Restrictions to Access

No restrictions. Open for research.

Restrictions to Use

No usage restrictions.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the James Longstreet Papers, #3081-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Negative photoprints loaned for copying by John R. Peacock of High Point, N.C., January 1955.

Location of Originals

Location of originals unknown.

Additional Descriptive Resources

A copy of the original finding aid for this collection is filed in folder 1.

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Processed by: SHC Staff

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, July 2010

This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.

Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

• Alexander, Edward Porter, 1835-1910.
• Chancellorsville, Battle of, Chancellorsville, Va., 1863.
• Confederate States of America--History, Military.
• Confederate States of America. Army--Officers.
• Forbes, Archibald, 1838-1900.
• Gettysburg Campaign, 1863.
• Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863.
• Goggin, James M.
• Goree, Thomas Jewett, 1835-1905.
• Latrobe, Osmun.
• Lawley, Francis Charles.
• Long, A. L. (Armistead Lindsay), 1827-1891.
• Longstreet, James, 1821-1904.
• Mahone, William, 1826-1895.
• Malvern Hill, Battle of, Va., 1862.
• Marshall, Charles, 1830-1902.
• McLaws, Lafayette, 1821-1897.
• Pickett, George E. (George Edward), 1825-1875.
• Richardson, John B.
• Seven Pines (Va.)--History--19th century.
• Taylor, Erasmus.
• Taylor, William Harrison, 1829-
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns.
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives, Confederate.
• Venable, Charles S. (Charles Scott), 1827-1900.
• Wilderness, Battle of the, Va., 1864.
• Woodhull, Alfred A. (Alfred Alexander), 1837-1921.
• Youngblood, William.

James Longstreet (1821-1904) was a Confederate general. Longstreet was born in South Carolina and educated at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He served in the United States Army during the Mexican War. His command during the Civil War, particularly at Gettysburg, has stirred historical controversy. After the Civil War, Longstreet served as a Republican politician and United States diplomat.

The collection includes positive photocopies of selected items from the post-Civil War correspondence of James Longstreet, relating entirely to military incidents about which there was disagreement among subsequent commentators and among the participants themselves. Most of the letters were evidently written in response to Longstreet's request for statements from the participants concerning their recollections of the events. The subjects discussed were events at Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, Chancellorsville, and related engagements; also Longstreet's book; and his military reputation particularly in connection with his actions at Gettysburg. There is some comment on current political and personal matters. Correspondents include Edward Porter Alexander, Archibald Forbes, James M. Goggin, Thomas Goree, Osmun Latrobe, Francis Lawley, A. L. Long, Lafayette McLaws, William Mahone, Charles Marshall, C. Pickett (brother of George Edward Pickett, discussing his brother's career), John B. Richardson, Erasmus Taylor, William Harrison Taylor, Charles S. Venable, Alfred A. Woodhull, and William Youngblood.