On Saturday, September 27, 1997, Robert Thomas saw a dream enter its home stretch. Hundreds of people had gathered in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to honor a man named James Longstreet who a hundred years ago was the target of scorn and prejudice. These people came because they loved Longstreet. They came to learn about him, about his battle on the bloody, sacred ground of Gettysburg. They even came to see and support one another. But mostly, they came because Robert asked them to, because he wanted to prove that The Truth IS Eternal.
Nine months and six days after the opening of the third and final Longstreet Symposium organized by Robert and his band of hearty warriors, the members of the Longstreet Memorial Fund committee and thousands of supporters from across the nation and, indeed, the world, will bow in respect to the work that has been completed. James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee's Old Warhorse and most trusted subordinate, will finally have a monument on the fields of Gettysburg.
The road from an idea, a dream, to the near completion of that idea has been long and hard. It did not always seem possible, but Robert never gave up. The first Longstreet Symposium, held in New York, drew barely a handful of people. At the final one, space became limited. Several people have been with Robert from the beginning, but most of us, myself included, jumped on the bandwagon that he created in mid-stream. Robert is to be commended for his work and for suffering against such long odds. Those of us who have watched him from afar often wonder if anyone else could have done it. Longstreet himself would have been proud to call Robert Thomas a friend.
These pages of The Longstreet Chronicles are dedicated not only to the Longstreet Symposium itself, but to Robert and Susan Thomas, their family, and all the friends and supporters who have helped them across these past several years. This will be a permanent part of the website and will include details of the Longstreet Syposium at Gettysburg told by those who witnessed it. After the dedication of the monument in July of 1998, this section will be expanded to include a history of the entire effort.
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