The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-26
Thousands Gather in Atlanta
 to Hear OratiOnS
DIXIE AND "REBEL YELL"
Daughters Unvel Equestrian Monu- ment to Confederate Commander. Grafton By General Evans.
 Fine Military Parade.

Atlanta, May 25.-Thousands of Geor- gia's citizens, with added hundreds from other sections of the south, gathered to- day at the unveiling ceremonies of the splendid equestrian statue to the mem orr of Gen. John B. Gordon. Almost with in the shadow of tie state capitol great crowds gathered to hear the orations and see the monument unveiled.
 In the parade which preceded the cere- monies, long line of soldiery and civic organizations marched through the prin- cipal downtown streets, watched by thousands of spectators The oration of Gen Clement Evans, the lifelong friend ana war companion of the dead chieftain was heard with the greatest interest and as two daughters of General Gordon pulled the cords and revealed the statue the strains of Dixie rang out and the words of the song by the multitude, with the old rebel yell' from throats of Yet erans who fought under Gordon and Lee. A feature of the day was the presence of Mrs Gordon, widow of the Confed crate commander, of his two daughters, Mrs. Burton Smith of Atlanta and Mrs. Bishop Brown of Vermont, who unveiled the monument of Maj. Hugh A. Gordon, son of General Gordon, of Mrs. Mary G. Roper, a sister, and of several grand children. The ceremonies were presided over by Gov Joseph M. Terrell, who in troduced the speakers and accepted the monument for the state of Georgia.
 Programme.
 The programme for the unveiling cere- monies was the following
 Invocation. Music. aLA e4istory of the Gordon Monument As- soc ation." by Capt. William L. Calhoun. Oration-4Gen Clement A. Evans.
 Uryailing-By Mrs. Francis Gordon Smith of Atlanta, and Mrs. Caroline Lewis Gordon Brown of Vermont, daugh- ters of General Gordon.
 Music-"Dixie, by the band
 Dedication Poem-By Charles w. Hub ner.
 Music-"sunny South" by chorus:
 Delivery of statue to state by Capt. Nathaniel Harris.
 Acceptance for state by Gov. J. M Ter rell.
 Introduction of Sculptor Borglum.
 Benediction.
 General Evans Speech.
 After the invocation the history Of the Gordon Monument association was read. Then General Evans was introduced. The oration of General Evans. like the rest or the programme, was in the open air, in the shadow of the state capitol.
 General Evans gave an interesting his- 10 of General Gordon from the time he entered the Confederate army with all the ardor of his natural tempera- ment" as captain of a company from Alabama and Georgia until the end of the war. He instanced Gordon's characteris- tic promptitude in battle and said this was never more needed nor more con- spcuously displayed than in making the charge at Gettysburg. He insisted that history should not class the Gettysburg bat;le as more than a technical Con- federate defeat, upon one lone ground that Lee withdrew across the Potomac.
 Military Talents.
 Gen. Gordon's activity, not only in battle but in all campaigns, Gen. Evans said, was a notable feature of his mili- tary career. Gen. Robert E. Lee, he said was impressed by Gordon's az gressiveness, his enterprising spirit, his judgment in planning a fight, his gem eral promptitude, his quickness in talk ing advantage of a turn in the tide of battle and his daring courage in executing a command. He discussed Lee and Gordon at Appomattox, re- viewed Gen. Gordon's steadily ascend ing fame during the war and declared that his superior military talents were brilliantly disclosed in many battles and were efficient in all his positions from captain to lieutenant general"
 After the War.
 Gen. Evans told of a conference he had with Gen. Gordon in Georgia after the war when they found their minds to be in accord upon the resolve that they would stand by their people for veal or woe, that the state must be honorably restored to it's place in the union and that friendship between the people of the south and north must be recognized and put upon a patriotic basis, so that the fires of sectional hate would be extinguished. Gen. Evans said he called the country to witness the faithfulness with which Gordon carried out these high resolves during his entire life. They were the burden os his early addresses to the people and to the returned soldiers who were earnestly, peacefully and thriftily at work everywhere. He had the heart and hand of the south and his Con- federate comrades because of his un- failing fidelity to their cause, and he won the good will of the north by his broad and true patriotism.
 Following the address of Gen. Evans,
 
 cords which freed the monument of It's covering, and the cheers of the crowd broke forth. When silence had been restored in part the address of pres entation was delivered by Capt. N. E. Harris of the monument commission and the address of acceptance by Gov ernor Terrell followed. A poem by Ma jor Charles W. Hubner and the intro- duction of Sculptor Solon H. Borglum of Norwalk, Conn.,, who designed the monument preceded the benediction which closed the exercises.
 The parade proceeding the unveiling was one of the finest semi military displays of recent years in Atlanta. The first division, of which there were six, was commanded by Brigadier General W. s. Eagerly United States army, commanding the de- partment of the gulf. A battalion of the Seventeenth infantry. stationed at Fort McPherso' md two regiments of Georgia state tIool~ tie Fifth and the Second, made up this division. Other organiza-