M. McGregor.

I certify that the above is a copy of the resolutions spread upon the minutes of our Camp January 13, 1904.

James B. Moore,
Adjutant.

Camp Ben McCulloch, U. C. V., Cameron, Texas.

*****

(John B. Gordon Camp.)

“Courage and honor his characteristics as soldier and citizen.”

Resolved, That the John B. Gordon Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Atlanta, Georgia, has heard with great sorrow of the death of General James Longstreet, which occurred at his home at Gainesville, Georgia, on the 2d day of January, 1904.

His life was one of fealty and devotion to the cause for which he fought, while courage and honor were his characteristics both as soldier and citizen.

It can truthfully be said of him: He was great among our many illustrious leaders of the Confederate States army,​—​than which there can be no higher tribute paid to man,​—​and after having bravely served his country during its darkest hours, accepting the arbitrament of the sword in a spirit that history now adjudges to have been commendable, he became a good citizen of our reunited country.

Resolved, That as an expression of the high regard in which we, the sons of the men who followed the lead of this great captain, hold his services to our Southland as a soldier, and as a testimonial of our regard for his character as a man, direct that these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of our Camp, and further that the secretary be directed to forward a copy of the same to the family of the deceased, with whom we sympathize in the hour of sad bereavement to which Providence in His wisdom subjects them.

H. F. West, Chairman,
Hugh W. Dorsey,
C. H. Essig,
W. B. Ladvall,
A. J. McBride, Jr.,

Committee.

*****

(Alexander H. Stephens Camp.)

“The beau-ideal of soldier and patriot.”

Attention, Comrades:

When men conspicuous for sublime action, such as heroic conduct, goodness or greatness, or other lofty attainment are called to pass over the “river of death,” it is a patriotic duty for surviving comrades to give expression to their grief. It needs not the building of a pantheon or vote of a senate to give them a place among the immortals, to keep alive their illustrious acts and virtues. Most certainly it is not necessary in the case of Longstreet,​—​“Old Pete,” as he was lovingly called by comrades who followed him unflinchingly through four years of warfare. “Old Pete” is dead, yet he lives in the hearts of his old corps and will continue to live in history, poetry, and song, the beau-ideal of a soldier, patriot, and a lover of liberty. Yet like all men who attain to eminent merit and conspicuous sublimity, he lived to realize the truthfulness of the poet, that

“He who ascends to mountain-tops shall find
The loftiest peaks most wrapt in clouds and snow.
He who surpasses or subdues mankind
Must look down on the hate of those below,
Though high above the sun of glory glow,
And far beneath the earth and ocean spread;
Round him are icy rocks and loudly blow
Contending tempests on his naked head,
And thus reward the toil which to those summits led.”

Such was the fateful experience of our beloved Longstreet, a corps commander and lieutenant-general in the Army of Northern Virginia. To him obedience to constituted authority moulded and shaped the ideal soldier and citizen for his distinguished life service; and became the reasons for his acts in rigidly observing his Appomattox parole. We know that he was one of the bravest of the brave and truest of the true.

Unanimously adopted by the Alexander H. Stephens Camp, U. C. V., Crawfordville, Georgia.

*****

(Marengo Rifles Chapter, U. D. C.)

“One of the hardest fighters in Lee’s army.”

Whereas, The Great Commander-in-Chief has called “over the river” the gallant Longstreet; therefore be it

Resolved, That Marengo Rifles Chapter, U. D. C., mourns with the entire Southland the death of that daring, brave, and fearless soldier, General James Longstreet, who was one of the strongest supports, and one of the hardest fighters the peerless Lee had in his army; that his fame will ever be cherished by this Chapter as well as by all who “wore the gray.”

Resolved, That we sympathize with the widow of the great leader, to whom a copy of these resolutions will be sent by the secretary.

Mrs. Geo. W. Laylor.
Mrs. Benjamin F. Elmore.
Miss Mary R. Clarke.

*****

(Jeff Lee Camp.)

“The war-horse of the Confederacy.”

Head-quarters Jeff Lee Camp, No. 68,

United Confederate Veterans,

Adjutant’s Office, McAlester, I. T., January 23, 1904.

Whereas, The Supreme Commander of all the hosts has ordered our beloved comrade and friend, General James Longstreet, the old war-horse of the Confederacy, to report at head-quarters a little in advance of us, his fellow-soldiers; therefore be it

Resolved, That while we shall miss from our councils and general convention our brother and comrade, the sunlight of whose presence upon the hard-fought battle-fields enabled us to bear more easily our long marches and severe engagements of the four years’ campaign, we know that the order came from One who doeth all things well, and are certain that in the dispensation of eternity we shall concur in its wisdom.

Resolved, That so long as our little remnant of life shall hold out, we shall feel a pride in the military record of our brother and comrade.

Resolved, That Jeff Lee Camp, No. 68, extend its loving sympathy to the family of our departed comrade in the darkest hour of their lives.

Resolved, That these resolutions be entered in the record book of the Camp, a copy of them be presented to the daily and weekly papers for publication, and a copy sent to the surviving widow of our comrade.

W. A. Treadwell,
J. J. McAlester,
R. B. Coleman,

Committee.

*****

(John H. Morgan and Bourbon Camps.)

“Full of years and honors.”

At a meeting of John H. Morgan Camp, No. 95, and Bourbon Camp, No. 1368, U. C. V. A., in joint assembly, held in the city of Paris, Kentucky, on the 1st day of February, 1904, the following resolutions were adopted:

The distinguished officers of the Confederacy are rapidly falling before the grim reaper. We are called upon to mourn the departure of one of the greatest soldiers developed in the war between the States, Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, dying full of years and of honors. As a soldier we have the estimate of his chieftain,​—​“My war-horse.” With this epitaph engraven on his tomb, the niche his name will occupy on “Fame’s eternal camping-ground” is assured; therefore be it

Resolved, That our sincerest sympathies be extended to his bereaved wife.

James R. Rogers,
W. M. Layson,
Russell Mann,

Committee.

*****

(Selma, Alabama, Chapter.)

“A rare combination of fidelity, patriotic principle, and unsullied integrity.”

Selma, Alabama, January 14, 1904.

The committee appointed January 12, at a meeting of the Selma, Alabama, Chapter, to prepare resolutions in memory of General James Longstreet offer the following:

Resolved, That in the shadow of this great sorrow the Selma Chapter joins with the Confederate Veterans, Divisions and Brigades, in submission to Him who “doeth according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth.”

That we recognize in the life and character of General Longstreet a rare combination of fidelity to patriotic principles, an attractive personality, and an unsullied integrity, calling forth from the North high estimation, from the South, warmest love.

That we extend to the family and wife of the patriot soldier cordial sympathy in this dark hour, commending them to the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father.

Miss Julia Clarke,
Miss Mary Lewis,

Corresponding Secretary,

Miss E. F. Ferguson,

Committee.

*****

(C. M. Winkler Camp.)

“One of the great commanders of modern times.”

Whereas, It has pleased the Almighty God to remove from our midst one who while in life was a brilliant soldier, courteous gentleman, and whose military career in the armies of the South marked him as one of the truly great commanders of modern times; therefore be it

Resolved, That in the death of General Longstreet the South has lost a great soldier and a brilliant commander, to whose fame as such nothing can be added, save that he was “the war-horse” of the great Lee.

Resolved, That this Camp tenders to the bereaved wife and family its heartfelt sympathy and condolence in the death of the distinguished soldier and citizen, and that the adjutant of this Camp forward to the wife of General Longstreet a copy of these resolutions, and furnish the city press with a true copy of the same for publication.

*****

(Company B, Confederate Veterans.)

“A tribute of glory on his grave.”

Head-quarters Company “B,”

Confederate Veterans,

Nashville, Tennessee, January 12, 1904.

At a meeting of Company “B,” Confederate Veterans, the following resolutions were adopted:

Whereas, We have heard with great sorrow of the death of General James Longstreet, under whose leadership many of us fought during the great war; be it

Resolved, That in General Longstreet the Confederacy had one of her greatest leaders. His ability as such, his bravery, and unwearied zeal won for him a place in our hearts, and we desire as an organization to add our testimony to his worth as a soldier, citizen, and man.

We mingle our tears with those of his family and friends, and place a tribute of glory on his grave.

Resolved, That we send a copy of these resolutions to his bereaved wife and family.

Spencer Eakin,

Captain Commanding.

Geo. H. Hows,
O. S.

*****

(Camp Hampton.)

“His name is associated with almost every Confederate victory won on the soil of Virginia.”

At a meeting of Camp Hampton, Columbia, South Carolina, Colonel R. W. Shand spoke feelingly of the life and services of General Longstreet, and offered the following resolutions:

The sad intelligence of the death on the 2d of January last of James Longstreet, the senior lieutenant-general of the Confederate States army, has reached us since our last regular meeting. In the language of an impartial historian, his name is “associated with almost every Confederate victory won upon the soil of Virginia,” and he “was trusted by his great leader and idolized by his men.” His fame is gloriously connected with the heroic deeds of the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, the splendid victory at Chickamauga, and the East Tennessee campaign; and those who fought under this great fighter have always entertained for him feelings of affection and regard; therefore be it

Resolved, That this camp has heard with most profound sorrow of the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, of the Army of Northern Virginia, who bore so large a part in making glorious that immortal band.

Resolved, That we tender to his surviving family our most sincere sympathy, and that a copy of this memorial be sent to his widow.

Resolved, That a blank page on our minute-book be dedicated to his memory.

These resolutions were heartily seconded by Comrades Jennings, Bruns, Brooks, and Mixon, and adopted by a rising unanimous vote.

*****

(Confederate Veterans’ Association.)

“No wrong to mar his memory.”

Whereas, By the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, on the 2d day of January, 1904, in Gainesville, Georgia, there is removed from our midst another of the few remaining of our great captains, over whose parting we sadly lament; and

Whereas, In common with other surviving veterans who served in the Confederate armies where this distinguished dead soldier commanded, believing in the broad principles of truth, and cherishing a feeling of fraternal regard for each other, and being at the same time reminded that by his death we, too, are gradually, but surely, drifting nearer to the brink of eternity; be it therefore

Resolved, That we who espoused the cause of the late Confederacy and followed its destinies to the end, and being endowed with a high sense of right and justice towards a departed brother, feel it a duty that is owing to posterity, as well as to ourselves, to look well to future history that no wrong be done to mar the memory of a comrade, be he ever so high or so humble, who served his chosen cause so devotedly and ably as Longstreet did during the four eventful and trying years from 1861 to 1865.

Resolved, That we deeply deplore the death of General Longstreet, and do hereby extend to the bereaved family of the deceased the most sincere and heartfelt sympathies of this Association.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be furnished the family of the deceased.

Thos. W. Hungerford,
Secretary, C. V. A.

Washington, D. C.

*****

(Camp Tige Anderson.)

“His heroic and valiant services will be remembered.”

Atlanta, Georgia, January 5, 1904.

The following resolutions were read and adopted at a meeting of Camp Tige Anderson, January 5, 1904.

Whereas, This Camp has heard with sincerest regret of the death of our lamented comrade General James Longstreet; and

Whereas, We recognize and remember General Longstreet’s heroic and valiant services to our beloved cause.

Resolved, That we will revere his memory as one of the best of the friends of the South, one of her best warriors bold​—​one of her truest sons.

Resolved, That we bow with uncovered heads at the Reaper’s call.

Resolved, That in the death of our comrade we have lost a true and tried friend, and while the majority of us were of an averse political opinion to that of the General, yet we are generous enough to accord him the right and the fidelity of party affiliation, particularly so when we believe that environments when times tried men’s souls were a terrific pressure brought to bear upon him.

As a Camp and as individuals our prayer is that our late commander may “requiescat in pace.”

Resolved, That our commander appoint a delegation to attend the funeral of General Longstreet, at Gainesville, Georgia, to-morrow, as an official escort from this Camp.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent by our adjutant to the family of our deceased comrade.

H. P. Foster,

Commander.

Sam’l Fulton,

Adjutant.

*****

(Sidney Lanier Chapter, U. D. C.)

“We will teach the children of the South the story of his sublime courage.”

Macon, Georgia, January 7, 1904.

Mrs. James Longstreet:

Dear Madam,​—​The Sidney Lanier Chapter, No. 25, U. D. C., mourn with you and yours over the loss of your illustrious husband. We tender to you and his children our heartfelt sympathy, and promise that we will do all in our power to teach the children of our dear Southland the story of his sublime courage, his devotion to duty, of the willingness of his men to follow wherever he led.

“The strife is o’er, the battle done,
The victory of Life is won.”

Faithfully yours,

Anna Holmes Wilcox,

President.

*****

(Troy Chapter, U. D. C.)

“Reverence and esteem for the soldier and gentleman.”

Troy, Alabama, January 10, 1904.

Mrs. Longstreet,
Gainesville, Georgia:

My dear Madam,​—​The members of Troy Chapter, Alabama Division, U. D. C., desire that you should learn through us of our deep sympathy in your late bereavement. We feel that we have sustained a personal loss in the death of your noble husband, and would convey to you some sense of our reverence and esteem for the gallant Confederate general and honorable Southern gentleman.

To us the memory of the Confederacy is a sacred trust, and for the men who made its history we entertain an unalterable veneration. For General Longstreet, one of its distinguished heroes, we feel an abiding affection.

That God will bless and sustain you in this trying ordeal is the prayer of the united Chapter.

Sincerely yours,

Mrs. L. H. Bowhs.

Mrs. Jno. P. Hubbard.

*****

(Williamsburg Chapter, D. of C.)

“The defender of our homes.”

The Williamsburg, Virginia, Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy, wishing to do honor to the eminent soldier Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, do unanimously resolve:

1. That we can never forget that on the 5th of May, 1862, General Longstreet held back the advance of the Federal army and protected our homes and firesides from the overwhelming forces of the enemy, as he marched towards the Confederate capital.

2. That at his grave we forget all political differences and remember him as the defender of our homes and as the “Old War-Horse” of the great commander.

3. That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the press and another to Mrs. Longstreet.

Mrs. Margaret Custis Haverford,

Chairman,

Mrs. I. Lesslier Hall,
Mrs. W. L. Jones,

Committee.

*****

(Mobile Chapter, U. D. C.)

“His great name and fame precious to Southern hearts.”

Mobile, January 19, 1904.

My dear Mrs. Longstreet:

At a recent meeting of the Mobile Chapter, Alabama Division, U. D. C., I was instructed by a rising vote to express to you the affectionate sympathy of the members of the Chapter, in the recent great bereavement which has befallen you in the death of your distinguished husband, General James Longstreet.

In this bereavement you have the sympathy of every Daughter of the Confederacy, who in unison with you weep the great and honored dead.

The conspicuous courage and heroic gallantry of General Longstreet on many a hard-fought battle-field, his never-failing devotion to the Southland, and his eminent services in her cause during the four long years of cruel war will ever render dear and precious to our hearts his great name and fame. Among the many condolences that have come to you from all over the South, none are more loving and heartfelt than those of the Mobile Chapter, whose words of love and sympathy I have been directed to express to you.

In giving expression to their grief and sorrow at the great loss which touches you so vitally, may I venture to add my own personal expression of admiration for your great husband, and of sympathetic love for yourself.

I am, with great respect, yours truly,
Electra Semmes Colston,
President.

*****

(T. D. Smith Chapter, U. D. C.)

“Always true to his convictions.”

Dublin, Georgia, January 18, 1904.

To Mrs. Longstreet and Family:

The Dublin Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy wish to extend to you and yours their sincerest sympathy, which we, as well as the entire South, feel in the loss of one of her greatest chieftains, General James Longstreet. In his death the South has lost a noble, heroic son, whose deeds will live in the hearts of her people, a soldier, a general whose brave acts have caused every child of the South to honor, love, and revere his memory; a hero in whom the “elements were so mixed that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, this is a man.”

True to his convictions, he acted always after careful consideration as his judgment has shown him was best.

Miss Adeline Baum,

For the T. D. Smith Chapter of the Daughters of Confederacy.

*****

(Cobb County, Georgia, Camp.)

“His knightly valor won for him a diadem of glory.”

The committee appointed to give some appropriate expression of its high appreciation, love, and honor for General James Longstreet, the great leader of Longstreet’s corps, C.S.A., and of our deep sorrow at his death, and to report and recommend suitable action by this Camp, respectfully submit the following:

General James Longstreet was a native of South Carolina, born of an illustrious family, distinguished alike for intellectual strength and nobility of character. His love for his native State and the South was inherent and strengthened by associations, early education, and environments. In keeping with his natural tastes and fitness for his chosen profession, his education was completed at the military school of the United States at West Point, where he developed that strong and wonderful intellectual power of perception, combination, and comparison, coupled with cool self-possession, knightly valor, and lofty ambition, which in the field of terrific war and deadly battle won for him, the armies he led, and the Southern Confederacy his diadem of glory, as enduring as the history of the struggles of nations in freedom’s cause.

General James Longstreet was the friend, comrade, and companion of the matchless Lee, Generals Joseph E. and Albert Sidney Johnston, of the incomparable Stonewall Jackson, Leonidas Polk, John B. Gordon, and the other great leaders of the Confederate army; and was inspired with the same love of his native State and the South.

His love for his subalterns and privates of his army was as true and sincere as that of father to son. Many of the members of this camp knew him personally in the tent and on the march, on the battle-field, and in the dreadful charge; heard his commands, witnessed his noble deeds, and listened to his kind words of encouragement and sympathy. He was our comrade, our friend, and our great leader, and there is a sting, a sense of bereavement, which finds some solace in the flowing tear and the glorious hope that we shall meet again. He was a Christian soldier.

IN MEMORIAM.

Resolved, That we regard it a duty which we owe to posterity that the State of Georgia, all surviving Confederate veterans, and especially those of Longstreet’s corps, should provide an equestrian statue of General Longstreet, to be erected on the Capitol grounds at Atlanta.

Resolved, That a committee be appointed by the Commander of this camp to inaugurate the movement and take all necessary steps to secure such a statue.

Resolved, That Camp No. 763, U. C. V., tenders to the widow and family of our beloved chieftain our heartfelt sympathy in the hour of their bereavement and sorrow.

Resolved, That a copy of the foregoing be forwarded to the family.

Resolved, That the action of the Camp be published in the Cobb County papers.

J. A. L. Born,
W. J. Manning,
B. A. Osborne,
L. S. Cox,
Wm. Phillips,

Committee.

*****

(Atlanta Camp.)

“His name and fame are the heritage of the American people.”

Atlanta Camp, No. 159, United Confederate Veterans, in the following report pays glowing tribute to the memory of the late General James Longstreet, who died on January 2, at his home in Gainesville, Georgia.

In the death of General James Longstreet, there passed away a notable and commanding figure of the Army of Northern Virginia in the late Civil War.

His history and service are indissolubly connected with all of the great movements of that army.

It would not be within the purview of this memorial to attempt to even epitomize the part he took in the many great battles. Coming into that struggle with a prestige and honor which shone with brilliant lustre on account of his intrepid bravery and gallantry as an officer of the army of the United States on many fields in Mexico, and being withal an educated and trained soldier, a majestic man, of mild manners and speech and of leonine courage, his very name throughout the army and the whole country was a tower of strength. From first Manassas to Appomattox, his command and leadership held the first place among the great army corps of the greatest army that was ever marshalled in this or in any other country. Made a lieutenant-general in the early part of the war, the conspicuous bravery, skill, and reliability shown by him in the very crisis of the battles of Williamsburg and at Seven Pines, and other great conflicts before Richmond in 1862, won for him from General Lee the sobriquet of the “Old War-Horse.”

After General Lee had planned the advance on General Pope, and after Jackson had passed through Thoroughfare Gap to the rear of General Pope, and when he was heavily engaged and sorely pressed, Lee and Longstreet were passing through Thoroughfare Gap. After a spirited contest at that mountain-pass, Longstreet’s corps moved like a majestic stream on to the plains of Manassas, where his lines were quickly formed. Striking the enemy with the “hand of Mars,” the thunder of his guns greeted the ear of Jackson, giving hope and succor to his forces as the sound of the Scottish bagpipes heralded the approach of the relieving column to the beleaguered garrison at Lucknow. The well-directed assault which he made in General Pope’s front crowned the Southern arms with complete victory.

LOYAL TO THE SOUTH.

The Southern cause had no more loyal supporter nor courageous soldier than General Longstreet, as the honorable wounds and scars which he carried to his death abundantly attest. He had the unbounded confidence of his commander-in-chief. The history of that great war gives but one record of Longstreet being absent from his command, and that was on account of serious wounds received on the field of the Wilderness in May, 1864, where, in preparing to lead in person his forces against General Hancock’s corps, he momentarily halted to receive a word of congratulation from General Micah Jenkins, of South Carolina, when Longstreet’s own men, mistaking these two generals, with the little group of horsemen composing their staff surrounding them, for the enemy, fired, killing General Jenkins and wounding General Longstreet in the throat and shoulder, from which he was ever afterwards maimed.

We would not omit to mention that in 1863, when several of his divisions were ordered from Virginia to Georgia to reinforce the Army of Tennessee, on his arrival in Atlanta, and when at the old Trout House, at the junction of Decatur and Pryor Streets, where the old Austell building now stands, he was called to the balcony of the hotel to speak to the large and enthusiastic multitude of soldiers and citizens who thronged every inch of the two streets, he said “I came not to speak; I came to meet the enemy.” The inspiration of his presence and this short and pithy declaration called forth from the assembled multitude the exclamation, “What a magnificent looking man and soldier.” How well he fulfilled his mission in the battle of Chickamauga history makes no mistake in its record. How his forces were hurled against those of General Thomas, and how his army turned the tide of battle into victory, are too well known to need repetition. In this battle, like others where he led, his advance was stubborn and decisive.

He followed with unfaltering bravery and devotion the fortunes of the Confederacy until the last drama was enacted at Appomattox, and was a member of the last council of war held in the woods on the night of April 8, 1865, and was the senior commissioner, on the part of the Confederate forces appointed by the commander-in-chief, to arrange the details and terms of the surrender of that little shattered band which, through fire and smoke, hunger and cold, had stood by the flag of the Confederacy through all the trying ordeals of four years’ grim and bloody strife.

IN THE VERY FIRST RANK.

The name and fame of General Longstreet are the common heritage of the South and the whole American people. The names of his immediate ancestors are historic and dear especially to every Georgian. His qualities as a soldier have won for him the highest encomiums not only of the Southern people, but from the Northern people as well. All true history, including that written from an English stand-point, places Longstreet in the very first rank as to ability and generalship among any of Lee’s subordinates.

No time nor mere political differences can affect or dim the lustre of that name. The past is secure, the future is safe. We can say with all the emphasis that the words import that he was one of the bravest, truest, safest, and the most devoted of the Confederate leaders. In the generations to come, when passion and prejudice shall vanish like the mists of the morning at the presence of the clear sunlight of truth, Longstreet’s name shall receive at the hands of the entire civilized world the praise and honor to which it is justly entitled.

LONGSTREET AND DAVIS.

We may be permitted to refer briefly to an incident that occurred on the occasion of the unveiling of the Ben Hill monument in Atlanta. Among the many distinguished ex-Confederate chieftains seated on the platform was ex-President Jefferson Davis. General Longstreet came down from his home in Gainesville, clad in the full uniform of a lieutenant-general of the Confederate army, wearing his sword. Providing himself with a superb mount, he rode out Peachtree Street to the site of the monument, and, dismounting, walked unannounced to the platform into the outstretched arms of Jefferson Davis. As they embraced each other, they presented a scene worthy of the brush of a Raphael or a Rubens. Once heroes in common victory, they were now heroes in common defeat. This was a beautiful and shining example for all latter day critics.

This silent episode, as if too impressive to be broken, stilled the vast multitude for a moment, and then spontaneously from forty thousand Confederate veterans and citizens, the ladies joining in the demonstration by waving their handkerchiefs, there went up a loud and continuous shout of applause that rent the air.

Let us never forget the four years of glorious service rendered by General Longstreet to the Lost Cause, and let the South erect a monument to his memory, to tell to future generations that the South is never forgetful or indifferent to that glorious service rendered in the cause for which it fought and for which many bled and died.

General Longstreet died in Gainesville, Georgia, January 2, 1904, and was buried with military honors on the 6th day of the same month. A detail from this Camp, as well as detachments from various military organizations, joined in paying the last honor to the old soldier.

Touching and beautiful was the kindly sympathy shown his memory by his neighbors in Gainesville who were bound to him by ties that no time can sever. Never was a funeral more largely attended and more universal respect shown to the dead by the entire community in which he lived. All places of business were closed. The Confederate Veterans, the public school children, the college girls, the citizens, all joined in the procession which followed his remains to beautiful Alta Vista, where on the crown of the hill overlooking the far-away Blue Ridge was laid to rest all that is mortal of the old battle-scarred hero.

Benjamin F. Abbott,
George Hillyer,
J. F. Edwards,

Committee.

*****

(Houston, Georgia, Camp.)

“His war structure cannot be pulled down.”

At a meeting of the old soldiers of Houston County, Georgia, to commemorate the birth of the immortal Lee, and also, by previous arrangement, to take cognizance and condolence of the death of General Longstreet, under whom many of these old soldiers served throughout the war, the following resolutions were submitted and unanimously adopted:

Resolved, That in the death of General James Longstreet we sustain the loss of one of the most valiant and capable soldier commanders of the “Lost Cause.”

Resolved, That while during the gigantic war and struggle between the States, General Lee regarded him as almost a part of himself, “My old war-horse,” in the carrying out and accomplishments of apparently, at times, the impossible against and over the enemy.

We view him as from behind the guns, and under those conflicts whose fierceness and terrible results were sufficient to stagger, and even turn back, the stoutest manhood, yet we never saw him evince the least fear, turn his back in dishonor, nor disobey his noble chieftain.

His war structure shows the hand of no ordinary builder, and cannot be pulled down.

He carved his way through the ranks of the enemy in such a fashion that they themselves, and their descendants, admire the man for his great military ability; nor can they be less thrilled by that chivalry and Americanism he and so many others, equally valorous and capable, displayed and forged for conscience’ sake, thus awakening and holding the world as never before in any age.

This was General James Longstreet as we saw him then, and, without superficiality, as we see him to-day, through our vanishing memories and waning manhoods, one of the greatest soldiers who crossed swords with the many gallant spirits of the other side​—​brother Americans​—​over a principle which did not, and, thank God, could not die​—​a gift of God to humanity to stand for the right, fight for the right, and die for the right, even though in failure, that others may profit by it.

Resolved, That we regret to have to antagonize and reprove even one Chapter of that great, good, and soulful organization, known as the Daughters of the Confederacy, but we can neither endorse the spirit and sentiment, nor the statement made by that Savannah Chapter that “General Longstreet disobeyed General Lee’s order at the battle of Gettysburg.”

Resolved, That we believe, and would advise, that the life and future good of that great organization lies in the thorough education of its Chapters to correct history, and a proper appreciation of the spirit and tenets of the order​—​a proper observance of its constitution.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to Mrs. Longstreet, carrying with it, as it does, a sympathy, love, and sorrow such as only can be given by old soldiers bronzed by the same smoke, buffeted by the same battles, and scarred by the same fury through which he passed for the love of home and country, for the love of truth, and for the love of a “cause” then dearer than even life itself, and for which so many gallant spirits went down.

Resolved, That the Home Journal be requested to publish these proceedings.

Respectfully submitted,
W. H. Norwood.

C. C. Duncan,
Commander Post 880, presiding.
J. D. Martin,
Adjutant.

*****

(Survivors of Longstreet’s Corps.)

“History will give him that which is due.”

Another set of resolutions, showing the esteem in which Longstreet’s men held the dead general, and the love that they bear for him, were drawn up yesterday by Mr. A. K. Wilson, who was a member of Longstreet’s corps, and were signed by the veterans in the city, who, like Mr. Wilson, had been followers of the dead leader. The resolutions were as follows:

Comrades,​—​Our comrade and our leader has left us. He has gone to join the hosts on the other side of the great river, and we that followed him at the Manassases, Thoroughfare Gap, Yorktown, Fairfax, Falls Church, Munson’s and Upton’s Hills, the Wilderness, where he received that wound said to be from his own men; Williamsburg, Sharpsburg, to Tennessee; Chickamauga, Knoxville, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, back to Virginia, and on all the great fields on her soil, testify to his worth. With his corps back to Virginia, see him as he appeared at Petersburg, and countless other places of trust. Lastly, with his ragged, half-starved, barefooted remnant, bearing scars as he bore them, see him as he approaches Appomattox, his men drawing but one ear of corn for a day’s rations.

My comrades, he needs no emblems. History in time will give to him that which is due, and those that were with him, his survivors, will ever hold his memory green. Like ourselves, his services at Appomattox show to the world that he was ever faithful to his enlistment and true to the cause that he espoused, and his parting with Lee establishes that fact. Now, be it

Resolved, That we, the survivors of Longstreet’s corps, tender to his bereaved family our heartfelt sympathy, showing the love and esteem that we had for our dear old leader.

Survivors of Longstreet’s Corps.

Savannah, Georgia.

*****

(Camp Hardee.)

“Longstreet more often than any other subordinate was trusted with independent commands.”

To Camp Hardee, Confederate Veterans, Birmingham, Alabama:

Your committee, appointed to report resolutions commemorative of the life and service of the late Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, recommends the following:

Resolved, That in the testimony of the estimate of old soldiers of his life and services to the South in the great war between the States Camp Hardee adopt the following statement:

General Longstreet, a South Carolinian by birth, a graduate of the West Point Military Academy as a cadet from Alabama, while assured of position in the Federal army, resigned the commission he held in an established service to enter the unorganized, poorly equipped army of the Confederacy, and undertook all the arduous duties and dangers of that war, and fought it out to the disastrous end.

From the time of his appointment as brigadier-general under Beauregard along the line of Bull Run Creek, in July, 1861, to the surrender at Appomattox in April, 1865, he was distinguished as a stalwart, skilful commander and a gallant soldier. He was remarkable for staying qualities rather than for dash.

In all that brave service there was nothing spectacular, but he was always steadfast, true, and reliable.

Whatever may have been said of General Longstreet, it is remarkable that at no time for inefficiency or the absence of results or disobedience of order was he relieved of his command. No other subordinate was so often intrusted with independent and difficult enterprises. Now that death has silenced all complaints and the great commander has gone to his reward, we who survive him desire to crown his memory with the degree of praise which his great deeds wrought in behalf of his people so richly deserve. As a soldier he was wholly faithful to the South, and for that fidelity merits the grateful appreciation of our people. Such a great soul needs no defence. Time will cover with its mantle whatever has been charged as his faults. It may be that in the great conservatism of his nature he saw more clearly what was best for his country. In this hour of bereavement let us only remember that a great and gallant spirit has gone to his reward; and therefore,

Resolved, That this memorial be spread on the minutes of the camp, and a copy be sent to the widow of the dead general with the assurance, in this hour of her great bereavement, she has the sympathy of Camp W. J. Hardee.

J. W. Bush.
W. C. Ward.
W. H. Denson.

*****

(Camp No. 135.)

“Hardest fighter in the army.”

Comrades, we assemble to pay tribute to the memory of Lieutenant-General Longstreet, one of our great chieftains. For him “taps have sounded,” “lights are out,” and “all is still.” This fearless leader is gone. He was the “hard fighter” of Northern Virginia, and his opponents always knew when he was in their front or directing the assault. He had the confidence of his men, and they loved him. He led them but to victory. The South admired and trusted him. His name is enshrined with that of the Army of Northern Virginia, and when her history shall be gathered and cast into final form, honorable will be the place assigned to our great general.

We would therefore recommend the adoption of the following tribute of esteem and respect:

Whereas, Lieutenant-General Longstreet recently passed away at his home in Gainesville, Georgia, and was buried amid the regrets and tears of many who had gathered from different parts of our Southland to pay the respect due his illustrious name; therefore be it

Resolved, That we bow our heads unto Him who is the author and finisher of our career, and acknowledge that, while we can not always understand, yet we know that He doeth all things well.

Resolved, That the comrades of Camp No. 135, Confederate Veterans, have heard with sorrow and regret of the death of this brave general and fearless commander.

Resolved, Educated in the profession of arms, he gave the best years of his life to the service of his country. For twenty-five years prior to the action which necessitated his State severing her connection with the Union, he most valiantly drew his sword in her defence. Through the Mexican War and during the continuous troubles with the Indians on our Western plains his services were so conspicuous for gallantry that he attained the rank of major.

Resolved, When his State could no longer remain in the Union, but withdrew, he resigned his commission, and cast his lot with that of his State. As he had been gallant and successful in the army of the Union, he now became more so in the army of the Confederacy. The enlarged opportunities furnished what his great ability needed. From the rank of major he rose rapidly to that of lieutenant-general and second in command to our peerless Lee. As brigadier-general at Manassas he engaged the left wing of the enemy with the result that is familiar to all of us. As major-general he was selected to cover Johnston’s retreat in the Peninsula. He won Williamsburg and was at Seven Pines. For his service in the Seven Days’ fight around Richmond Congress rewarded him with the rank of senior lieutenant-general and second in command of all the Confederate forces. He was at the second Manassas with Jackson, and at South Mountain. At Sharpsburg he was knighted “War-Horse” by his chieftain. Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and the Wilderness felt his presence; while Petersburg, Five Forks, and Appomattox beheld his gallantry. Comrades, we knew him, we loved him, we trusted him. To-day we would pay him his tribute; believing him to be worthy to be placed beside Lee, Albert Sidney and Joseph E. Johnston, and Jackson.

Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of our Camp, copies be furnished each of our county papers for publication, and that a copy be sent to Mrs. Longstreet, together with expressions of our sympathy by the adjutant.

J. W. Sherrill.
W. H. Morgan.
R. L. Suggs.

*****

(John B. Hood Camp.)

“Oblivion will shut out those who assail his great name.”

To the Officers and Members of John B. Hood Camp, No. 103, U. C. V.:

Comrades,​—​We, your committee, appointed at a meeting held this day to draft resolutions upon the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, late commander of the First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, beg leave to submit the following:

Whereas, It having pleased the Deity to call our great commander to cross over the river and take permanent position with the majority of his old comrades who have preceded him; therefore, be it

Resolved, That in the death of General Longstreet we realize the loss of the senior and last surviving lieutenant-general of the Army of Northern Virginia, and while freighted with the events of eighty-three years, and suffering from the effects of many wounds received in battle, still he bore up with a fortitude becoming his great spirit.

Resolved, That in his character we recognize the true patriot and soldier, devotion to duty, and a genius which added glory to our arms and inspired faith in our cause.

Resolved, That in the remotest history his achievements will be appreciated with all the glory that came to us during that bloody drama, while oblivion will shut out those who would assail his fair name.

Resolved, That to his family we tender sincere condolence, with the assurance that his kind consideration for his men, courtly bearing, and bravery will ever have a place in the memory of the survivors of his command, who followed him from the first Manassas to Appomattox.

Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of this camp; the adjutant to forward a copy to the family, and that the State press be requested to publish same.

J. D. Roberdeau.
Val C. Giles.
W. R. Hamby.
C. F. Dohine.

*****

(John B. Gordon Chapter, U. D. C.)

“As gallant a soldier as wore the gray.”

Wetumpka, Alabama, January 12, 1904.

Whereas, The Ruler of the Universe has seen fit to call from his earthly home the spirit of General Longstreet, and take him to his home on high, as a bright reward for his faithfulness and fidelity here in life. General Longstreet was as brave and gallant a soldier as wore the gray during the fierce struggle of the South. He was known and loved throughout this fair sunny Southland, not only as a soldier and general who so gallantly and fearlessly led his men in the Southern cause, but as a true and noble man, and when his final summons came and he laid down his earthly armor for a heavenly crown, it cast a shadow over all the South, that another of her brave generals who had so nobly defended her cause was no more.

But since he has left us and is no more among his family, comrades, and friends, be it

Resolved, That this Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy regrets with deepest sorrow the death of General Longstreet, and through this little tribute to his memory expresses its deepest and sincerest sympathy.

Resolved, That his State and nation has lost a grand and noble man, the Southern cause a gallant and fearless soldier.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be placed on the minute-book of the Chapter and a copy be sent to General Longstreet’s family.

Mrs. S. J. McMorris.
Mrs. W. H. Gregory.
Miss Fanny Gokon.

*****

(George W. Johnson Camp.)

“True and faithful to every duty.”

At a meeting of the George W. Johnson Camp, Confederate Veterans’ Association of Kentucky, to take in consideration the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, the following resolutions were reported and adopted:

Resolved, That in the death of General Longstreet has passed from the stage of action one of the central and most prominent figures of our late war.

Resolved, In him we recognized one of the ablest and most gallant soldiers of the lost cause.

Resolved, As commander of one of the corps of the Army of Northern Virginia his name is inseparably connected with the glory that rightly gathers about the achievements of that immortal organization.

Resolved, True and faithful to his every conviction of duty, and unswerving in his devotion to his country and people in the hour of their supremest trial and need, his name deserves to be enrolled among the immortals of our Southland.

Resolved, That we extend to the bereaved family our deepest sympathy, and that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the family and to the Confederate Veteran.

A. H. Sinclair,
Commander.
Elley Blackburn,
Adjutant.

*****

(Tennessee Division, Daughters of the Confederacy.)

“Mankind will find no brighter page of history than that written by Longstreet’s corps.”

Resolutions of the Tennessee Division of the Daughters of the Confederacy:

Entered into rest January 2, 1904, at his home in Gainesville, Georgia, surrounded by his family, consisting of his wife and five children, at the ripe old age of eighty-three years, Lieutenant-General James Longstreet.

A graduate of West Point, one of the heroes of the Mexican War, where he was desperately wounded, in storming Cherubusco, and where he was twice brevetted for gallantry on the field of battle,​—​once as captain, for Churubusco, and again as major, for Molino del Rey,​—​a professional soldier in the army of the United States, the highest in rank from the State of Alabama at the time of the secession of that State, he resigned from the United States army, tendered his sword to Alabama, and from thenceforward was identified with the South in her immortal struggle for the right of local self-government, guaranteed to her in the Constitution of the United States, and as laid down in the Declaration of Independence, from Bull Run to Appomattox, and, at its close, was recognized as “the left arm of Lee.”

Since his death, his record as a soldier has been criticised, at a time when he cannot defend himself, but we congratulate the people of the South and the future historian that the Congress of the Confederate States, February 17, 1864, passed unanimously resolutions thanking Lieutenant-General Longstreet and his command for their patriotic services and brilliant achievements in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Tennessee, and participating in nearly every great battle fought in those States, the commanding general ever displaying great ability, skill, and prudence in command, and the officers and men the most heroic bravery, fortitude, and energy in every duty that they have been called upon to perform.

This resolution was approved by Jefferson Davis, and was adopted on the recommendation of the commanding general of the army of the Confederate States of America, the immortal Robert E. Lee. After the adoption of these resolutions, nothing which we can say could add to his soldier’s record. He needs no defence. We consign his name to history; so long as mankind reads it, they will find no brighter page than that written by Longstreet’s corps.

He illustrated the South in a long life, the best years of it devoted to her and her cause, he sacrificed to serve her as much as any other one man, he fought a score of battles for her, and never one against her, and this State, over his grave, mingle their tears with those of the people whom he served and the devoted family who survive him; therefore

Resolved, That the Army of the Confederate States of America is rapidly passing to the Great Beyond, leaving a record, a part of the history of the American people, to which we point with pride, and to which in a few generations civilized man will look, and admit that it illustrated the highest type of American citizenship.

Resolved, That we extend our sympathies to the surviving family of General Longstreet and to the South, at his death, and that a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolutions be furnished to his family and to the press.

Miss Kate Fort, Chairman.
Mrs. James P. Smartt.
Mrs. M. H. Clift.
Mrs. Wm. G. Oehmig, President.

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“Longstreet’s magnificent service at Gettysburg gives that field the great place it holds in history to-day.”

As one of his defenders, in the interest of truth, justice, and fairness, having participated in the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Pegram’s battery, A. P. Hill’s corps, and knowing, from frequent visits to that sanguinary field since the engagement, something about what occurred on that eventful occasion, I can confidently say that General Longstreet and those under him performed such grand and magnificent service on that battle-field as to give it the great and important place it holds in history to-day. We never knew that it was otherwise questioned until after the war. Future history will vindicate his character in his course on that field and everywhere else where duty called him during the eventful period from ’61 to ’65.​—​John T. Callaghan, Vice-President Confederate Association.

Washington, D. C.

*****

(Encampment No. 9, Union Veteran Legion, New Castle, Pennsylvania.)

“A brave, generous, and great man.”

Resolved, That the death of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet has caused the loss to the nation of a brave, generous, and great man. None knew his bravery or his greatness as a commander better than we of the Union Veteran Legion who often met him on fields that tested to the limit the fighting qualities of the American.

We extend to his wife and family our sympathy in their bereavement, and the assurance of our great respect for their lost one.

Samuel F. Ellison,

Colonel Commanding.

George W. Gageby,

Adjutant.

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(George E. Pickett Camp.)

“In nearly all the leading battles of the South there was Longstreet to lead his men to fame and glory.”

January 25, 1904.

To the Officers and Members of George E. Pickett Camp, C. V.:

Your committee appointed on resolutions relative to the death of Lieutenant-General Longstreet desire to have it placed on record, that we, the survivors of Confederate Veterans, lost in the recent death of General Longstreet one of our best and bravest officers, under whose command the Army of Northern Virginia gained its reputation as the grandest fighting army the world ever produced. At Bull Run, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Second Manassas, Boonboro, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, and in nearly all of the principal battles and victories of the South, there was Longstreet to lead his men to fame and glory.

We therefore express our sentiment that in the death of General Longstreet we have lost a true and good Confederate, loyal to the cause for which he bled and fought.

Resolved, That we extend our heartfelt sympathy to his widow and family, and that a copy of these resolutions be spread on our minutes.

Chas. T. Loehr,
Wm. E. Talley,
W. U. Bass,

Committee.

Adopted by vote of camp and copy ordered sent to Mrs. General James Longstreet.

R. N. Northen,
Adjutant No. 204, N. C. V. S.

*****

(John Bowie Strange Camp.)

“Those who followed Longstreet in the fitful fever of war ever had confidence in his ability, courage, and fidelity.”

The John Bowie Strange Camp of Confederate Veterans of Charlottesville, Virginia, assembled in special meeting for the purpose, desire to spread on their record a tribute to the memory of James Longstreet, lieutenant-general in the armies of the Confederate States, whose death has been recently announced. The Virginians who served under him in the great Civil War recognize his splendid ability as a corps commander, his dauntless courage, and the absolute confidence reposed in him by that immortal band of Southerners who will go down in history wreathed in immortal fame as Longstreet’s corps in the Army of Northern Virginia. This camp, a large proportion of whose members belonged to regiments and organizations led by him in the Virginia campaigns, wish to record the fact that whatever criticisms may have been passed upon his conduct on crucial occasions, yet those who followed him in the fitful fever of war ever had confidence in his fidelity, his loyalty, and his devotion to the Southern cause; and along with other comrades from the South who followed him on the line of danger, they had absolute faith in his splendid courage and ability as their commander. It is an historical fact that he so possessed the confidence of our immortal leader, R. E. Lee, the commander-in-chief of the Confederate forces, that he continued him in command as lieutenant-general until the fateful day of Appomattox, when in the expiring crisis of the Confederacy Longstreet and his corps of Southerners were in line of battle, ready and willing to risk and lay down their lives in defence of the South, until ordered by their great chieftain to sheath their swords, stack their guns, and furl their flags.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be published in the local papers and also be sent to the bereaved widow of this distinguished Southerner.

Micajah Woods,
George L. Petrie,
J. M. Murphy,

Committee.

The foregoing resolutions, presented by the committee appointed for the purpose, were unanimously passed by the John Bowie Strange Camp of Confederate Veterans at Charlottesville, Virginia. Witness the signature of H. Clay Michie, commander of said Camp, and attested by W. N. Wood, Adjutant and Secretary of said Camp.

H. Clay Michie,
Commander.

This 12th day of January, 1904.
W. N. Wood,
Adjutant and Secretary.

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Fac-simile of Letter from President Theodore Roosevelt

WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON.

June 7, 1904.

My dear Mrs. Longstreet:

Permit me to subscribe for the book you have just written, on the work of your gallant husband. General Sickles has just called my attention to the fact that the book is to be published. Not only must all Americans hold high the memory of your husband as one of the illustrious captains of the Civil War, but they must hold it high particularly because of the fine and high-souled patriotism which made him, when the war was ended, as staunchly loyal to the Union as he had been loyal to the cause for which he fought during the war itself. In his letter to General Sickles, in speaking of the part the General played in winning the victory of Gettysburg for the Union cause, General Longstreet wrote:

“It was the sorest and saddest reflection of my life for many years; but, to-day, I can say, with sincerest emotion, that it was and is the best that could have come to us all, North and South; and I hope that the nation, reunited, may always enjoy the honor and glory brought to it by that grand work.”

This is the spirit that gives us all, North and South, East and West, the right to face the future with the confident hope that never again will we be disunited, and that while united no force of evil can ever prevail against us.

With great regard,

Sincerely yours,
Theodore Roosevelt

Mrs. James Longstreet,
Gainesville, Georgia.

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