Longstreet had a lot of faith in himself and his style of fighting during the battle of Gettysburg. After scouting the Union position, he immediately determined that a defensive style of warfare around the Union flank would be the most effective. This tactic came across as very radical in the minds of all of the Confederate officers, including Lee, because it involved a temporary retreat during a time when the Union appeared to be at its weakest. But even when Longstreet had lost the support of all of his officers and his commanding general, he continued to argue the position that he felt was the most advantageous with no regard for his own reputation. Longstreet had put his complete faith into his plan, but Lee had a one-track mind and he was too proud to change it.
Besides having faith in himself and his plan, Longstreet also had an overwhelming amount of respect for General Lee. He had faith in Lee�s abilities and his judgment as a commander. Therefore, when Lee ordered Longstreet to coordinate a charge on the center of the Union line by Pickett, Longstreet obeyed. When Longstreet arrived at the point of attack, he could still see that the Union flank was open and he had to make a decision to choose between his faith in his general and his faith in himself. He knew that his plan was the right one but he couldn�t bring himself to disobey orders and to lose Lee�s faith and trust in him. Longstreet chose his faith in Lee over his faith in himself and it resulted in the complete annihilation of nine Confederate brigades.
Longstreet was most definitely a man of faith, but his faith was divided between two opposing ideals and he couldn�t completely devote himself to one or the other. His faith in Lee ended up conflicting with his better judgment and by not maintaining his strong faith in himself and what he knew to be right, he cost many men their lives for no reason at all. Longstreet learned that faith itself can�t help you win; it�s putting your faith in the right cause that really counts.
