Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-02-03

bloody field the fiery young Southern
err showed for the first time his superb
fighting qualities. He led his regiment
into the deadliest part of the fray with
unsurpassed gallantry. More than
half of Gordon's regiment was killed,
and out Of one company of forty men
only ten survived the battle. Gordon's
clothing was riddled with bullets, his
horse killed under him and his escape
from death nothing short of miracu-
lous. Later his regiment bore its
share in the seven days fighting
around Richmond, and the second
Manassas campaign, and was the first
body of Confederate troops to cross
the Potomac River into Maryland.
Perhaps Gordon's greatest feat DUR
ing the war was when he held back
Mcclellan at Boonesboro Gap. AT that
awful fight in the South mountain his
regiment wrote its record of yalor in
hSl Little Mae With his fnrcasS
was hurrying through the mountain
passes to fall upon "Stonewallp jack
son, who was closely besieging Har-
per's Ferry. Gordon's regiment was
with the southern division named to
hold the Union commander back. On
the eve of the battle General Hill. who
was in command of the Confederates,
rode along the line urging the men to
stand fast. On reaching Gordon, the
latter called out: General Hill, you
need not fear for this part of the line.
These men are going to stay here"
His men caught the spirit of the young
commander and answered with an ell
thusiastic yell. They held their line
against tremendous odds until Jackson
captured Harper's Ferry, but the cost
was fearful.
Early i'll the battle Gordon received
two wounds in his right leg, but re-
mained undaunted at his post. An
hour later IL ball passed through his
left arm, and shortly after this anoth-
er leaden missile pierced his shoulder.
Though tortured with pain and reek-
ing with blood, he refused to leave the
field, and continued to cheer on his
men until another ball passed through
his left cheek and sent him to the
ground unconscious. He was borne
from the field as it was thought fatal
ly wounded, and it was not until April
1863, that he was again at his post
with the army, this time as a brigadier
general.
After the battles of the Wilderness
General Gordon was promoted to the
Of N iyt.,f
sylvania his great charge which drove
the Federals under Hancock into COLI
fusion was one of the feats of the
war. General Gordon led the charge
in person, and it was said by officers
who witnessed the terrible onset that
no force on earth could have withstood
the terrible sweep.
General Gordon was prominent in
the negotiations for Lees surrender mt
AppomattoX. At the close of the war
he returned to Georgia and to his law
practice. Declining to allow the use
of his name for Governor on the Dem
ocratic ticket he nevertheless received
a large majority Of the popular vote.
Under the conditions, however, his op-
ponent, Il. b. Bullock, was declared
elected. In 1878 he was elected to the
United States Senate and returned
again in 1879. He resigned in 1880 to
raise money for the construction of
the Georgia Pacific Railroad. He was
elected Governor Of Georgia in 1886,
reelected in 1888, and was returned
to the United States Senate in 1890.
He declined reelection and of late
years had devoted himself to lectur-
ing, in which field he was widely pop
ular.
General Gordon's years of service in
the Senate We're brilliant and states
manlike. He was the idol of all Con-
federate veterans, and at the time of
his death was their commander-in-
chief.