January 2 RIP

First on our list is James Longstreet, aka "Old Pete".  He was a Confederate general, of course.  He was stubborn as all get out, and sometimes a bit slow to move on the offense.  But he was competent, if not brilliant, which worked well when Stonewall Jackson was around.  Alas, after he was out of the picture, Lee was left with a shield, but not a sword, metaphorically speaking.  BTW, despite what people would seem to assume, he was the Number 2 Man in the Army, as he was technically senior to Jackson. Not that it ever mattered.  He long survived the War, dying in 1904. Alas, he was not hugely popular in the South after the War, on the grounds that he argued Lee lost the War at Gettysburg by not taking his advice (a valid but not completely accurate claim), and he also worked with President Grant to try and restore the South a little more effectively.  As you might guess, Grant wasn't all that popular in the South- so that made Longstreet even less popular.  Nevertheless, his preference for fighting on the defensive rather than attacking a dug-in army was correct, as was shown in 1914 for instance. 

In 1945, Britain lost Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, who was an important officer for much of the War.  He was a senior commander when the Allies invaded North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy, and also commanded the naval forces when the British were evacuating Dunkirk.  Alas, he was lost in a plane crash, even before the War ended. 

In 1974, it was Tex Ritter.  He did some singing, as I recall.  Mostly he's known as an actor, and for having a son named John. 

In 1986, it was Bill Veeck (as in wreck, as it was often explained).  He was an esecutive in baseball, where he did a lot of wild things to liven up the games.  As a result of an injury (not a wound) in WWII, he had a wooden leg. Wanna know what kind of guy he was?  He made a point of cutting out a small hole in the leg to use as an ashtray.  He also was the man who signed the first Black players in the American League.  Remember Eddie Gaedel, the -ahem- short person- who played in a single game?  Yup.  That was Veeck.  He also once allowed the fans to vote on in-game decisions.  Oh, and when his father was running the Cubbies, he took his son's advice and planted ivy along the outfield walls.  Quite a legacy, and I believe his son is still involved in the sport. 

Here's one that I regret.  In 2008, it was curtains for the incomparable George MacDonald Fraser.  Ever read any of the "Flashman" books?  Yup.  That Fraser.  He also wrote "Quartered Safe Out Here', an account of his experiences in Burma in the latter days of WWII.  Also an excellent book.  As is "The Pyrates", which I reviewed on Amazon, by the way.  See a pattern here?  He was a great author. 

And finally, just last year we lost Richard D. Winters.  Aka Dick Winters.  As in "Band of Brothers".  He's one of those commanders of whom I would safely say "I'd follow that man into battle".  Of course, in his case I can be certain of it, since so many men did, and made it home safely.  He was a good man too.