72 CONFEDERATE PORTRAITS

it was naturally the duty of an affectionate lieutenant to watch for and remedy in every possible way. And Long- street watched.

From the first day Lee took command we have his subordinate's delightful accounts of the way in which he advised, suggested, as some might almost sa}^ dictated. It was Longstreet who conceived the plan by which Jack- son was to be called from the Valley that McClellan might be driven from the Peninsula ; and if Jackson had been at all equal to the occasion, a great triumph would have been achieved.^o It was Longstreet who found Lee hesitating about going into Maryland on account of lack of supplies. **But I reminded him of my experiences in Mexico, where sometimes we were obliged to live two or three days on green corn. . . . Finally he determined to go on." 21 It was Longstreet who pointed out to his commander the folly of the Harper's Ferry scheme and supposed it w^as abandoned. But he could not be on the watch all the time and the pestilent Jackson took ad- vantage of his absence to impose on a mind always too easily led.22 Later Longstreet did his best to remedy a bad state of things. Lee listened patiently enough, but did not change his plans, and directed that I should go back the next day and make a stand at the mountain. After lying down, my mind was still on the battle of the next day, and I was so impressed with the thought that it would be impossible for us to do anything at South Mountain . . . that I rose and, striking a light, wrote a

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