River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-07-26
Appomattox RecollectiOns.

What General Gordon Remembers
OF the Surrender at Appomattox-
Gossip of {. Famous Scene Re
vivea by General Sheridan's Recent
Article
Gath" in the New York Tribune.
had a talk last Wednesday night with
General John B. Gordon, of Georgia, a
man of supreme bravery. He is about
81 years old, LAWYER, college grad
uate. and tie greatest fighter, in the
confederate army. Said l:
General, have you read Sheridan's
article about the closing days of the
WARP"
YES" said he land it is an honest
effort of the memory. though there are
some natural differences in honest mems
memories ofthe same events. A very
slight difference of standpoint changes
the perception and of course the mem
ory. Phil Sheridan is gallant fellow,
and have good occasion to remember
him in the hottest time of the war.
tell you, as Sheridan's OPP onent pol
Tito ally and in military point of view,
he pushed the poor old confederacy in
its dying moments with vigor we had
never known. Sleep was denied us. 1t
was nothing but fight, fight, fight, until
fighting lost its heroism, and we hardly
cared whether we we're alive or
dead"
Said L: General Gordon, cannot
you remember something pertaining to
Sheridans meeting your" The General
then in his easy, perspicuous way, told
me a number of things, though he IS far
beyond craving publicity, having had
the whole measure of success, political,
senatorial, military, financial. | could
not help thinking while we were talking,
and Judge Lochraine was present, that
once Lochrainc had employed this re-
nowned fighter as a reporter on ms
paper. Courtesy, magnanlmlty, gra-
ciousness, obedience are Gordon's all
the time. While you talk with him you
observe the clefts in his cheek and in
his head where the lead entered. Said
he.
''Sheridan's article revives a number
of memories to me, among others the
following: / had among my scouts a
man named George, one of the brdVest
fellows that ever lived When we were
on that last retreat, two men i'll Conted-
crate uniform were captured, and one
They were brought into my camp and
George siad: General Gordon, | know
that man, pointing to one; he decoyed
me into the Federal lines and gave me
up | said to the Yankee, who was as
fine man as ever / saw
in my life, whole in body and whole in
soul. Ny friend, this is serious charge
against YOU. | hope you can acqult
yourself. He insisted that he was con-
federate lieutenant, and he gave me his
place in the confederate army with the
greatest precision and confidence. But
George said again: General Gordon.
that man is a spy. | cannot be deceived
about him" So l said to the northern
err: "My friend, we will just strip you
and see if my scout is not mistaken"
We did strip him, and found in por-
ton of his garments direct order from
General Sheridan. Seid /: MY friend,
I sympathize with you. but you know
the penalty ofvour detection?' eyes"
said he, General Gordon, / have taken
my life in my hands long time. You
have caught me. | am ready for the
penalty" | looked into the mans eyes
and saw the soul of man there, Said
| "Take hun to the guard-house."
>,w | sincerely hoped | would not
We to hang that man. Indeed | did
not mean to hang him. But his offense
vas q HANGING one. The next day it
Was suggested to me that had that spy.
Said l; 1--WE are too hotly engaged
Let him go over another day" | kept
reprieving him, and the federals took
him off my hands. l never
meant to hang him at all,
Said /: "Can you remember any
thing about the firing on Sheridan's
staff, and even Sheridan himself?'
eyes," said Gordon: 81 will
give you the best memory | have
about it. During the retreat | command
ed the rear and of course | was fighting
all the time. When General Lee felt
that his cause was gone he sent me a
written statement to that effect but not
the order for me to surrender. ! was
too humble a man to interpret his order
into a surrender. | had 10 20 home TO
my people and | resolved not to sur
render till l was explicitly told to do SO.
OF course | saw that our cause was gone.
While we were fighting tercely, men
icing killed all around us, there dashed
MP to me an officer with a staff so large
that / really thought it was as big rs one
Of my re2iments. | am not refle ting
on that officer, but we were so nearly
cleaned ont that one of our regiments
WAS hardly bigger than a Federal staff.
The man who came to me was fighting
fellow; decision and pluck being in his
eyes. Said he: Are you aware that
your commanding officer has surrender
ed2' II have no oIders to surrender
said l. Well said this officer, Il tell
YOU that y,u have surrendered / shall
not surrender said |. Very we'll
said he, and he wheeled off with his staff
and passed away as if it gave him no
concern whether we had surrendered
or not. There We were, absolutely
doomed. | knew the timber of that
Federal army well now. lnduTated.
flushed with success, intelligent, ard.
they knew they had MS in the last trap
Yet | was not going to take the respou-
sibility OF surrender. | had to 90 home"
General Gordon" said |, can you
RENE mber Sherdan's comm 10 you?"
Eyes. The fight was still raging, and
people were being murdered for moth
ing. The instinct Of fight was in both
armies, and | wanted to give up, but
was uenerai Lees man ana mad to hear
from him. Suddenly a little short-set
officer, whose feet stuck ont from his
horse and who looked like Punch,
dashed upon me with his staff AS he
was coming toward me, and not more
thau l0l yards distant, | saw one of my
b
erately eveling his rifle at Sheridan. He
would have blown him to pieces. 1t was
his very deliberation that saved Sheri-
dams life. ! TUNED to the man and
said: Don't you see that there is a
white flag thereg The man without pay
ing TIE least attention to me began train
ing his gun on Sheridan personally. With
tiis I threw my hand against his barrel,
for he was standing right by my side,
and the gun went off in the air. Sh erl-
dan would have been moldering in the
grave to-day but for that noveme Mt Of
my hand. He came up and said to me:
Are you aware that you're army has
been surrendered? No, sir, as far as
am concerned | shall not surren fer.
have an order from General Lee, but it
is not explicit enough for me to take the
responsibility of surrendering.
Very WE'LL said Sheridan, we shall
aGnihilate you in a very little while
With that he started, but he pulled in
his horse as it was making the first steps,
and said "Let me see that dispatch from
Lee" | gave it to him. Said he: Gen
eral, this is enough for YOU" He jumped
OIL his horse and remarked that there
was firing from our size on portion Of
the Federals. We sat awhile and talked
IN very pleasant way together, and al
at once the very devil broke loose. The
two sides we're firing into each other
fercely. Sheridan jumped up and
turned to me with fury in his eye, and
said he: General Gordon, what does
this mean?" Now" said /, General
Sheridan; it is mistake of mine. sent
an infantry column off here to the rear
with instructions to fire il thew saw