Elizabeth Varon-Longstreet The Confederate General Who Defied the South

From acclaimed historian Elizabeth Varon comes a true story of courage and controversy – a new exploration of one of the most complex figures from American Civil War history. LONGSTREET, delves deep into the life and legacy of General James Longstreet.

With LONGSTREET, Varon – the recipient of the 2020 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize for her book Armies of Deliverance – provides a meticulously researched biography that unveils the lesser-known aspects of General Longstreet's story, from his early days as a protégé of General Robert E. Lee to his pivotal role in the Battle of Gettysburg and beyond.

However, what truly sets this work apart is its focus on Longstreet's divergent path from traditional Southern postwar ideology. After the South was defeated, Longstreet moved to New Orleans. There he supported Black voting and joined the newly elected, integrated postwar government in Louisiana. When white supremacists took up arms to oust that government, Longstreet, leading the interracial state militia, battled against former Confederates. White Southerners branded him a race traitor and blamed him retroactively for the South’s defeat in the Civil War. His continued defiance ignited a firestorm.

In this age of racial reckoning, it is high time that Longstreet be rediscovered. Varon's careful research and engaging storytelling provides readers with a fresh understanding of a man who dared to challenge the norms of his time, demonstrating that Longstreet’s controversial choices have enduring relevance for our modern debates.

About the Author: Elizabeth R. Varon is Langbourne M. Williams professor of American history at the University of Virginia and a member of the executive council of UVA’s John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History. Varon’s books include Southern Lady, Yankee Spy: The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew, A Union Agent in the Heart of the Confederacy, and Appomattox: Victory, Defeat and Freedom at the End of the Civil War. Her most recent book, Armies of Deliverance: A New History of the Civil War, won the 2020 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize and was named one of The Wall Street Journal’s best books of 2019.

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