Longstreet visits Hood in the hospital and lies to him about winning the battle and the number of casualties. Hood is drugged and about to have his arm operated on, so he is incoherent as he mumbles that Longstreet should have let him go to the right. Longstreet rides away, the rage building inside.
He sends his trusted Texas aide, T.J. Goree, to scout beyond the Confederate right. Longstreet does not want another countermarch in the morning like today. Longstreet learns Goree has been in a fight to defend Longstreet’s good name, as Hood’s men are blaming Longstreet for their loss. No one will blame Lee, and Longstreet knows it. He feels Lee needs to hear the truth, but even Longstreet is hesitant to blame Lee. Yet when he hears that Hood’s losses that day were 50 percent, Longstreet feels Lee must know a major assault is out of the question.
General Pickett sends word that his group arrived earlier in the day and was told by Lee to rest. Pickett is concerned his Virginians will miss the fight.
Longstreet heads off to talk to Lee. Headquarters is a mass of activity: bands playing, men laughing, smells of whiskey and roasting meat, civilians in good clothes and sleek carriages coming to see how the army is doing. Foreign observer, Ross, is intoxicated. And there, by the fence, cavalier, lounging with a circle of admirers and reporters, is Jeb Stuart.
Longstreet avoids him. Stuart is Lee’s problem. Longstreet tries to get through the crowd to Lee. The crowd hushes as Lee comes out. He is like a god to them all. Gentle Lee speaks first to Longstreet’s horse, then raising a hand with no strength left, greets Longstreet. He shows fatherly concern and dissolves all of Longstreet’s defenses. There is a commotion as Stuart joins them. Longstreet just wants to be out of there.
Lee’s song, “Bonny Blue Flag,” plays in the background. Finally Lee and Longstreet move inside, but it’s crazy there, too. Lee clears them out, and the two men discuss the battle. Lee eyes are filled with visions of victory as he speaks: “It was very close . . . They almost broke. I could feel them breaking.”
Longstreet, dumbfounded, is unable to argue with Lee. He tells Lee he lost half his strength that day and tries to get Lee to consider a move to the right. But Lee, focused on victory, puts him off. Longstreet, who’s in a rage, leaves.
Lee’s aide, Marshall, confronts Longstreet. The man is furious and has papers for Stuart’s court-martial, but Lee won’t sign. He confirms Stuart was joyriding and wants Longstreet speak to Lee. Longstreet agrees to talk to Lee and understands Marshall’s anger. But he feels there is not much he can do about it.
Longstreet rides back to his camp with Fremantle. Fremantle praises Longstreet and Lee for the day’s work and talks about what a clever and devious man Lee is and how you wouldn’t expect it. Longstreet’s smoldering rage explodes. He shoots that theory to shreds and lays out for Fremantle that Lee uses no clever tactics, it’s just that the men love General Lee and will do anything for him. Lee moves quickly and boldly and often gets the good ground. He speaks of Chancellorsville, where Lee broke military rules by splitting his army twice. Realizing what he’s just said, Longstreet excuses himself and rides off, alone with his thoughts.
Armistead comes by, encouraging Longstreet to join the rest by the campfire. Longstreet wants a drink, but declines. The two men talk about Garnett and why the English and Europeans aren’t helping the South. Armistead fumes, but Longstreet says nothing. Slavery is not what Longstreet is fighting for, but in his mind he believes it is what the others are fighting for.
Their conversation is interrupted by singing in camp. The song is “Kathleen Mavourneen.” Armistead is emotional and tells Longstreet that the night before he and Hancock went their separate ways to fight this war, they and their wives got together one last time. They sang that song. Armistead tells Longstreet he made an oath that night that if he should ever raise a hand against Hancock, may God strike him dead. Longstreet, already aware of broken oaths, shudders inside. Armistead tells Longstreet he sent Hancock’s wife a package to be opened if he should die. Longstreet wants to reach out to Armistead, but cannot.
Weary of command, responsibilities, and emotional intensity, Longstreet agrees to join Armistead and the rest of the men for one drink by the campfire.
