The following reading list also serves essentially as the bibliography of these web pages. Most of the official reports and wartime correspondence was taken from the Official Records of the War of Rebellion. A CD-ROM version of the OR can be purchased from Guild Press.

All the comments to the original sources, are mine, written entirely by me and should in no way be construed to be taken from any of these listed works. If errors in judgement exists, those errors are mine. The quotations from these books in the form of personal thoughts, official battle records, and letters serve as reference material to the comments I make in that or other parts of this web site.

Alexander, Edward Porter. Military Memoirs of a Confederate: A Critical Narrative, Morningside Reprints.

E.P. Alexander served the Confederate army with distinction from 1st Manassas until the finals days of the war. His most enduring service was as an artillerist attached to Longstreet 1st Corps, ANV. His memoirs are considered by many historians to be the example to be followed of how a participant in events can step back and offer clear, relatively unbiased commentary on those events. Alexander's memoirs are possibly the most accurate chronicle of the Civil War written by a Confederate participant.

Cormier, Steven A. The Siege of Suffolk: The Forgotten Campaign, April 11-May 4, 1863, Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, 1989.

Steven Cormier's book on the siege of Suffolk is the only full-length study of this important yet largely overlooked campaign. His work is exhaustively researched and well written. It should be required reading for any student of the Civil War that wants to get beyond the Big Battles and dive into the less well-known, but equally important episodes of the war.

Foote, Shelby. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vintage Books.

Foote's trilogy attempts admirably to combine the art of a novelist with the professionalism of an historian, two elements not easily merged into one. These books contain some errors and are not footnoted, but they will provide the new student with a good, basic understanding of the war.

Hood, John Bell. Advance and Retreat, Blue and Grey Press, 1985.

The majority of Hood's memoirs deal with his service with the Army of Tennessee and reveal a commander jealous of his own reputation and in some cases out of touch with reality. For the most part, Hood is writing in an attempt to release himself from criticism arising out of his command with the AoT. The memoirs are included here mainly because his commentary on the war up through Chickamauga, while brief, is worthy of consideration and does relate to the study of James Longstreet.

Horn, Stanly F. The Army of Tennessee, University of Oklahoma Press, 1953, 1941.

Horn's study of The Army of Tennessee from its original organization as the Army of the Mississippi through its horrific destruction at Franklin, TN, is still considered by many to be one of the finest accountings of that ill-fated army's struggles. His commentary during the period of time Longstreet was attached to the AoT is probing and thoughtful.

Longstreet, Helen D. Lee and Longstreet at High Tide: Gettysburg in the Light of the Official Records, Broadfoot Publishing, 1989, 1904.

Helen Dortch Longstreet, James Longstreet's second wife, began writing her defense of her husband prior to his death in 1904 and completed them afterwards. They are notable primarily for the fact that they include brief glimpses into the General's personal life and offer commentary from others such as Dan Sickles, Teddy Roosevelt, and other admirers of Longstreet who wrote to her after James' death.

Longstreet, James. From Manassas to Appomattox, Da Capo Press, 1992, 1895.

Longstreet's memoirs are sadly typical of those written by veterans of that conflict who found themselves after the war in the center of controversy. When speaking of personalities not involved in the post-war assaults on his reputation or when not discussing controversial campaigns, Longstreet is insightful and offers information not available elsewhere. Readers should be wary, however, of some portions of this book, most notably the sections on Seven Pines and Gettysburg.

Piston, William Garret. Lee's Tarnished Lt. , James Longstreet and His Place in Southern History, University of Georgia Press, 1987.

Simply stated, if you have an interest in studying James Longstreet or even in the much broader study of how history is recorded, perceived, and evaulated, you should drop everything you are doing right now, go out, and purchase this book. Piston has not written a biography of General Longstreet, but has concentrated on how his memory has been recorded up through the 1980's when Piston completed his PhD dissertation upon which this book is based. It is an absolute must-read.

Sorrel, G. M. Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer, Konecky Konecky, 1994.

G. Moxley Sorrel, James Longstreet's AAG during the war and later brigadier-general of infantry during the war's final months, has not attempted a complete history of the war, but has concentrated on more anecdotal observations during his service. He does provide insightful commentary regarding certain campaigns and battles not available elsewhere.

Tucker, Glen. Lee and Longstreet at Gettysburg, Glen Tucker, 1968; Morningside Books, 1982.

Previous to writing this book, Glen Tucker wrote a full-length study of the Gettysburg campaign. Intrigued by the controversy surrounding Longstreet at that battle, he then chose to concentrate more heavily on it. The result is this book, one of the first widely read studies of this subject that does not blindly follow the "Lost Cause" interpretation of that battle. On a personal note, this book was one of the first Civil War related books I read, and many of the opinions I hold today conerning James Longstreet can be traced back to my reading this book.

Wert, Jeffry D. General James Longstreet: The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier, Simon and Schuster, 1993.

Jeffry Wert's biography of James Longstreet is in reality a military biography, concentrating primarily on the war years. This is not entirely unavoidable considering the lack of information available about Longstreet's personal life both before, during, and after the war. Regardless, Wert's book is and will likely remain for some time to come the most thorough and objective study of Longstreet's Civil War career.

Most of the preceeding works can be purchased via The Cincinnati Civil War Round Table's Online Bookstore. Purchasing your Civil War related books from this website benefits preservation efforts sponsored by the CCWRT through Amazon.com's website bookstore program. All proceeds gained by the CCWRT are directed towards this endeavor.

The Longstreet Chronicles - Copyright 2000, Brian D. Hampton