The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-02-12
TACT AND COURAGE q
OF GENERAL GORDON
As a Leader He Was Dearly
Loved by the Soldiers Who
Served Under Him.
WAS a GREAT A
He Did Moro by Word, Decd and Pom
Than Any Other Southern Man to
Restore Harmony Between
North and South.

Chicago Inter Ocean: The army
which fought for the confederate u
in the great civil war has lost the last
Of Its lieutenant generals. Following
by q. few days the death of Longstreet,
Lieutenant General John Brown Cor
don died on January 9.
John Brown Gordon never exercised
independent command, and that Is
what probably robbed him Of the dis
tinction of being known as a great gen
eral. That he was a great man
for years been conceded both north ana
south. He had all the qualities Of a
leader, both civic and military. He
was one of the greatest orators IN the
country. He was one Of the most
chtvalric of the well known southern
ers. He went into the confederate
army as a captain, and at the sur
render of A~ppomattox he was a lieu
tenant general commanding one wing
of Lees army. Without previous ex-
perience, without military education
he was an efficient leader. mi showed
great capacity in subordinate COM
mand. Gordon was bold; he was brave
He was loyal to his leader. as hivalric
men of his stamp always are. Because
of his fighting instinct and his hght-
ing insight he was a power on the
battlefield. He had that great mark
of a leader, the ability to see and take
quick advantage of an opportunity.
His soldierly Qualities.
Two incidents related in F%itzhugh
Lees life of his uncle Robert e. Lee
may illustrate Gordon's soldlery quail
tiles. Toward the close of February,
1866, General Lee, as is shown in his
letters, anticipated an on
Grants part and the capture of Rich
mond a month before either event. He
was in desperate straits, and at last
made an attempt to break through the
fortified line slowly extending around
the right of his position.
The point chosen was Fort Stedman
two miles from Petersburg, and $50
yards from the confederate line, where
the pickets of the armies were only
fifty yards apart; n the attack,
though hopeless, was so CALAMITY made
as to startle the whole country. F1tz-
hugh Lee says: Gordon, an officer al
ways crammed with courage and fond
of enterprise, was selected to make the
attack with his corps, formerly EwelIs,
and parts of Longstreet's and Hills,
and a detachment Of cavalry. His OBJ
ject was to capture the fort, thrust the
storming party through the gap, and
seize three forts on the high ground
beyond and the lines on the right and
left Of it, under the impression tina
the forts were open at the gorge.
but there We're no such forts. Inc
redoubts that had a commanding nre
on Fort Stedman were on the main line
in the rear, and in the front was a line
al fntrenchments At about half past 4
on the morning Of March rs Gordon
made his daring sortie, broke through
the trench guards, o~verpoWered the
garrison, and captured Fort Stedman,
or Hare's Hill, and two adjacent bat
Il. I,4 - l. n r,ncf C11 lan Etrl1p-
gle, was forced to retire, losing 1,94C
prisoners and 1000 killed and wound
ed. but bringing back $50 prisoners
On the morning Of May IL, 1864, Grant
achieved a signal success against Lee
attacking and carrying the salient
since known as the bloody angle, In the
confederate lines at Spottsylvania, anc
capturing a general with some 4,oo(
men and twenty-one guns. About $4,000
men were concentrated to old the
ground, and Lee gathered every avail
able soldier to retake 1T, and moved II
lead a charge of Gordon's division him
self.
His Dash and Daring.
Fitzhugh Lee says: ION this occasion
the general rode to the head or tht
column forming for the charge, tool
off his hat, pointed to the captured
line, but General John B. Gordon pro
posed to lead his own men, and no on
in the army could do it better, for h
was in dash and daring inferior t.
none. These are Virginians and Georgi
ans who have never failed said Cor
don. Go to the rear General Lee AM
appealing to the men he cried: rs i
necessary for Genera Lee to lead thi
charger NO! no. they exclaimed, w
will drive them back II General Lee Wi
go to the rear The union troops wer
forced back in the charge that followe'
| and the line re-established."
Few soldiers ever fought for thei
, convictions more zealol a or brilliant
ly than Gordon. and thlcughout all tn
: foul years Of terrible warfare he wa
always the knightly officer and tn
humane and courteous gentleman. hi
influence after the close of the struggl
cannot be overestimated. At the SUI
8 render Of Appomattox the depression {
the vanquished was indescribable Th
feeling was general in the south ths
z the United States had no place for tn
e men who for four years had put fort
the most h%erculean efforts to destro
the union, and hat they must find
refuge beyond the borders.
n Influence at Close Of War.
n When their arms were stacked ar
9 their torn and to them sacred bait
" flags were folded and laid upon TT
muskets, General Gordon, sitting on h
- NclllS lllO ia
with that persuasive eloquence whic
was his great gift. he counseled the
not to leave the country, but to retu1
E to their homes, rehabilitate their farm
/ and, accepting the arbitrament of wa
10 renew their loyalty to the union and II
t, flag.
20 In his fascinating memoirs, recent
t. published, he thus modestly descrlb
'r the incident:
t. II said to them that through the Ri
Y; in the clouds then above US 1 could S
O. the hand Of Almighty God stretch
If out to help us In the impending bat
v. with adversely, that he would guide
It in the gloom and bless every mar
I effort to bring back to desolated HON
I the sunshine and comfort of form
years. AS to the thought Of their lea
ing the country, that must be aba
doned. 1t was their duty as patrit
I'd to remain and work for the recupeI
a. ton Of our stricken section with t
same courage, energy and deyoti
which they had fought for her in W
1 urged them to enter cheerfully a
hopefully upon the tasks imposed
the fortunes of war, obeying the la
and giving, as l knew they would,
er same loyal support to the general gc
or ernrnent which they had yielded to
o. Co%nfederacy. 1 closed with a propht
Id | @Lo% ,o,ec;or mould cnan1ily 1in q