86 CONFEDERATE PORTRAITS
Mrs. Longstreet's eulogy and to her quotation of her husband's appeal to his countrymen at the outbreak of the Spanish War : " If I could recall one hour of my dis- tant but glorious command, I would say, on the eve of battle with a foreign foe, ' Little children, love one an-
The most characteristic, most important, and most un- fortunate of all Longstreet's writings about his old com- panions is the deliberate close of his article in the second volume of "Battles and Leaders." I do not think the most ardent admirer of Lincoln can approve either the feeling or the taste with which his name is introduced here. " I cannot close this sketch without reference to the Confederate commander. When he came upon the scene for the first time, General Lee was an unusually handsome man, even in his advanced life. He seemed fresh from West Point, so trim was his figure, and so elastic his step. Out of battle he was as gentle as a wo- man, but when the clash of arms came, he loved fight, and urged his battle with wonderful determination. As a usual thing he was remarkably well balanced — always so, except on one or two occasions of severe trial when he failed to maintain his exact equipoise. Lee's orders were always well considered and well chosen. He de- pended almost too much on his officers for their exe- cution. Jackson was a very skillful man against such men as Shields, Banks, and Fremont, but when pitted against the best of the Federal commanders, he did not
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