Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-01-22
GORDON AND HIS MEN
Stori.s of the Confederate Lead
ers Kind Deeds.
WHY THE SOLDIERS IDOLIzED HIM

An Incident Of when They First
Called Him kind Hearted-A Young
Private's Tribute to the General.
An Instance of Gordon's Humanity
In War.
The following stories of the late Gen
eral John r. Gordon, the Confederate
leader, are told by some of the men of
his company, says a writer in the At
lanta Constitution:
when General Gordon first rode into
the lines of his brigade that later took
his name he saw two men astride a
wooden pole, while guard paced up
and down near by.
"What are those fellows on that
pole for?' demanded the new general.
Some one told him the pair WIRE cul.
prits, court martialed for shooting am
munition at squirrels in camp and now
being punished for this infraction of
orders. The general waited to hear
no more, but sat down and wrote an or
der directing the colonel of the regi-
ment to which the two belonged to re-
lease them both at once. That was the
very first order John b. Gordon ever
wrote as a brigadier general, and the
story, spreading through the brigade
like wildtire, made him an idol from
that moment.
THAT is why they called him kind
hearted At least that is when they
first spoke of him in that way.
Major Robert Stiles of Richmond,
author of Four Years Under Marse
Robert says General Gordon in battle
was the most glorious human being his
eyes ever looked upon. He describes
him in the first days fight a. Gettys-
burg, his face radiant, his figure erect,
mounted on a splendid ebony charger
with cleaning eyes and proud arched
neck. The rider fairly stood in his
stirrups and, bareheaded, waved both
hands, while his sonorous voice rolled
out such celebrations as only he knew
how to make to soldiers. Thus they
charged, with the great black charger
joyful in the midst of the flashing mus.
kets.
"Gordon's Georgia brigade, which
formed the right of Early's division,
drove back the Federals from before
Gettysburg, back through the town
and beyond to the slopes of Cemetery
hill. Staying hundreds and capturing
other thousands
The battle is over. The sun is sink.
Ing deep in blood red glow. Men In
the woods and fields are laying away
the dead The routed Federals cover
on the hill beyond the town. Drawn
up in long lines in the suburbs stand
serried ranks of victorious men ir
gray. An officer on a superb black
steed rides up to each section of the
long gray line in turn. He stops one
regiment.
Thirty frst!' he calls, and his voice
goes booming away on the evening
breeze Men of the Thirty-frst, Gen
eral Early says you're the bravest sol
dierS he ever sawn
For an instant there is silence save
Tor the echoes muttering among the
hills, and then the slight figure of 4,
fair haired youth leaps out from the
long line. Like a flash he snatches the
soldier cap from his head and shout,
in answer
You tell General EaNy, by -
we've got the bravest general he eve,
saw
And then from a thousand tbroo +,
there rent the air rebel yelr of fin,
kind that history will ever remember.
THE man on the black horse befor,
the lines was General John B. Cor
don, and the boy who shouted back a
him was young Sapp, who before tina
day mad never taken part in a battle.
These are some Of the stories tolt
by Gordon's men, and there are coun,
less others like them, showing wha
he was and the devotion paid him b,
his men, but here is another shown,
Gordon in different situation:
THAT point farthest north and far