We Are Awash in this High Tide

Behind the coattails of our poorly executed Gettysburg Campaign, the defeat of Pemberton at Vicksburg only heightens our sense of the rising tide. I would imagine that our britches are thoroughly soaked with the brackish waters of defeat. Now that the Union has captured the advantageous Mississippi, our logistics are severely threatened. After several misshapen commanders, it seems that the Union has found hope in the more capable Grant. To force surrender from the hard-pressed Pemberton is no easy task, especially in culmination with the defense of his supply lines in the face of enemy territory. Although I am more than confidant in General Lee, I must be prudent when I examine his behavior of late. It is with this in mind that I hope to transfer to the Western Theater where my talents can be truly tested.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=n24-UIO3TuUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=james+longstreet+transfer+western+theater&ots=xYvfBF0Q37&sig=4CHzKnNU6eMeTj6MQlbiwmUJmhQ

The Tide Has Turned

A slaughter such as this has never been witnessed in our burgeoning Confederacy. My strategic advice unheeded, my men slew by the thousands in front of me, and my General seeming to succumb to the stress of position. Gettysburg is awash in the blood of my comrades and we the living are to blame.
My own personal conduct has come under fire and for good reason. On that morning of July 2 I had not adequately assembled my troops until near midday, a delay that Meade took advantage of to our dismay. While I massed my troops, Meade strengthened his left flank with reserves that arrived during my gathering, an area that I had initially planned to assault. Continuing from that point, our Gettysburg commenced for naught. Against my admittedly heated advice, I insisted that the outline for Pickett's Charge had little chance for success. If I recall, my words were:

"General, I have been a soldier all my life. I have been with soldiers engaged in fights by couples, by squads, companies, regiments, divisions, and armies, and should know, as well as any one, what soldiers can do. It is my opinion that no fifteen thousand men ever arranged for battle can take that position."

Prior to the charge, I went so far as to attempt to pass off the responsibility of confirmation
to Col. Alexander, a move that failed. The disagreement between me and my General Lee had reached a critical point, where I would describe his peculiar behavior in extreme circumstances:

"That he [Lee] was excited and off his balance was evident on the afternoon of the 1st, and he labored under that oppression until enough blood was shed to appease him."

Perhaps these feelings affected my ability to effectively command my men. During Gettysburg, Lee consistently ignored my advice to disaster, an offense that I take personal affront to. After all, if he had heeded me, THOUSANDS of our brethren could see tomorrow's sorrowful sunrise. My defensive tactics have not failed insofar of this conflict, and next time, I WILL ensure our survival.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=rPOCXCUyIrwC&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=battle+of+gettysburg+longstreet&ots=E3vUpv-F6T&sig=iEeN8CJ66jDyI2YIntRMMgtYZHY#PPA215,M1

MIA

It is my regret that I played no part in brilliance of of Chancellorsville. I myself was stationed at Suffolk, where I besieged the Union garrison of my own accord for the first time in my military career, though this led to my absence at the pivotal events in Chancellorsville for which I berate myself endlessly. With elation, I marvel at the tactical directs of my General Lee which engendered victory in the face of dismal numbers. Manned with less than half of that which Hooker commands, Lee undertook a rather risky strategy where his minimal force was split into groups, the most notable of which furthered undetected to envelop the Union lines. However, these victories fade in the sacrifice of men I have grown more than accustomed to. Jackson's audacious personality and leadership will be forever mourned, and it is with his stone will that we continue the struggle. My experiences at Suffolk have given light to new initiatives which I will propose to Lee for our summer campaign. Though our numbers are small, I believe that utilizing our interior lines to the fullest may prove a formidable front in every theater.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ZJlm7AQK-T4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA299&dq=longstreet+suffolk&ots=10OSclWxXu&sig=XFBtGLIezfgPg_kkcwdh8tskeTw

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0rKEFS6b-oMC&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=battle+of+chancellorsville&ots=IRIJj3BImR&sig=kn36n6Wb2LBIplvTnQSLk6hKCc0

Revelation of Roots

Freedom, our so cherished ideal. It seems near ironic that an Emancipation Proclamation is needed to validate what is already ringing in the hearts of so many. Now, it seems our Confederacy has become true and clear in this war, it is a war of enslavement. It no longer seems that we fight fully for the right of states, but the institution of slavery which so drives the Dixie machine.
I feel an inkling of regret for this movement. Though nothing close to considering abandoning my charge, I cannot help but think that my justification has been chipped, if not cracked. Oh how Uncle Augustus used to drive me mad with diatribes of each state and their ultimate loyalty only to themselves. These feelings have left more than a crevice in my heart in which they take residence, urging me onwards for their protection. It is our right to have slavery, no? The right of every slave state to maintain their livelihood, peoples, and institutions must be protected. For this, I will carry on.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=lj4sxnqyge8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=james+longstreet+freedom&ots=8corXo6n1B&sig=_kqSfSaq4TfB1wByvGxiRw_n_C8

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=TTgOAAAAIAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA13&dq=james+longstreet+early+life&ots=zhYLg4LZ_d&sig=trrS_MU6qugM8e_JgzfXxIISfcU

A Day of Greivance

Our Northern Campaign stalled, our brethren martyred for little else but a retreat, but our cause stronger than before. We faced a number twofold that of our own and fought the enemy to a standstill, a situation in which we could safely retreat. In any other case, it would be cause for tactical reverence, but not on a day such as this. A day where men who were once brothers could drench the lane with the blood of the other so efficiently. On an afternoon where thirty percent of our dedicated are no more, how can I marvel at the defense that staved off defeat? Although my defensive strategy was one that held against a force twice mine, sustaining these mountainous losses are unacceptable. Sharpsburg has given me the resolve to fine-tune my theory of tactical defense, a strategy that I commit to saving those I can. Let Sharpsburg be the last.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=n24-UIO3TuUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=longstreet+antietam&ots=xYveHC0O1b&sig=fxiLnCXlpechL3-Z3L3jyZqRZEo

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ZJlm7AQK-T4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA299&dq=longstreet+antietam&ots=10ORkfWCXm&sig=JEivLWkSTCkH1fkbqeh2bv_dyJc

Victourious Embitterment

GLORIOUS DISASTER! Lost opportunity never to be found elsewhere lest the Almighty smile upon us once more. How those embellished Union soldiers fled amongst their crowd, tails tucked squarely between their entangled legs, cannot be conveyed in words without the loss of that all quality which instills me with hope for the future. Yet our commanders let us not pursue thsoe that would take us lightly to a swift and sound defeat. How I regret allowing those flee within the crowd, leaving behind only traces of the ashamed. Still so, this can only be counted as victory for our nation, a word that the Union will be forced upon.
Let this smiting victory be testament to the emergence of the Confederacy. Let bitterness sweep those of the aristocracy which would bathe in the sun atop cherished family blankets. Most of all, let the realization burn in every Union heart that the Confederacy is not an institution to be taken with wine glasses and powdered wigs, but met with bayonet in kind. Let Manassas be the first step to independance.

http://blog.vail.k12.az.us/chesterk-amhist/files/2008/10/abc-clio_-american-history_-entry-display.pdf

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=wXC4iYzPcIAC&oi=fnd&pg=IA2&dq=battle+of+bull+run+picnic&ots=mnYvU_0dHM&sig=DbQxJtOvetzIv8A7osIRDpwZG-o

It was Inevitable

I can only heave an exasperated sigh as the headline breathes my darkest fears. While the secession of South Carolina itself caused quite an uproar, it can only be viewed as the passing of an eventual fate. However, with the firing of the mortar heard round the nation, tensions have built to an irreconcilable state. The final whispers of peace between Beauregard and Anderson stands paramount as example of the state of matters and their possibility of amelioration.
Fort Sumter, subject of South Carolina, found itself under the sword of foreign influence, a Yankee no less. Though suspicions swirl within my mind as to their intent for their location, the most damning of infringements lies in their disregard for their "hosts", if indeed they can be called so. Subject to the rule of South Carolina herself, the occupants dare turn cheek to the babe mouth of the Confederacy where respect is warranted. In this, I myself could think of no other line of action when confronted with persisting misconduct of the utmost degree.
My heart and musket lie with the basic belief of our autonomy. If acknowledgment is not forthcoming, then it must be won. Though in my deepest depths i abhor the idea of taking arms against my brethren, I fight for those whom stood by me through childhood, West Point, and still thrive today.
Think nothing of me but loyalty Alabama.


http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=F1HXE5nmsWkC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=james+longstreet&ots=70x4mjrAvC&sig=fP21HO6e3beLQcJuZSk16Cmu990

http://www.classbrain.com/artteenst/publish/article_90.shtml

We Near the Edge

Though we still call ourselves these United States, events further push us into a corner where compromise becomes an impossibility. Today, it is the election of Abraham Lincoln as our Commander in Chief that sets my mind ill at ease. While I doubt not the quality of leadership, it is the potential of this circumstance to become a catalyst for an undesirable result which unsettles me the most. Only the completely ignorant can be unaware of the schism along the Mason-Dixon Line where one (the North) strives to strike the slavery institution from that which tries to protect their right to claim this economic resolve as their own (the South). With the appointment of such a Northern sympathizer, reconciliation is all but a childish dream. I myself find my loyalties lying with my upbringing. For eight years my uncle Augustus, both plantation owner and newspaper editor by trade, instilled the ideal of each state having its own right to self-governance without interference from the federal government. I fear that such a bold stroke may be Lincoln's ultimate goal while he resides in that national body. While I hope no unprecedented action takes place, it is clear for whom I hail to.

This die-hard corps commander is reporting for duty under command of Robert E. Lee, being a member of his inner high command circle. Perhaps arguably one of the most valuable commanders of either side, taking into mind some modesty, and not afraid of speaking my mind when the belief provides the urge. Participating in many decisive battles during the course of the war, I provided invaluable tactical support which changed the tide of the war, hopefully to the victory of the Confederacy, not to mention I have a pretty hardcore beard going on.