The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-18
VISITED THEIR GENERAL.
LOUISIANA SOLDIERS BABE FARE
WELL TO GEN. GORDON.

| and Sergeant Major Hank1n Al
| dressed the GenernI-Gen. Gordon
was ROundIy Cheered Upon the
Conclusion of His Response, and
the Companies Then Entered the
Home and PartOOk of Refresh
ments-Gifts Were Presented Cen
eraI and Mrs. Gordon by Company
A-ReGiment Mustered Out To-day.
The enlisted men of the Second Louisi-
ana Regiment visited Gen. W. w. Cor
don al his home yesterday afternoon at
o'clock. The troops marched in from their
| camp on Dale avenue under
command of Sergt. Mai. Ran
kin. They were about 700 strong. and
the demonstration was entirely voluntary.
| They acted under no orders, and IL was
to show that it was of their own volitlon
they paid the visit that the men came in
to the city unaccompanied by a single com
missioned officer.
seTgt. Maj. Rankin formed the battal-
ions en- masse on the green in front of the
| Gordon residence. quite a crowd had col
lected to witness the expected ceremony
and hear the expression of sentiment felt
for their general by the men and Gen.
Gordons response Two policemen were
present 20 keep the curious back within
limits that had been indicated, and a rea-
! sonable degree Of success followed their eff
forts.
Upon the battahons being formed and
sergt. Mai. Rankin stepped forward, Gen.
| Gordon descended the steps of his home
and stood before the non-commissioned Of
fcer who addressed him as follows:
Gen. Gordon: My comrades of the Sec
ond Louisiana have conferred upon me the
pleasant duty of saying to you in words,
what their presence here expresses more
eloqusntly than language can tell. After
nearly year of toilsope and uneventful
service, the happy moment of freedom in
peace, IS approaching and il Is a fitting
coincidence that this felieitous day should
come in the beautiful city that you call
home, the word that means so much 10 US
al.
I'm leaving yours for our own, while we
look forward with that happy anticipation
that must i'll the hearts of all good men,
We cannot but listen 10 the tinkling of
memory as 81 tells us that we are leaving
one who, once our leader win always be
rightness and impartial discipline, incul-
Gated the seeds of the true soldier that
made us a regiment of which we are just
~ proud. We regret that the fortunes of
war did not afford as the opportunity of
showing you what benefits we derived
from your teachings. and how we would
have followed you in war as we now do in
our hearts, from whose promptings we
/ wish you everything good that life con-
tains. and that you may attain the ambl-
tions that a man of your high moral char
acter ability and popularity deserves. I
| can add no more than is contained In these
two sad words, that mean so mueh-Good-
byr"
AS Gen. Gordon started to speak in re-
ply to Sergeant Major Rankin, the men OF
the two battalions uncovered and remained
so until the conclusion of the speech.
Those of the Third Battalion started to
bare their heads, but the sergeant in COM
mand told them not to do so. there evil
IDENTIFY being a conflict of opinion as 10
what was right and proper from a military
point of view under the circumstances.
Gen. Gordon said:
Sergt Maj Rankin and Members OF the
Second louisiana Regiment;
Il thank you most heartily for TINS evil
dence Of your esteem and friendship, and
assure you that / reciprocate the senti-
meDts that inspired il. | want 90 tel you
why I appreciate it 50 much. When /
received a commission as general and was
assigned 10 the Fourth Army Corps ana
was placed in command of the Second
Brigade Of the First Division, I was not
acquainted with any OF you, nor you with
me. l had this advantage that, during
the civil war, l had known Hoods brigade
of Texans and Dick Taylor's brigade or
Louisianians in the Virginia army and
Granberry's brigade of Texans and Ran
dal Gibsons brigade of Louisianians in
the army of Tennessee, and l knew that
/ the descendants of those men were sure
10 be all right. But you didn't know me-
nor whether / was fit for command or
not 1t showed the stuff you were made
of that you accepted me cordially and
! stood up to me Loyalty in carrying out
! whatever l suggested as necessary or de-
! sirable. Under the sun and showers or
Mobile and Miami and Jacksonville you
drilled and worked necessarily, and when
sickness thinned your ranks and weakened
the survivors, so .ong as man could car
| ry a gun, he was always ready TO re-
| spond to every call of duty.
When l was relieved from the command
of the Second Brigade to serve on the com
| mission to Porto Rico, l was deeply touch
| ed by cali of ell the officers of the bril-
eade to bid me good-by and express their
kind feelings for me, but this tribute from
| enlisted men strikes even deeper. / had
been in personal touch with the officers
and could explain 80 them the reasons for
orders that might seem hardships There
was no opportunity TO explain 10 the men,
and at all times they had the heaviest
| end of the log TO tote.
! 1t has been said that "he who saddles
| opportunity is Gods elect but no one
can do this without intelligence and edu-
! - on and experience. No one could have
asked for more Intelligent ma.
teriai than the Alabamians, Lou
| isianians and Texans of the
! First Division. II was the duty of the
officers from general down, to educate
| this material and in time ripen il. and dur
! ing this process men learned to gage their
| officers quite as thoroughly as the ON
| GERS the men. The slothful, the neglisen,
! the sef-indulgent officer could command
/ a perfunctory obedience Of his orders. but
| couldn't inspire the confidence and enthu-
siasln which in volunteers can in a meas
ure replace the discipline which is i'm
| pressed upon regulars. | can truthf,II,