The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-02-09
GENERAL Gordon
4" Last Days Of COnfederacy"
Graphically Described.
Closing Scenes OF the War Are
Recalled By an Eye Witness.
Escorted to the Stage by Mea Prominent In
State and Municipal Affairs.

At the Auditorium last evening Gen.
John b. Gordon of Atlanta, senator, SOL
dier, veteran and orator, delivered his ia
nous lecture "Last Days of the Confedera-
cy," before an audience which considering
the inclement weather was large one, and
don, or as the people of the South call him
"Gordon of Georgia." delivered one of the
most interesting and pleasing lectures
ever heard in this city. In manner he is
original and entirely at his ease, and pos
sessed of an attractive personality combin-
ed with the courteous dignity of his peo-
pie. Gen. Gordon would command the
close attention of any audience.
Last svening he was frequently inter-
rupted by applause and what Is more i'm
pressive still, deep silence as his listeners
awaited with breathless interest the un-
folding OF one of the many pathetic Incl
dents of his eventful life. The stage and
boxes were tastefully draped with Ameri-
can flags. Never at q loss for words, the
General remarked az he accidentally
caused one of the flags, with which the
speakers table was draped, to fall as he
replaced 1t, "There was time when was
fond Of breastworks, but that time has
gone by," indicating that he had no need
of the table, and 80 1t proved.
Gen. Gordon was escorted to the plat
form by His Honor Mayor John w. Davis,
Hon. Pardon K. Tillinghast, John G @Wy-
man, Rev. j. j. Woolley, Senator Edward
l.. Freeman, Col. Charles III. French,
Hiram s. Johnson, president of the Y. M.
9. A., and j. Warren Seabury, commander
OF Tower Post, g. A. r.
The pleasant duty of introducing the
famous speaker fell to Mayor Davis, who
intimated that Gen. Gordon was no
stranger to the people of Rhode Island
historically. His Honor referred to the
pioneers of Rhode Island and Georgia,
showing their connection and the origin
and growth of the cotton spinning in
dustry. He mentioned the fact that the
Stste House Ia built of Georgia marble and
concluded by alluding to the late war in
which the North and South both fought
for what they considered to be right.
Gen. Gordon received hearty welcome,
and after thanking the Mayor for his kind
words expressed himself as pleased with
the warm reception rendered him. He was
pleased that Mayor Davis had coupled the
names of the sons of glorious little Rhode
Island with the illustrious sons of Georgia
and said he was present, ''not on mission
Of war, but Of peace, and realizing the uni
versal brotherhood of mankind, would not
speak particularly of the great battles of
the rebellion, but rather of the high plane
of manhood which the terrible struggle
developed. All the men whether they
wore blue or gray, who gave up their lives
died as martyrs to the truth as they under
stood it. No greater valor had ever been
shown in the world"
Gen. Gordon spoke of Gettysburg and
the Appomatox Court House, which places
marked the boundaries of the war. Re-
lating the crossing of the Patomac by
Gen. Lee, the speaker said, she had often
questioned the advisability of the move,
but move had to be made, as the boys in
gray were starving and looked upon the
green fields across the river as their saliva
tion.
The lecture was a running comment on
the personal experiences of the speaker
during the four years of the war. Famil-
lar with every officer of note who partici-
pated in the war, and himself an eye wit
ness to many of the critical engagements,
Gen. Gordons remarks threw new light
on many of the scenes of the war.
Gen. Gordon, in leading his wing Of the
Southern army, penetrated farther into the
State of Pennsylvania than any Of the
other Confederate commandants, and his
adventures with the class known as
"Pennsylvania Dutch" were very anus
ing. The general also spoke I'm humor-
Gus vein of the value Of Confederate money
as the war approached its close. Men paid
as high as $1,000 to have horse curried.
The women of both the North and South
had commanded the admiration OF Gen.
Gordon by their devotion to the causes
they had espoused. The "reminiscences of
Gen. Grant were Of more of ordinary in
terest and told of the high esteem with
which he was held by both his men and
his enemies.
The orator referred to the fact OF Gen.
Grant allowing the Southern men to be
offered no indignities as one OF the strong
points In bringing the North and South
together I'm bond never to be broken.
At the close the lecture as well as at
repeated intervals during It's course the
applause was long continued, andl at Its
conclusion Gen. Gordon was obliged to
hold an impromptu reception on the ttage
and nearly every one I'm the audience took
the opportunity of shaking hands with the
x...xs.,~.;.Lod goaatnr frcp, noo~xs.