344 Southern Historical Society Papers.
this controversy by his criticisms of General Lee, and his claim that we lost Gettysburg because the Napoleonic genius of General James Longstreet could not overcome the obstinate stupidity of Robert Edward Lee.
As a matter of course, these criticisms of Longstreet against the idolized commander of the Army of Northern Virginia met with reply.
January 19, 1872, General J. A. Early delivered the address at Washington and Lee University on the occasion of the anniversary celebration of General Lee's birth. He discussed "Lee, the Sol- dier," with that ability, accurate knowledge of the subject, and real loyalty to the name and fame of his old commander which so pre- eminently characterized that sturdy old patriot, Jubal A. Early, and in the course of his address gave an outline of the Gettysburg cam- paign and battle, and defended General Lee from the charge that he failed by his own blunders or mistakes.
HIS CRITICISM OF LONGSTREET.
What he said in criticism of General Longstreet was contained in the following sentences. After speaking of a conference General Lee had with Rodes, Ewell, and himself, held on the evening of the first day, General Early says: "General Lee then determined to make the attack from our right on the enemy's left, and left us for the purpose of ordering up Longstreet' s Corps in time to begin the attack at dawn the next morning. That corps was not in readiness to make the attack until 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the next day. By that time Meade's whole army had arrived on the field, and taken its position. Had the attack been made at daylight, as con- templated, it must have resulted in a brilliant and decisive victory, as all of Meade's army had not then arrived, and a very small por- tion of it was in position. A considerable portion of his army did not get up until after sunrise, one corps not arriving until 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and a prompt advance to the attack must have re- sulted in his defeat in detail. The position which Longstreet at- tacked at 4 was not occupied by the enemy until late in the after- noon, and Round Top Hill, which commanded the enemy's position, could have been taken in the morning without a struggle."
Speaking of the fight the next day, of the impossibility of Gene- ral Lee's doing "the actual marching and fighting of his army," and the necessity of the prompt and cheerful execution of his orders
