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From acclaimed historian Elizabeth Varon comes a true story of courage and controversy \u2013 a new exploration of one of the most complex figures from American Civil War history. LONGSTREET, delves deep into the life and legacy of General James Longstreet.

With LONGSTREET, Varon \u2013 the recipient of the 2020 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize for her book\xa0Armies of Deliverance\xa0\u2013 provides a meticulously researched biography that unveils the lesser-known aspects of General Longstreet's story, from his early days as a prot\xe9g\xe9 of General Robert E. Lee to his pivotal role in the Battle of Gettysburg and beyond.

However, what truly sets this work apart is its focus on Longstreet's divergent path from traditional Southern postwar ideology. After the South was defeated, Longstreet moved to New Orleans. There he supported Black voting and joined the newly elected, integrated postwar government in Louisiana. When white supremacists took up arms to oust that government, Longstreet, leading the interracial state militia, battled against former Confederates. White Southerners branded him a race traitor and blamed him retroactively for the South\u2019s defeat in the Civil War. His continued defiance ignited a firestorm.

In this age of racial reckoning, it is high time that Longstreet be rediscovered. Varon's careful research and engaging storytelling provides readers with a fresh understanding of a man who dared to challenge the norms of his time, demonstrating that Longstreet\u2019s controversial choices have enduring relevance for our modern debates.

\nAbout the Author:\xa0Elizabeth R. Varon is Langbourne M. Williams professor of American history at the University of Virginia and a member of the executive council of UVA\u2019s John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History. Varon\u2019s books include\xa0Southern Lady,\xa0Yankee Spy: The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew,\xa0A Union Agent in the Heart of the Confederacy,\xa0and\xa0Appomattox: Victory, Defeat and Freedom at the End of the Civil War. Her most recent book,\xa0Armies of Deliverance: A New History of the Civil War,\xa0won the 2020 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize and was named one of\xa0The\xa0Wall Street Journal\u2019s best books of 2019.\n\nFor more info on the book click HERE

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