James Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied The South And Was Scapegoated for Its Loss

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2024

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

During the Civil War, Gen. James Longstreet was one of the Confederacy’s most beloved generals. Southerners called him “Lee’s Warhorse” and considered him a pillar of the war effort, largely responsible for victories at Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chickamauga.

But after the war Longstreet moved to New Orleans, where he dramatically changed course. He supported black voting and joined the newly elected, integrated postwar government in Louisiana. When white supremacists took up arms to oust that government, Longstreet, leading the interracial state militia, did battle against former Confederates. His defiance ignited a firestorm of controversy, as white Southerners branded him a race traitor and blamed him retroactively for the South’s defeat in the Civil War.

Today’s guest is Elizabeth Varon, author of “Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South.” We consider why although Longstreet was one of the highest-ranking Confederate generals, he has never been commemorated with statues or other memorials in the South because of his involvement in the Republican Party and rejecting the Lost Cause mythology. We also look at his second life as a statesman, serving in such positions as ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Sky you with another episode of the History on Plugged Podcast.
0:07.0	When military history fans of the Civil War are asked about their favorite generals,
0:11.0	few people ever named James Longstreet, which is strange because
0:14.4	he was one of the Confederacy's most beloved generals, who was called Lee's Warhorse, and considered
0:19.0	largely responsible for victories at Second Bowl Run, Fredericksburg, and Chickamauga.
0:23.3	If that's a case, why don't fans of Lee, Stonewall, Jackson,
0:26.6	and other Confederates like him?
0:28.1	It's because after the war, he worked with Northern Republicans
0:31.2	during reconstruction,
0:32.2	causing some other
0:32.8	southerners to call him the Judas of the lost cause. He supported black
0:36.7	voting, joined the newly integrated post-war government in Louisiana, and risked
0:40.9	his life to protect black citizens against him up.
0:43.4	Early civil historians like Jubil Early blamed him for the South's loss at Gettysburg
0:48.0	as reputation was tarnished for over century.
0:50.0	Today's guest is Elizabeth Varin, author of Long Street, the Confederate General who defied the South.
0:55.0	We consider why although Long Street was one of the highest-ranking Confederate generals, he's never been commemorated with statues or other memorials in South,
1:02.0	how much of this reputation is deserved versus being
1:04.4	early post-civil war revisionist history.
1:06.7	And we also look at a second life as a statesman, serving in such positions as Ambassador
1:10.9	at the Ottoman Empire, and reassessing the life of a complicated and very important personality in the 19th century.
1:16.0	Hope you enjoy this discussion with Elizabeth Varin.
	...

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