Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-25
in HONOR OF GORDON.
Equestrian Statue of the Com
federate Leader
UNVEILED IN ATLANTA, GA.
Occupies a Commanding Position Over
looking the City.
GRAFTON BY GEN. C. A. EVANS
He Gives an Interesting History of the
Soldier Who Was So Popular
in the South.
GRAFTON BY GEN. c. A. EVANS

ATLANTA, Ca, May 25.-An equestrian
statue OF Gen. John B. Gordon, the noted
confederate officer, was unveiled in this
city today before large assemblage, which
included many representative men, OF the
south. The statue, east in copper bronze,
stands on a broad pedestal of Georgia
granite at the northwest corner of the
state capitol grounds. Rising twenty-five
feet,from the base of the pedestal to the
top of the head, it occupies commanding
position overlooking the business part of
the city, some distance away.
The figure of Gen. Gordon is represented
seated on his favorite mare, his head barred,
the left hand holding the reins over the
horses neck, while the right hangs at his
horse and rider about ten feet above the
granite coping which surrounds it. The
name Gordon" in raised letters is placed
on the front of the pedestal.
On either side will appear a bronze baS-
relief, one representing Gordon at the battle
of SpottSylvania, when before his division
he insisted on General Lee going to the
rear; the other bears figures typical Of the
three phases of Gordon's life, typifying
the soldier, the statesman and the patriot.
The Work of Connecticut Sculptor.
The statue is the work of Sculptor Scion
H. Borglum Of Norwaik, Conn.
The plan of erecting a monument to Gen.
Gordon originated with Camp Tige Ander-
son, Confederate Veterans, and developed
into the Gordon Monument Association. Ten
thousand dollars was raised by private SUBJ
scription the remaining $4,000 being ap-
propriated by the Georgia legislature.
The program for the unwilling ceremonies
was as follows: Invocation music, History
of the Gordon Monument Association" by
Capt. William L. Calhoun; grafton, Gen.
Clement H., a,
els Gordon Smith of Atlanta and Mrs Caro-
line Lewis Gordon Brown Of Vermont,
daughters of Gen. Gordon: music, Dixie"
by band; dedication poem, by Charles w
Hubner; music, Sunny South" by chorus;
delivery of statue to state, by Capt Ma
thaniei Harris; acceptance for state Gov
]. NJ. Terrell; introduction of Sculptor Bor-
glum, benediction.
Gen. Evans Grafton.
The oratisn by Gen. Clement A. Evans
was the feature of the day. Upon being
presented he was greeted with cheers. Gen.
Evans gave an interesting history of Gen.
Gordon from the time he entered the con-
federate army with all the ardor of his nat
ural temperament as captain of company
from .Alabama and Georgia until the end of
the war He instanced Gordon's Character
istic promptitude in battle, and said this
was never more needed nor more conspicu-
ously displayed than in making the charge
at Gettysburg.
He insisted that history should not class
the Gettysburg battle as more than a tech
nical confederate defeat, upon one lone
ground that Lee withdraw across the Poto-
mac. Gen. Gordon's activity, not only in
battle, but in all campaigns, Gen. Evans
said. was a notable feature of his military
career. Gen. Robert E. Lee, he said, was
impressed with Gordon's aggressiveness, his
enterprisng spirit, his judgment In plan
ming a fight, his general promptitude, his
quckness in -aking advantage of a turn in
the tide of battle, and his daring courage
in executing a command
He discussed Lee and Gordon at Appomat-
tox reviewed Gen. Gordon's steadily as
cending fame during the war, and declared
that his superior military talents were bril-
liantly disclosed in many battles and were
efficient in all his positions from captain to
lieutenant general.
Gen Evans told of 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
ship between the people of the south and
north must be regained and put upon
patriotic basis, so that the fires of sectional
hates 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 of his
early addresses to the people and to the
returned soldiers, who were earnestly,
peacefully and thrifty at work every
where He had the heart and hand of the
south and his confederate comrades be-
cause OF his unfailing fidelity to their cause,
and he won the good will of the north by
his broad and true patriotism.