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The following was introduced and passed by the Confederate States of America Congress in order to recognize the outstanding service rendered by Lt. General Longstreet and his command. It should be noted that the recognition came after the battles of Gettysburg, Chattanooga, and the failed assault at Fort Sanders (Knoxville). At the time this resolution was passed Longstreet and his command were considered a very serious threat by the Federal army, and Major General Ulysses S. Grant remarked to the War Department in Washington,

If Longstreet is not driven out of the valley entirely, and the road destroyed east of Abingdon, I do not think it unlikely that the last great battle of the war will be fought in East Tennessee.(1)

Resolution Passed By Confederate Congress

No. 42.

Joint Resolutions of Thanks to Lieutenant-General Longstreet and the Officers and Men of His Command.

"Resolved by the Congress of the Confederate States of America, that the thanks of the Congress are due, and hereby cordially tendered, to Lieutenant-General James Longstreet and the officers and men of his command, for their patriotic services and brilliant achievements in the present war, sharing as they have the arduous fatigues and privations of many campaigns in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Tennessee, and the commanding general ever displaying great ability, skill, and prudence in command, and the officers and men the most heroic bravery, fortitude, and energy, in every duty they have been called upon to perform.

Resolved, That the President be requested to transmit a copy of the foregoing resolutions to Lieutenant-General Longstreet for publication to his command."(2)

"Approved February 17, 1864."

(1) War Dept., Official Records, Series I, Vol. 31, part III, p 430. See also War Dept., Official Records, Series I, Vol. 32, part II, pp 149, 193, 194, 207, 244, 271, 334, 345, 346 which in part outline the Union anxiety over Longstreet in East Tennessee. It should also be noted that Lt. Gen. Longstreet and his command were never successfully forced from the valley, they returned to Virginia by order of the Confederate War Department.

(2) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Library , "Confederate Congress Resolution No. 42.," Documenting the American South, (http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/23conf/23conf.html#p250), 2/17/2007.

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