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For my latest @SatEvePost column, I argue that my childhood Robert E. Lee fandom & James Longstreet antipathy reflect broader American histories and memories that still crucially need revising! #CivilWar #twitterstorians saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/05/consid…
Those thoughts very much inspired by the great work of @OutlawHistorian, @KeriLeighMerrit, @KevinLevin, and many more!
I don't think we need any new Civil War statues, doubly so for generals (and Confederates at that); but if we must have any, Longstreet is infinitely more deserving than Lee (and Jackson, Lee's #Charlottesville statue buddy).
That's especially true bc, as in Cville, those statues had very little to do w/the #CivilWar, and everything to do with all that followed it. As @HC_Richardson argued in her great recent thread, Reconstruction feat lots of heroic figures & events, but Longstreet's on that list.
As w/William Mahone, Longstreet's Reconstruction & late 19C actions don't elide his role as a Confederate General. But they offer a far different vision of the post-war South & nation than does the deification of Robert E. Lee. A vision we still desperately need. Fin (for now!).
PS. It's a happy coincidence that today's bday boy Albion Tourgée makes an appearance in the piece--his 1888 link about national narratives becoming "distinctly Confederate in sympathy" needs far better remembering, as much for 2019 as for the late 19C.
And PPS. Off to teach in a few, but thanks for all the great responses to this piece already & keep the convo going, y'all (you can take the AmericanStudier out of Virginia, but...)!
