Dear General,--. . .Well, the morning came. The enemy attacked Wilcox and Heth before your arrival. Disaster seemed imminent. I was sent to meet you and hasten your march. I met your two divisions within less than half a mile of the battlefield coming up in parallel columns very rapidly (I was going to say in double-quick) on the Plank road, side by side, and that they came in grandly, forming line of battle, Kershaw on the right and Field on the left, restoring the battle. It was superb, and my heart beats quicker to think about it even at this distance of time. . . .
Yours very truly,
Charles S. Venable
Source: Annals of War, essay by Longstreet
Commentary
This portion of a letter sent to Longstreet details the events and his own thoughts directly before and at the moment of Longstreet's arrival on the field. This letter indicates the Venable, a memeber of Lee's staff and the first to witness Longstreet's emergence, saw no cause for criticism or basis for the argument that Longstreet was slow. This letter is also independant confirmation of points made by others, most notably E.P. Alexander.