James Longstreet was an exceptional Confederate general whose leadership and battle strategy, his relationship with Lee, and his controversial disobedience contributed to his enormous impact in the American Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg. Longstreet was born on January 8, 1821 and raised in the South ("General James Longstreet" 1). As a child, he lived with his parents on the family plantation in Georgia. His father nicknamed him Old Pete, a nickname that stuck with him throughout his life, named after St. Peter, because they shared a strong, rocky character. He entered West Point in 1838. Graduating in 1842, he ranked 54th out of 56. However, he made many friends with whom he would fight and against, such as Ulysses S. Grant, George H. Thomas. , John Bell Hood and George Pickett. After graduating, Longstreet joined the National Army, with which he fought in the Mexican-American War. He served in the siege of Veracruz, the advance inland, and the Battle of Chapultepec, where he was wounded. While convalescing, he was stationed in Texas where he was paymaster of the 8th Infantry and led border patrols. When tensions rose in the 1860s, James Longstreet supported the doctrine of state's rights, but was not a secessionist. As soon as the fighting in the Civil War broke out, he decided to move to the South because it was his home, and he approved of the ideals of state's rights and slavery (Hickman 1). As a Civil War general, James Longstreet had an exceptional sense of battle tactics. The battles in which his logic demonstrated were: Yorktown and Williamsburg, Fredericksburg and Antietam. At the Battle of Yorktown, Longstreet was in command and made the executive decision to...... middle of paper ......es: "General James Longstreet CSA". AmericanCivilWar.com. Np, and Web. March 31, 2014."Longstreet General Reconnaissance Project." Longstreet's general reconnaissance project. TheAgribusiness Council/Heritage Preservation Committee, nd Web. March 31, 2014. Hickman, Kennedy. “American Civil War: Lieutenant General James Longstreet. » About.comMilitary history. About.com, and Web. March 31, 2014. Shaara, Michael. The Killer Angels; A novel. New York: McKay, 1974. Print, United States. National Park Service. “Yorktown National Cemetery – Civil War Era National Cemeteries: A Travel Itinerary Exploring Our Shared Heritage.” National Park Service. US Department of the Interior, nd Web. April 6. 2014. .