The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-15
GATHERED WITH CITIZENS TO
HONOR DEAD CHIEFTAIN.


Church at noon yesterday to pay their
tribute of respect to the memory of
| Georgia's soldier. patriot and citizen,
Gen. John B. Gordon.
1t was a large gathering. testing the
seating capacity of the church to it's
utmost and the quietness which pre-
vailed, the absence of any SNOWY
grief, testified all the more strongly
| to the genuineness of the sorrow
which all felt.
The church had been heavily hung
with black and white crepe, fitting
and tender symbols of the feeling in
the hearts of all Georgians, all South
| erners, all citizens of the entire coun-
| try. The black folds testified to the
unrelieved sorrow which the death of
| Georgia's best loved son had hung like
pail over the entire South the
white, symbolical of the rays of hope
which, shining through the tears, gave
| tender promise of greater things to
come, a symbol of rejoicing that
| Georgia manhood could attain such
| nights as had been reached by him for
whom a nation mourns.
On the right of the chancel, clad in
their uniforms of gray, were the old
veterans-men who had seen the peer
less, undaunted leader when in the
| hight of his military fame--men who
| had followed him through four, long
| dreary years of war down to Apo
mattox; heroes who had come back
with him to build anew a country
from the ruin and desolation which
| lay in silent, smoldering ashes over
| the entire South. On their sleeves
were the badges of mourning, the
emblems of the sorrow in their hearts.
Presence of the Veterans.
In their minds they lived over again,
for a short time. the stirring scenes
| of charge and countercharge; in fancy
| they listened again to the commanding
| tones of the voice which is now hushed
| forever; in memory wrought again re-
| building a nation. Time and again as
some eloquent tribute was paid to the
| noble character. the time whitened
heads would fall silently forward and.
despite their efforts to choke them
| back, the tear-mists would creep into
their eyes; the old ache steal again up
into the throat. 1t was beautiful,
touching tribute to their dead leader.
and the memory of it will ever live in
the hearts of all who witnessed It.
Back of the veterans sat the mem
bers of the Francis S.. Barlow Camp,
Sons of Confederate Veterans: son
uniting with father in paying tribute to
one whom all the world delighted to
| honor. Near them, grouped under the
red and white banner of the Confed-
| eracy, sat the members of the Winnie
| Davis Chapter, Children of the Con-
| federacy. Each wore the red and white
ribbon of the short-lived nation. and
each eagerly listened to the tributes
to one who did so much for it.
To the left were seated the Savannah
! Chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy,
representatives of that noble woman
| hood which had done so much, which
had sacrificed so much. endured so
much, for the Lost Cause. The entire
chapter was represented.
school Children Present.
The galleries in the church were
1 filled by the children of the public
schools, and this audience of little ones
was one of the most beautifully tender
tributes that has yet been paid to the
| dead hero, to the love which lived for
| him in the hearts of all.
| The remainder of the church was
! filled by citizens of Savannah. All
!
beliefs were represented. In the dark
ness of a common sorrow religious diff
| ferences were forgotten, and laid aside;
| in the loss of q magnificent leader
| mems hearts drew nearer together. 1t
| was an united tribute to a lorty, stain
less life.
On the platform sat Mayor Myers
who presided over the meeting. To
| his right sat Alderman Frank M
| Oliver, Hon. Walter G.. Charlton, Judge
George T. Cam; Rev. Robert Van De-
venter, and Hon. Pleasant A. Stovall
| To the left sat Rev. John D. Jordan
Mr.. C. G. Edwards, commander of the
| local camp of the Sons of Veterans.
and DIR. James Y. Fair.
''BiE Dukes" MOurnfuI REQUIEM.
Promptly at noon the big Duke"
| began tolling it's mournful REQUIEM,
the deep notes of the bell sounding
with mellowed sadness through the en-
tire service. The service was opened
with short invocation by DIR. James
Y. Fair, after which the entire audi
ence Joined in singing one of the church
hymns. Mayor Myers then introduced
| Hon. Walter G. Charlton, the first
speaker
Mr.. Charlton paid a glowing tribute
to the dead hero In vidid word pic
lures he painted him answering the
call of his mother state, going forth
to do duty for her, unquestioninglv
unhesitatingly unshrinkingly His
whole life was one of service, and both
in war and peace he gave his all to
his Southland, to his nation Great in
! victory he was even greater in peace
and the April sun which went down
| on AppomattoX caught with it's linger-
ing glory his unconquered form. still
steadfast at the post of duty"
DR.. John d. Jordan was then intro
duced. He paid lofty tribute to the
manly character which was so beauti-
fully rounded out to a quiet, peaceful.
| close. Gordon he characterized as
child of the South, a citizen of the
nation. In speaking of the general
sorrow which hung over the South,
the speaker called attention to the fact
that it was a time also for rejoicing.
rejoicing that manhood could reach
such nights before it died. He closed
! by referring to the dead chieftain as
| having gone to rest with Lee and
! jackson, under the shade of the
| trees"
GlOries Achieved in Peace.
Judge George T. Cam was the next
! speaker and his tribute was one of
! the most eloquent of any that were
delivered. After calling attention TO
the glories achieved in battle. T,,dee
! Cam spoke of the greater glories
achieved in peace. 1t was in defeat
that the true greatness of Gen. John
3. Gordon was shown and "the war
1 rfr i