James Longstreet Biography: Religion, Wikipedia, Family, Death, Wife, Children

James Longstreet (January 8, 1821 – January 2, 1904) was one of the Confederacy’s most important and controversial generals — Robert E. Lee’s principal subordinate, often called the army’s “Old War Horse.”

He fought in nearly every major Eastern Theater campaign, played a role in the Western Theater, was seriously wounded in 1864, and after the war became a vocal (and deeply unpopular in some Southern circles) supporter of Reconstruction and Republican politics.

Profile Data

• Full Name: James Longstreet
• Born: January 8, 1821
• Age: 82 (at death)
• Death: January 2, 1904
• Birthplace: Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Military General, Diplomat, Public Servant
• Religion: Presbyterian
• Parents: James Longstreet Sr. (father), Mary Garland Dent Longstreet (mother)
• Spouse: Maria Louisa Garland (m. 1848 – d. 1889); Helen Dortch Longstreet (m. 1897 – his death in 1904)
• Children: At least 10 children (five survived to adulthood)

Early life and education

James Longstreet was born on January 8, 1821, in the Edgefield District of South Carolina and was raised largely in Georgia and Alabama. His family had Southern planter roots, and after early schooling he earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1842.

At West Point Longstreet befriended classmates who would later be important figures on both sides of the Civil War; his West Point training and frontier service shaped the steady, pragmatic approach to leadership for which he became known.

Mexican–American War and pre-war career

Longstreet served with distinction in the Mexican–American War, earning brevet promotions for bravery at actions like Chapultepec. In the 1850s he served on frontier duty in the Southwest and in various U.S. Army postings. His experience in conventional and small-unit fighting and in logistics would inform his later approach to Civil War campaigns.

From U.S. Army officer to Confederate general

When Southern states seceded, Longstreet resigned his U.S. Army commission and joined the Confederacy. He rose rapidly: brigade command at First Bull Run, corps command under Joseph E. Johnston and then Robert E. Lee, and by 1862–1863 he was Lee’s trusted corps commander and strategic sounding board — respected for caution, tactical sense, and experience.

Major campaigns and battlefield reputation

Longstreet earned a reputation as one of the Confederacy’s most capable corps commanders. He played decisive roles at:

• Seven Days Battles (1862): Longstreet’s maneuvering and leadership helped blunt Union attempts on Richmond.
• Second Battle of Bull Run (August 1862): He executed a massive flank attack that helped rout John Pope’s Army of Virginia.
• Antietam and Fredericksburg (1862): Longstreet’s troops performed well holding key positions and executing counterattacks.

Two traits made Longstreet stand out: a preference for defensive tactics when appropriate (recognizing the growing lethality of rifled muskets and entrenchments) and an ability to coordinate complex flank maneuvers — a mix that won praise from contemporaries and later historians.

Gettysburg: the controversy that followed

The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863) remains the flashpoint of Longstreet’s reputation. Longstreet disagreed with Lee’s plan for a massive frontal assault on the Union center and urged maneuvers, defensive posture, or shifting the attack to different timings/axes. Despite his reservations, he executed orders that culminated on July 3 with the infamous assault often associated with Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble — assaults that failed with heavy Confederate losses. After the battle Longstreet was blamed by many in the Confederate “Lost Cause” circle for the defeat; historians since have debated the fairness of that criticism, noting Longstreet’s tactically conservative—but often sound—judgment.

Transfer to the Western Theater and Knoxville/Chickamauga

At Longstreet’s own request, and amid command shuffling in late 1863, portions of his corps were sent to the Western Theater to reinforce Confederate forces at Chattanooga. He joined Bragg’s operations and led valuable assaults at Chickamauga (a Confederate tactical victory), but his later Knoxville campaign and independent command in East Tennessee produced mixed results and strained relations with other Confederate commanders.

Wounding at the Wilderness and later war service

On May 6, 1864, during a successful flank attack at the Battle of the Wilderness, Longstreet was severely wounded by friendly fire — sustaining a neck and right shoulder wound that temporarily removed him from command for months. The wound limited his field service for the remainder of 1864, although he returned in time for portions of the Petersburg siege and the Appomattox Campaign in 1865.

After Appomattox: business, politics, and a fractured reputation

After the war Longstreet settled into civilian life but quickly entered politics and public service in ways that shocked many white Southerners: he supported Reconstruction policies, aligned with the Republican Party, and accepted federal appointments. He worked in business (insurance, railroads, customs) and took federal posts, including appointments connected to customs and later an appointment as Minister Resident to the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) in 1880 — moves that made him a pariah in many former-Confederate social circles but endeared him to some Northern politicians and reformers. His turn into Republican politics and his public criticisms of some Confederate leaders fueled decades of Lost Cause attacks that maligned his wartime choices.

Longstreet also published his influential memoir, From Manassas to Appomattox, in the 1890s, where he defended his decisions, criticized some contemporaries, and offered a firsthand soldier’s account of Civil War strategy and campaign life.

Legacy and modern reassessment

Longstreet’s legacy is complicated: once reviled by Lost Cause advocates as a scapegoat for Gettysburg, modern historians often view him as a pragmatic, sometimes prescient commander who understood the changing face of warfare and who made tactical choices grounded in the realities of 19th-century artillery and firearms. His postwar politics further complicated how Southerners remembered him, but scholarly reassessment over recent decades has moved toward a more balanced appreciation of his strengths and errors.

Conclusion

James Longstreet was a talented, often-cautious commander who served at the center of the Confederacy’s greatest battles and controversies. His military skill, especially at maneuver and defense, earned both praise and suspicion. After the war his embrace of Reconstruction-era politics and federal service made him an outcast to many Southerners, but it also added complexity to his story: Longstreet was not only a commander but a figure who bridged the fractured nation in unexpected ways. For students of the Civil War, Longstreet’s life is a reminder that history’s heroes and villains are rarely simple.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. When and where was James Longstreet born?

He was born January 8, 1821, in Edgefield District, South Carolina, and raised largely in Georgia and Alabama.

2. Why is Longstreet controversial?

The Gettysburg disagreement (Longstreet opposed Lee’s frontal strategy) and his postwar Republican politics made him a target of Lost Cause critics. Historians now debate—but often defend—many of his tactical choices.

3. Was Longstreet wounded during the war?

Yes — he was seriously wounded by friendly fire at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864, which sidelined him for months.

4. What did Longstreet do after the war?

He worked in business (insurance, railroads), supported the Republican Party, accepted federal appointments (including a diplomatic post to Turkey), and published his memoirs defending his wartime record.

5. Are Longstreet’s memoirs considered reliable?

From Manassas to Appomattox is a major primary source — invaluable for insight — but historians read it critically, aware of Longstreet’s desire to defend his reputation.