The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-09-18
GORDON SAVED YORK.
"reminiscences of Lees Advance
into Pennsylvania.
GORDON'S MEN AS FIREMEN.

When General Gordon was shown news
paper reference to his York, Pennsylvania, ex
perience, in which it was stated that that town
| was saved from destruction by some interces-
| sion or contract made with him by some OF
! the citizens, he expressed surprise at any such
statement, and in answer to questions said;
"My troops were in advance Of General
Lees army. We had been sent some distance
ahead and we entered York on Sunday morn
ing just as the people were on their way to
church.
"My command had marched from Rich
mond almost literally without baggage and
in the hot July sun upon dusty turnpikes.
They WERE therefore, covered with dust and
with the fine powder ground by wheels on the
macadamized lime roads, their heads and
clothes and horses all being made the same
color by this dust. Many of them were bare
footed, and altogether it was the most forbid
dingi looking set of men, doubtless, that had
ever entered the streets of that town. l had
not myself had an opportunity of changing my
clothes in many days
at is easy TO imagine, therefore, what q
panic was created by this rough dust begrimed
body of men. AS / rode along the main streets,
which were crowded with men, women and
children in Sunday attire, the contrast between
our appearance and theirs was most striking.
No wonder it created panic, and lave never
seen population more alarmed
Gin the heart of the city, on the main
square, was vast gathering and anxious to
relieve the population from apprehension,
halted the column and made them
a speech from my horse. The faces
of the men were full of an expression
of apprehension, the women of alarm and the
children of terror. l said to them, in SUBJ
stance
GENERAL doRDoN's SPEECH TO THE PEOPLE.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of York: 1t is doubt
less most painful sight to you to see hostile
T hau 70 m har
however, that you have been accustoming our
eyes to such sights for several years past.
wish TO assure you, however that General Lee
and the confederate soldiers have entered
your state in no spirit OF retaliation. we are
here simply to fight the armies which are In
vading our soil and destroying our
homes. The men who are before
you in dusty gray uniforms, barefooted many
of them and ragged, are gentlemen and the
sons of gentlemen They are actuated by no
mean spirit, but by the Hottest conception of
duty that ever moved men in any war-that OF
self defense. beg to assure you that no pri-
vate property will be disturbed that no pri-
vate home will be entered, and if one woman
in this city is insulted by one OF these soldiers,
promise you the head of such a man. They
have lust read in the Philadelphia Inquirer Of
this morning of tn destruction,by order of fed
eral commanders, of the town of Buford, South
Carolina, and of Darien, Georgia. Some of
these men were citizens of Darien, and natur-
ally feel some indignation at the destruction OF
their homes, but as l have already stated,
there is instheir hearts no spirit of retaliation,
and they fight only the men with arms in their
hands,
A BOUQUET AND ANoTE.
1.-THE effect of my remarks was to quiet the
population to a very considerable extent. AS
1 rode out of town, little girl about ten years
old ran up to my horse and gave me
bouquet, concealed in which was note without
signature, but advising me of federal force
stationed at Wrightsville, some twenty miles
ahead OF me. I moved through York without
hating and camped beyond it,
"The next day marched to Wrightsville, on
the Susduehanna river, and found the federal
force located in the exact position described in
the anonymous note. The information con-
tanned in the note enabled me to turn the flank
of the position and to dislodge the force that
was there (Which L think was composed of
hundred day mem, without any battle.
In retreating across the bridge
over the Susquehanna, between the
towns of Wrightsville and Columbia, the fed
eral troops fred the bridge. stayed to ex-
tnguish the flames. but was unable to do SO,
and the burning bridge fired the town.
formed my command around the burning dis
trict, with each flank resting upon the waters
edge of the Susquehanna river, and began
systematic fight with the flames, in order to
save the town. We did save it, and the next
morning, after fighting the flames late at
night, when | was in the act OF beginning
my retrograde movement, inasmuch as
failed TO save tho bridge and cross the river, I
was waited on by committee from the town
authorities of Wrightsville, extending me the
formal thanks of those people for having
saved the town, and also an invitation to a
complimentary lunch given by the lady whose
house would have been the next to take fire
but for the Intervention of those confederate
soldiers.
CONFEDERATE MONEY IN PENNSYLVANIA.
"Of course | do not mean to say or intimate
| that we hesitated to take food or horses OF
| whatever supplies were needed to sustain the
| army, but outside of this there was no destruc-
| ton even of fences, and the track of General
| Lees army, with the exception of the battle
| field ut Gettysburg, could not be traced by any
evidence of the march of hostile armies"
"What would the people say when you took
! horses, etc.?
There were many incidents most amusing
in character: Most of the inhabitant OF that
beautiful valley of Pennsylvania were Dutch
! immense barns and small houses. When i
was necessary TO impress or take horses, OF
course they protested most roundly, saying
! in their broken English that We did not own thu
horses and had not paid for them; to which
| my reply was that | was ready to pay.
when they demanded the pay Offered
confederate money, which was the
| only currency had O
course this they rejected with great indigna
ton, and demanded good money. To this
replied that ! could not furnish that, but
| would give them an order on Mr.. Lincoln fo
| the money, and did, in several cases, give al
order on the president OF the United States L
pay for SO many horses at so much per head
| don't suppose my drafts were honored, but
| have never heard of their being protested, no
| have they been returned to me. Such incl