During the exchanges among history buffs, Longstreet critics and defenders, and historians, the topic of the lack of Lee’s criticism regarding Longstreet at, not just Gettysburg, but during the whole of his service to the Army of Northern Virginia will eventually surface. Defenders will point out the obvious fact that, especially for Gettysburg, Lee never once during or after the war made a claim that Longstreet was in any way responsible for the army’s failures there. Longstreet’s critics will counter this argument with the claim that Lee never criticized his subordinates.
The former argument is important to learning how Lee felt about Longstreet’s service and is supported simply by the lack of Lee’s commentary on it. (The question of Longstreet’s performance there did not surface until well after the war and did not become prevalent until after Lee’s death.) The counter argument, however, is unsupported by the simple facts.
An in-depth study of Lee’s criticisms of his various commanders throughout the war is not the purpose here. However, a few notable mentions are in order to show just how wrong are those who claim Lee never criticized his subordinates. What these people are doing is failing to realize the manner in which Lee criticized. To say that Lee rarely openly or with anger criticized his subordinates would be correct. Additionally, Lee was the type of man who always tried to see the good in a person, and in his criticisms, he often centered on the positive. This was the nature of one raised as a gentleman.
The first example involves a letter from Lee to Davis in which Lee questioned the appointment of D.H. Hill to command of the Department of North Carolina. In this letter, Lee does offer mild praise for what he feels are Hill’s talents, but he is very clear in his criticism of his performance at that post:
"I fear General Hill is not entirely equal to his present position. An excellent executive officer, he does not appear to have much administrative ability. Left to himself he seems embarrassed and backward to act. If the people would think so, I really believe French would make the better commander of the department. This is only for you to think about, bnut I fear all was not done that might have been done to harass and destroy our enemies, but I blame nobody but myself."
The next example involves William Pendleton, the irony being that it was Pendleton who did much to slander Longstreet’s name after the war. In 1864, President Davis was considering promoting Pendleton and appointing him to the command of a corps in the Army of Tennessee. When asked by Davis his opinion, Lee offered the following:
"I would not select him to command a corps in my own army. I do not mean to say by this that he is not competent, but from what I have seen of him, I do not know that he is."
Again, Lee criticizes while accentuating the positive.
The final example I will mention is a bit more anecdotal, but no less valid a reference than the previous to if for no other reason than it reinforces what has already been said. The following observation by General Thomas Rosser also briefly mentions Lee’s criticisms of both Ewell and A.P. Hill. This excerpt if found in the Herman Leonard Papers and is reprinted in Glen Tucker’s Lee and Longstreet at Gettysburg.:
"After the war I went to Lexington to study and saw Lee practically every day and night. We often discussed comrades and enemies, but I never heard him speak of Longstreet but in the most affectionate manner. . . .General Lee relieved Ewell, one of his corps commanders at Gettysburg, from duty with his army; he criticized A.P. Hill severely for his failure and mismanagement at Bristoe Station, but no man ever heard him say one word against Longstreet."
Source: Lee's Maverick General by Hal Bridges and Lee and Longstreet at Gettysburg by Glen Tucker