Eazy,
One of the reasons I am determined to decline participating in historical debates is the fact that details escape my memory, forcing me to dig into references to be certain of what I am saying. By the time I have found the information I want to use to support my position, the discussion has long since progressed beyond the point I want to make. So, at the risk of providing less than complete or accurate information, I will try to give you some sense of what my reference to Longstreet's adventure in the West was all about. Keep in mind, I am working from memory and someone like Louis, who's knowledge I highly respect, can correct or suppliment my comments.
First of all, Longstreet is a very interesting person to study. While he was glorified in the movie, Gettysburg, and while he did, in fact, provide advice to General Lee, some of which I think was sound, he was not noted for any special tactical talent. He almost always favored a defensive position, which can be seen in his advice to Lee when he advised Lee to circle around the Army of the Potomic, insert the Army of Northern Virginia between the Federals and Washington, and choose ground favorable to the Confederate defense.
After Gettysburg, Longstreet was detached from the service of the Army of Northern Virginia and sent to join Braxton Bragg in the Western theater. Longstreet arrived in time to participate in the Battle of Chicamauga and played a very important role in exploiting a break in the Federal lines. Unfortunately for the South, Longstreet and Bragg simply did not get along with each other (very few, if any, got along well with Bragg.)
After the seige of Chattanooga was lifted, Longstreet proposed a movement into Middle Tennessee to attack Grant's supply bases and to prevent Burnside from delivering reinforcements to Grant. Longstreet argued that such a movement would either result in the defeat of Burnside's forces or force Grant to detach units from his forces at Chattanooga to come to Burnside's aid. To this end, Longstreet's two infantry divisions, two artillery battalions, and Joe Wheeler's two small cavalry divisions were detached from the Army of Tennessee.
The resulting battle around Knoxville was an absolute Confederate debacle. If you are interested in the details of this event, I recommend reading about it. Longstreet's hardheadness, his failure to listen to good intelligence, and his lack of decisive action resulted in the nickname "Peter the Slow."
Longstreet is not very highly appreciated by many Southerns as he almost always blamed others for his shortcomings. Further, after the Civil War, Longstreet joined the Republican Party (the Party of Lincoln), which did little to endear him to the South. He was criticized frequently by surviving Confederate Generals and he waited until almost all of them had died before publishing his responses to their criticisms - thereby not allowing others to answer his criticisms of them.
Interestly enough, to the best of my knowledge, no large monuments exist to honor Longstreet and his name appears absolutely nowhere in the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. He is, indeed, an interesting figure.
Now, having said all of the above, remember, I am responding to your question from memory. Listen to Louis or others who might have a clearer memory of these events.
Warm regards,
Pat
As for the French, charging machine guns in Napoleonic Uniform - 2-300,000 casulties in the first few weeks of the war!