James Longstreet's Military Career

James Longstreet was raised to be in the military. After attending the U.S. Military Academy, he started his long career in the army where his rank was frequently promoted. He fought with the confederates during the Civil War and served as General Lee’s right hand man. During the Civil War Longstreet became well known for his often successful defensive strategies. Throughout his life he experienced both success and defeat, but whenever he was given an obstacle he always had a strategy to get around it.
James Longstreet was born on January 8, 1821 in South Carolina. His early childhood was spent on his family’s cotton plantation. His father wanted him to go into a military career so he sent Longstreet to live with his aunt and uncle on their
There he was a partner of a cotton brokerage company and president of a new Marine and Accident Insurance Company. The governor of Louisiana made him the adjutant general of the state militia and in 1872 he became a major general on all state militia and state police in New Orleans. In 1875 the Longstreets moved to Gainesville, Georgia. In 1880 Longstreet became the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. From 1897 to 1904 he was the U.S. Commissioner of Railroads. After many career changes Longstreet retired to a farm near Gainesville. In 1889 the Longstreet house burnt down and later that year his wife died. Longstreet remarried in 1897 at age 76. He married 37 year old Helen Dortch who supported his legacy and kept it alive after his death. Longstreet accepted the reconstruction of the country after the war and the end of slavery which generated criticism of his performance during the war. Even though people tried to destroy his reputation, he wasn’t defended until his second wife published a book after his death that honored his service during the Civil War. From 1902 until his death on January 2, 1904, Longstreet suffered many illnesses.
Longstreet was a successful man that is still well known today for his defensive tactics during the Civil War. He transitioned from fighting with the nation during the Mexican War to fighting against it during the Civil War, and joining the country again to execute many different careers before his retirement. Although Longstreet faced criticism from many southerners about his service during the Civil War, his reputation has been restored and his legacy as a successful confederate general during the Civil War lives