Armistead Lindsay Long
Encyclopedia
Armistead Lindsay Long was a brigadier general for the Confederate States of America
, and the author of the 1886 book Memoirs of Robert E. Lee.
, to Armistead Long and Calista Rosser Cralle. He was an 1850 graduate of the United States Military Academy
. He was appointed second lieutenant June 30, 1851, and served for two years at Fort Moultrie before being assigned to frontier duty in New Mexico
.
After two years on the frontier, he was moved back to Fort McHenry
and Barrancas Barracks and promoted to first lieutenant on July 1, 1854. In 1855 he was sent back for five more years of frontier-duty, this time serving in Kansas
, Nebraska
and Indian Territory
with a brief stint at Fort Monroe
.
when tensions began between the Northern and Southern states. He was among the garrison that was surrendered to state authorities. He was transferred to serve an aide-de-camp
to General Sumner
, and ended up marrying Sumner's daughter, Mary Heron Sumner, in 1860. They had their first child, Virginia Tunstall, on March 5, 1861.
When Sumner was summoned to lead the Department of the Pacific
in California on June 10, 1861, Long resigned his commission in the United States Army the same day, and accepted a rank of major and chief of artillery in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States
in western Virginia
. He was later promoted to colonel dating from March 1861. Long accompanied its commander General William Loring
in the Trans-Allegheny. During the summer and autumn of 1861, he acted as Inspector General
, in addition to his regular duties.
He was summoned to appear before General Robert E. Lee
at the end of the year, and the two of them would foster a close friendship over the coming years. Long was transferred to the southern coast as chief of artillery for both Generals John C. Pemberton
and Robert E. Lee
. When Lee became the military adviser to President Jefferson
Davis in early 1862, he appointed Long as his military secretary with the rank of colonel.
When on May 31, 1862, Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia
, Long assumed his military secretary position on Lee's staff. He served Lee through the Seven Days
, Northern Virginia Campaign
of August 1862, Antietam Campaign
, Fredericksburg Campaign
, the campaign culminating in the Battle of Chancellorsville
, and the Gettysburg Campaign
. Long was considered a valuable asset with "vigor and unfailing judgment".
On September 23, 1863, Long was promoted to brigadier general and placed in command of the artillery in Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell
's Second Corps. He was present at both the Bristoe Campaign
and the subsequent Mine Run Campaign. Long commanded the artillery through the Overland Campaign
, including the battles of the Wilderness
, Spotsylvania Court House
, and Cold Harbor
. During Early's 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign
he served intermittently as artillery chief for the Army of the Valley
, but was often absent due to illness. He returned with the rest of the army to rejoin Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia around Petersburg and Richmond. Suffering from facial Neuralgia
, he surrendered with the remnants of Lee's army at Appomattox Court House
in April 1865.
In 1864, his wife gave birth to their second child, Edwin Vose.
Following the war, Long was appointed Chief Engineer at the James River and Kanawha Canal
from 1866 to 1869. On April 12, 1869, his wife gave birth to their third child, Eugene Mclean. The following year Long went blind, ostensibly from his exposure during military service.
On October 28, 1875, Long was elected to a post of Vice President of the Association of the Army of Northern Virginia along with Robert Ransom, Harry Heth, and William Terry
, under the association's president W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee
.
President Ulysses S. Grant
appointed Long's wife as postmistress for Charlottesville, Virginia
. Although entirely blind, Long moved to Charlottesville and began writing Memoirs of Robert E. Lee. The lengthy biographical compendium of the service of the Army of West Virginia was published in 1886, although his manuscripts on Stonewall Jackson
and his own army life were never published.
Following three years of ill health after the death of his eldest son, Long died in Charlottesville after requesting that his daughter build a fire in his room and bring him coffee
. By the time she returned, he had slipped from consciousness
and died shortly thereafter. He is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Charlottesville.
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
, and the author of the 1886 book Memoirs of Robert E. Lee.
Early life and career
Long was born in Campbell County, VirginiaCampbell County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 51,078 people, 20,639 households, and 14,694 families residing in the county. The population density was 101 people per square mile . There were 22,088 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...
, to Armistead Long and Calista Rosser Cralle. He was an 1850 graduate of the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. He was appointed second lieutenant June 30, 1851, and served for two years at Fort Moultrie before being assigned to frontier duty in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
After two years on the frontier, he was moved back to Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay...
and Barrancas Barracks and promoted to first lieutenant on July 1, 1854. In 1855 he was sent back for five more years of frontier-duty, this time serving in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
with a brief stint at Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
.
Civil War
Long was stationed at Augusta ArsenalAugusta Arsenal
Augusta Arsenal was a 19th century fortification in Augusta, Georgia. It was initially built on the Georgia bank of Savannah River in 1819 but moved for health concerns to Summerville, Georgia in 1828. It remained in operation until 1955, at which point it was converted to house the junior college...
when tensions began between the Northern and Southern states. He was among the garrison that was surrendered to state authorities. He was transferred to serve an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to General Sumner
Edwin Vose Sumner
Edwin Vose Sumner was a career United States Army officer who became a Union Army general and the oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the American Civil War...
, and ended up marrying Sumner's daughter, Mary Heron Sumner, in 1860. They had their first child, Virginia Tunstall, on March 5, 1861.
When Sumner was summoned to lead the Department of the Pacific
Department of the Pacific
The Department of the Pacific was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century.-Formation:The Department of the Pacific was first organized on October 31, 1853, at San Francisco, California, taking over from the previous Pacific Division. The department reported directly to...
in California on June 10, 1861, Long resigned his commission in the United States Army the same day, and accepted a rank of major and chief of artillery in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in western Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. He was later promoted to colonel dating from March 1861. Long accompanied its commander General William Loring
William W. Loring
William Wing Loring was a soldier from North Carolina who served in the armies of the United States, the Confederacy, and Egypt.-Early life:...
in the Trans-Allegheny. During the summer and autumn of 1861, he acted as Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
, in addition to his regular duties.
He was summoned to appear before General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
at the end of the year, and the two of them would foster a close friendship over the coming years. Long was transferred to the southern coast as chief of artillery for both Generals John C. Pemberton
John C. Pemberton
John Clifford Pemberton , was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole Wars and with distinction during the Mexican–American War. He also served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, noted for his defeat and surrender in the critical Siege of Vicksburg in...
and Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
. When Lee became the military adviser to President Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
Davis in early 1862, he appointed Long as his military secretary with the rank of colonel.
When on May 31, 1862, Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
, Long assumed his military secretary position on Lee's staff. He served Lee through the Seven Days
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
, Northern Virginia Campaign
Northern Virginia Campaign
The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E...
of August 1862, Antietam Campaign
Maryland Campaign
The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
, Fredericksburg Campaign
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
, the campaign culminating in the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
, and the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
. Long was considered a valuable asset with "vigor and unfailing judgment".
On September 23, 1863, Long was promoted to brigadier general and placed in command of the artillery in Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell
Richard S. Ewell
Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E...
's Second Corps. He was present at both the Bristoe Campaign
Bristoe Campaign
The Bristoe Campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern...
and the subsequent Mine Run Campaign. Long commanded the artillery through the Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
, including the battles of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
, Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
, and Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
. During Early's 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign
Valley Campaigns of 1864
The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864. Military historians divide this period into three separate campaigns, but it is useful to consider the three together and how they...
he served intermittently as artillery chief for the Army of the Valley
Army of the Valley
The Army of the Valley was the name given to the army of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's independent command during the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns in the summer and autumn of 1864. The Army of the Valley was the last Confederate unit to invade Northern territory, reaching the outskirts of Washington, D.C....
, but was often absent due to illness. He returned with the rest of the army to rejoin Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia around Petersburg and Richmond. Suffering from facial Neuralgia
Neuralgia
Neuralgia is pain in one or more nerves that occurs without stimulation of pain receptor cells. Neuralgia pain is produced by a change in neurological structure or function rather than by the excitation of pain receptors that causes nociceptive pain. Neuralgia falls into two categories: central...
, he surrendered with the remnants of Lee's army at Appomattox Court House
Appomattox Court House
The Appomattox Courthouse is the current courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia built in 1892. It is located in the middle of the state about three miles northwest of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, once known as Clover Hill - home of the original Old Appomattox Court House...
in April 1865.
In 1864, his wife gave birth to their second child, Edwin Vose.
Postbellum career
James River and Kanawha Canal
The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal in Virginia, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast....
from 1866 to 1869. On April 12, 1869, his wife gave birth to their third child, Eugene Mclean. The following year Long went blind, ostensibly from his exposure during military service.
On October 28, 1875, Long was elected to a post of Vice President of the Association of the Army of Northern Virginia along with Robert Ransom, Harry Heth, and William Terry
William Terry
William Terry may refer to:*William Terry , a political figure in Upper Canada*William Terry , a member of the United States Congress from Virginia...
, under the association's president W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee , known as Rooney Lee or W.H.F. Lee, was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. He was a planter, a Confederate cavalry General in the American Civil War, and later a member of the U.S. Congress.-Early life:Lee was born at Arlington House in...
.
President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
appointed Long's wife as postmistress for Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
. Although entirely blind, Long moved to Charlottesville and began writing Memoirs of Robert E. Lee. The lengthy biographical compendium of the service of the Army of West Virginia was published in 1886, although his manuscripts on Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
and his own army life were never published.
Following three years of ill health after the death of his eldest son, Long died in Charlottesville after requesting that his daughter build a fire in his room and bring him coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
. By the time she returned, he had slipped from consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
and died shortly thereafter. He is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Charlottesville.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals