Confederate Struggle for Command: General James Longstreet and the First Corps in the West
By Alexander Mendoza
(February/March 2009 Civil War News)

Illustrated, maps, notes, bibliography, index, 278 pp., 2008.  Texas A & M University Press, John H. Lindsey Bldg., Lewis St., 4354 TAMU, College Station, TX, $32.95 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Robert L. Durham
Robert L. Durham is a computer specialist. A longtime Civil War buff, he is also interested in Old West history and has written articles and book reviews for Alamo Journal, True West, Journal of the Alamo Battlefield Association, and Alamo de Parras web site at www.flash.net/~alamo3

Review:
In Confederate Struggle for Command, author Alexander Mendoza concentrates his efforts on Gen. James Longstreet’s service in the West: first under Gen. Braxton Bragg at Chickamauga and Chattanooga, then in independent command in East Tennessee and the Siege of Knoxville.

Mendoza succinctly introduces the reader to “Pete” Longstreet in the first chapter, explaining the progress of his military career to the point where the First Corps was detached from the Army of Northern Virginia and transferred west.

Mendoza does a good job of illuminating the formation of Longstreet’s strategic and tactical thinking through his experiences in the Mexican War and in the first years of the Civil War, especially the battles of Churubusco and Second Manassas.

 Longstreet long advocated reinforcing the Confederacy west of the Appalachians. The author makes a good case that one of the reasons for this was his wish to serve under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, his former commander and an admired personal friend. Longstreet brought with him a negative opinion of Bragg that was encouraged by Army of Tennessee officers.

 Longstreet made a major political misstep in bluntly and publicly criticizing Bragg. This did not sit well with Confederate President Jefferson Davis and would impact his whole stay in the West.

Ironically, the spider’s web of intrigue Longstreet stepped into in the Army of Tennessee soon showed up in the officers of the First Corps. The battle of Chickamauga was a high point in Longstreet’s military career, earning him a nickname, Bull of the Woods.

However, soon after the battle, he had major problems with generals Lafayette McLaws, Evander Law and Jerome B. Robertson. These major tribulations combined to affect his performance at Chattanooga and eastern Tennessee.

The First Corps’ venture into East Tennessee proved to be a severe test. When the soldiers left Virginia, they did not expect to spend as much time in the west as they eventually did; they left without their winter clothing. The winter of 1863-1864 was extremely harsh and the troops suffered cruelly, many even being shoeless before the winter ended.

Mendoza does a fantastic job of explaining the political and physical tribulations Longstreet and the First Corps experienced during their time in the west. This is a first-class book, providing good insights into Longstreet’s personality and the complicated situation in the Western Theatre of the war in the third year of the war.

I’m glad to have it on my book shelf and recommend it to all those with an interest in General Longstreet, the First Corps or the Civil War in the West.