WM. W. GORDON.
BEIRNE GORDON.
G. A. GORDON.

W. W. GORDON & CO.,
Cotton Factors and Commission Merchants,

110 BAY STREET. EAST

DICTATED BY
WWG/J

Savannah, Ga., 4th May, 1910.

Mr. Talcott H. Russell, Secretary
of the Committee on Memorial,
42 Church st., New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:

Your valued favor 28th of April at hand, giving notice of a
meeting of the Memorial Committee at one o'clock, May 9th, to act upon
the application of Allen W. Evarts as a member of such Committee, and
to act upon such other matters as may be brought to the attention of
the Committee.

Judge Howland wrote me about a couple of weeks ago stating
that he intended to request a meeting of the Committee and offering
to represent me if I were unable to attend during the early part of
May. I wrote him that I was not going North until about the end of
May and would be much obliged to him if he would represent me at the
meeting of the Committee, in case a representation by proxy is accept-
able to the members of the Committee.

Your communication with reference to a proposed form of
inscription upon the tablets is at hand. I think the wording is ap-
propriate, but would be improved by inserting, after the words
"Who died," the words "For their cause in the war between the States,"
as suggested by you. Otherwise, I think the inscription is appropriate
as an inscription, but am still of the opinion that the memorial will
fail to convey to posterity that which is intended by the memorial if
the tablets fail to give the information as to the command of each
name and the location or cause of the death of the party named.

Yours truly,

110 BAY STREET, EAST

DICTATED BY WWG S

Savannah, Ga., May 13, 1910.

Talcott H. Russell, Esq.,
42 Church St., New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:

Your letter 11th at hand, giving notice of a meeting of
the Memorial Committee at Graduates Club at 11 a.m., June 20th.

I have also received copy of the proceedings of the
meeting May 9th, 1910.

I note that the opinion was expressed that the names should
be printed in the order of their classes in one column, but each
department arranged separately under appropriate headings. Does
the word "department" mean Academic, Divinity, etc., and are the
names of both Northern and Southern soldiers to be in one column,
according to their classes?

I am very sorry that Mr. French will be absent until
autumn, and that the project will not be far enough advanced to
start getting subscriptions this year, but recognize that it would
not be judicious to begin until the cost of the memorial can be
estimated.

HOTEL SEVILLE
MADISON AVENUE & TWENTY-NINTH ST.
NEW YORK.
EDW&P PURCHAS. MANAGER.

June 23, 1910.

Talcott H. Russell, Esq.,
42 Church Street,
New Haven, Conn.

My dear Sir:-

Enclosed is a letter from Mrs. Margaret Moore, 326 Fairfax Ave., Ghent, Norfolk, Va., about her brother Captain Thomas Gordon Pollock, Adjutant of Kempers Brigade Picketts Division, killed at Gettysburg 3rd July 1863, and a copy of my reply to her, which I forward you for filing with your records of "The Committee on Memorial".

I am very sorry we didn't have a larger number
of the Committee present at the meeting on Monday and am
still more sorry that the Artist had no report ready for the
Alumni meeting so that a start could have been made towards
the erection of the Memorial.

Tempus fugit.

During July and August my address will be care
"The Waumbek", Jefferson P.O. New Hampshire.

June 23, 1910.

Mrs. Margaret Moore,

326 Fairfax Avenue,
Ghent, Norfolk, Va.

My dear Madam:-

Allow me to apologize for delay in answering your letter of April 2nd, 1910.

During the night of April 1st I became ill and was unable to attend to any business for more than a week, during which time your letter probably arrived and was put aside for attention when I recovered. I left home for my health and have been travelling and your letter never reached me until yesterday, when I got it with a number of debts and papers forwarded me from Savannah.

On the list of "Yale Graduates who died in the Civil War" I find in the "Class of 1858 the name of Thomas Gordon Pollock, Captain. Fell at Gettysburg July 3rd, 1863". with a foot note saying that he did not graduate.

The Committee on "Memorial to Yale men who fell in the war between the States" have decided to include in the memorial all Yale men, whether they graduated or not. Hence your brother's name will be on the Memorial and I hope the Committee will decide to add to his name as Captain that he was "Adjutant of Kempers Brigade of Picketts Division, killed at Gettysburg 3rd July 1863."

The Secretary of the Memorial Committee is Talcott H. Russell, Esq., 42 Church St., New Haven, Connecticut.

I am mailing him to-day your letter to me and a copy of this letter to you from me.

As I shall be away from home until Autumn, I suggest that you write direct to Mr. Russell, if you have any other information to contribute or of you wish any further information from the Committee.

The Artist who is preparing the design for the Memorial was not ready to report at the Yale Commencement this week and it is probable nothing will be done until next year.

W. W. GORDON & CO.,

110 BAY STREET, EAST.

CABLE ADDRESS:
"DONGOR"

DICTATED BY WWG/J

Savannah, Ga., 14th November, 1910.

Talcott H. Russell, Esq.,
Room 507, 47 Church st.,
New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:

Your valued favor of the 11th is at hand. When I wired you the New York newspapers indicated all the ticket was elected. I am delighted that Judge Baldwin was elected Governor. I am particularly sorry that you were not elected, but I am sure that you are so much gratified in the election of Judge Baldwin that it will to a certain extent compensate you for the want of success of yourself and others upon the ticket. If the Democrats are well guided during the next two years, I think that they will continue to win in elections, and no doubt if you are again a candidate, you will then be successful.

MEMORIAL.

When I was in New York in October, I called with Judge Howland upon Mr. French at his studio and had a talk with him, and since that date I have a letter from Judge Howland stating that Mr. French and his associate went to New Haven and selected a space in the second story, where he thought the monument would be very much more suitably installed if the college authorities permitted one or two windows to be closed. Of course the judgment of an artist like Mr. French carries great weight with me, and I have no doubt will carry a great deal of weight with the other members of the Committee. In the conference that Judge Howland and myself had with Mr. French he stated that the location that

T.H.Russell, Esq---2.

you and Judge Howland and others selected at the entrance to the
hall had a ceiling that was too low, and, in addition to that, the
light would not fall favorably upon the monument which he had in
mind to propose to the Committee.

Mr. French is to be in Savannah on the 23rd and 24th
of November at the unveiling of the monument to General Oglethorpe,
which was designed by him. I have invited Judge Howland to come
and be my guest at that time for the unveiling, and I hope during
Judge Howland's visit to me and Mr. French's visit to the City
of Savannah, Judge Howland and myself will have the opportunity
of having some further conversation with him on the subject.

"WAR BETWEEN THE STATES."

I am sorry to learn that there is opposition to the
above and that you are afraid we shall have to yield and substitute
the words "Civil War." I am very strongly of the opinion, whatever
the prejudices of either side may be, that it is essential that
the monument and the inscription upon it should represent what is
actual history. It seems to me that the objection to this heading
is based upon the same spirit which objected to any Confederate
titles being displayed upon the monument, and if a majority of the
Committee entertain such a spirit, my feeling is that it will be
better for them to take the whole matter in charge and simply erect
a monument to the Union soldiers and leave out entirely any reference
to the Confederates. I, for one, will not have anything to do with
a misstatement of facts, as agreed upon by all impartial historians,
nor with anything connected with the monument which discriminates
between Federal and Confederate. My understanding of the monument
is that it is to commemorate the self-sacrifice of those who gave
their lives in defence of the principles in which they believed,
whether they were successful or unsuccessful, and anything intended

T.H. Russell, Esq---3.

or capable of being construed into recognition or endorsement of
either Federal or Confederate beliefs will destroy the keynote of
the whole affair. Both sides believed their view was right,
otherwise they wouldn't have risked and lost their lives. The
monument is not to commemorate victory or defeat; it is to perpetuate
the memory of men who died "for the faith that was in them."

With kind regards,

W. W. GORDON & CO.,

110 BAY STREET. EAST

ESTABLISHED
1856

WWG S

DICTATED BY

Savannah, Ga., Jan. 12, 1911.

Talcott H. Russell, Esq.,
42 Church St., New Haven, Ct.

Dear Sir:

I am in receipt of your notice of a meeting of the
Memorial Committee January 21st, at 2 p.m. at the house of Judge
Howland, 10 East 10th St., New York City. Also in receipt of your
letter of January 10th, enclosing the notice of the meeting.

My letter to you of January 9th anticipates both your
letter and the notice for the meeting.

Hoping that your meeting will be harmonious and enable
the sculptor to proceed with his work,

P.S.- Excuse my calling your attention to the heading of
the letter form upon which you have written, which is "Committee
on Memorial to Yale Men who Fell in the War Between the States".
I don't see how this could be changed to "A Memorial to Yale Men
who Fell in the Civil War" without entirely changing the platform
upon which the enterprise was undertaken.

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
HENRY E. HOWLAND

TREASURER
LEE MCCLUNG

SECRETARY
TALCOTT H. RUSSELL

SECRETARY'S OFFICE
42 CHURCH STREET
NEW HAVEN, CONN.

COMMITTEE ON MEMORIAL
TO
YALE MEN WHO FELL IN THE WAR
BETWEEN THE STATES

MEMBERS

HENRY E. HOWLAND, '54
NEW YORK CITY

WILLIAM W. GORDON, '54
SAVANNAH, GA.

SIMEON E. BALDWIN, '61
NEW HAVEN, CONN.

HENRY P. WRIGHT, '68
NEW HAVEN, CONN.

TALCOTT H. RUSSELL, '69
NEW HAVEN, CONN.

CHARLES H. STRONG, '70
SAVANNAH, GA.

LEE MCCLUNG, '92
NEW HAVEN, CONN.

FRANK L. POLK, '94
NEW YORK CITY

ANSON PHELPS STOKES, JR., '96
NEW HAVEN, CONN.

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
HENRY E. HOWLAND

TREASURER
LEE MCCLUNG

SECRETARY
TALCOTT H. RUSSELL

MEMBERS

Savannah, Ga., 11 February, 1911.

Talcott H. Russell, Esq.,
42 Church street,
New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:

Yours 9th at hand enclosing a copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Memorial Committee and a clipping from The New York Sun of February 2, I return you herein the latter as requested.

I am very glad the Committee has had a meeting, and conferred with Mr. French and examined his designs, and that Mr. Stokes has arranged with Mr. French to have the General Committee of the Corporation concerning memorials look over the plans.

I hope you will continue to call attention to the proposed memorial, so that the question of a location in the Alumni Building may be decided upon by the proper authorities of the University, and the design for the memorial may be decided upon and everything be in shape before the next commencement at the University for putting before the alumni an opportunity of subscribing for the memorial and get Mr. French at work upon it.

W. W. GORDON
BEIRNE GORDON
G. A. GORDON

ESTABLISHED
1856

W. W. GORDON & CO.,

CTATED BY WWG/J

110 BAY STREET. EAST

Savannah, Ga., 28th March, 1911.

Talcott H. Russell, Esq.,
Room 502, 42 Church st.,
New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:

Yours 24th at hand with the address of Mrs. Sherman Russell
for which I am much obliged.

I note that the Committee is at present waiting until
further plans are received. I hope they will come in the near future
and enable the Committee to get to work.

As I mentioned to you when we met in New Haven last summer,
the class that graduated at Yale in 1854 are no longer young or even
middle-aged, and whatever help they give to the memorial will have
to be given before many years elapse.

W. W. GORDON & CO.,

ESTABLISHED
1856

Cotton Factors and Commission Merchants,
110 BAY STREET, EAST

WWG S

Savannah, Ga., May 13, 1911.

Dear Sir:

I will be much obliged if you will let me know whether
the Memorial Committee have made any progress.

If Mr. French has not yet submitted his design, I suggest
that he be urged to do so at once, so that the Committee may have
some kind of a report to consider during Commencement week this year.

Unless some action is taken this year and subscriptions
started, based upon an estimate of cost, etc., I fear the enter-
prise will die from inaction.

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
HENRY E. HOWLAND

TREASURER
LEE MCCLUNG

SECRETARY
TALCOTT H. RUSSELL

Savannah, Ga., May 19, 1911.

Dear Sir:

Yours 17th at hand.

The difficulty (almost impossibility) of getting a meeting
of the Memorial Committee during the busy days of Commencement
week was shown last year.

I would suggest that a meeting of the Committee be held
at the earliest possible date to decide upon something definite,
which can be reported at the Alumni meeting or at the Dinner.

The selection of Mr. French's design seems to me entirely
dependent upon whether some large subscriptions can be guaranteed
and reported to the Committee at the proposed meeting.

Judge Howland has always expressed himself as sanguine
of being able to obtain a few large subscriptions, and perhaps there
are others of the Committee who could do the same. I cannot.

If such subscriptions cannot be obtained and reported at
the proposed meeting, the Committee could then decide whether to
submit Mr. French's plan to the Alumni and ask for subscriptions to
a $60,000 memorial, or revert to the resolution passed July 6th,
1909, or decide upon some other plan.

I think that unless something definite is reported to the
Alumni this year the chances for any memorial will be very much
lessened.

MEMBERS

T. H. R. - 2.

The choice of New Haven or New York for a meeting depends upon at which place you would be likely to get the largest number of the Committee to be present.

I expect to arrive in New York Tuesday, June 13th, and could attend a meeting that day in New York, or June 14th, 15th or 16th in New Haven, but I think those dates would come too near to Commencement week, and recommend an earlier date.

Enclosed is a copy of Judge Howland's letter to me, and my reply.

ENC

110 BAY STREET. EAST

DICTATED BY

WWG S

Savannah, Ga.,

March 26, 1910.

Talcott H. Russell, Esq.,

Dear Sir:

Your letter of 23rd at hand, with proposed inscription
for the Memorial Tablet.

The only suggestion I have to make is, that the word
"Fell" gives the impression of death in battle.

If not too many words, "lost their lives" would express
more clearly the fact to be recorded.

I thoroughly favor the election of Mr. Allen W. Evarts
as a member of the Committee.

Enclosed are copies of the New Orleans and Richmond news-
papers publishing list of Southern Yale men.

No copy of the Charleston newspaper was sent me, but it
is evident it was published there and resulted in the letter from
Mr. C. J. Colcock, of Charleston. I enclose you copy of this let-
ter and my reply.

ENCLS

NIGHT LETTER
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY
INCORPORATED

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This Company TRANSMITS and DELIVERS messages only on conditions limiting its liability, which have been assented to by the sender of the following Night Letter.

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Briarcliff Lodge Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. June 20--11

Talcott H. Russell,

42 Church St,

New Haven.

Letters received with Howlands letter I preferred Frenchs ideas but choice of Majority settled location and I acquiesce. As Howland advises you make report and writes that after committee has seen Frenchs completed model If they adhere to location selected French will make design for that location I think you will be justified if you make no report today in asking president Hadley to report at Alumni Dinner tomorrow that a suitable location has been selected and French will design the memorial show this telegram to Howland and Stokes as to late to write.

William W. Gordon.

1003pm

June 24th., 1911.

Hon. H.E. Howland,

IC East 10th. St.,

New York.

My dear Judge:

On our return from Washington, (Tuesday P.M.) 21st.
June, I received your letter of June 17th., too late to write you
in time to reach you at New Haven the next day.

My son sent me a copy of New Haven Evening Register
of June 20th. from which I learned that Mr. Russell reported for
the Memorial Committee that Stokes, McClung and Evarts had been
added to the committee and that designs for the Memorial had been
submitted but none had been accepted as yet.

Referring to your statement of Mr. French's wish for
a selection of a location to be postponed until he could submit a
finished model of his design. I think the committee would consent
to this, if the model would be ready for the Committee to see some
time during the summer or early autumn.

I must however tell you frankly that I have acqui-
sed in the decision of the majority of the Committee as to the lo-
cation for the Memorial and expect to abide by that decision.

(2)

I am very glad that your letter says, that in spite of
his disappointment at the committee's selection of the arch for
the Memorial, Mr. French said "he would help us all he can to
achieve a success and by no means will throw up the job".

Nothing could be more beautiful than the group suggested
by Mr. French and, when completed by him, it would certainly be
an artistic work of the highest merit. But it could not be put in
the arch selected by the committee and I think the majority want
the names to be on the wall of a thoroughfare where they will be
seen daily by the students and be one of the first things to catch
the eye of visitors.

Bronze tablets on either side of the arch would have the
names or they could be chiseled in marble on either side of the
arch. The artistic part of the Memorial would be some design by
Mr. French for the ceiling of the arch. It is no doubt difficult
to formulate such a design but genius overcomes difficulties.

It is now two years since the committee was a sitting
and I confess I would like it's work accomplished, while quoting
the concluding words of the famous ballad about John Gilchrist's
"May I be there to see".

With kind regards,

Yours truly,

W. W. GORDON & CO.,

(ESTABLISHED 1856)

{ CABLE ADDRESS:
"DONGOR" }

DICTATED BY

WWG S

110 BAY STREET, EAST

Savannah, Ga., November 16, 1911.

Dear Sir:

Your valued letter (not dated) at hand, with copy of the Resolutions passed by the sub-committee, all of which appear to be in accord with the views and opinions expressed at the meeting of the Committee in New Haven in September, 1911.

I think the arrangement proposed for the names on the tablets gives exactly the information necessary.

I note you have sent the list of names to the War Department in Washington for further information. As all the records of the Confederate States were captured at Richmond, and are now in possession of the United States Government, I should think the Government officials could (if they would) examine them as well as the Union records.

I don't know of any way to get information from individuals in the South other than by publishing the list of names you have already secured. A year or more ago I sent a copy of the list to newspapers in Savannah, Charleston, Richmond and New Orleans, with request to publish them. In response to these publications I got only two or three replies, and wrote you about these replies at the time. I doubt getting anymore information by again publishing the lists, and I don't know any other way I could try.

W. M. W. GORDON.
BEIRNE GORDON.
G. A. GORDON.

110 BAY STREET, EAST

WWG S

DICTATED BY

Savannah, Ga., March 29, 1910.

Talcott H. Russell, Esq.,

Dear Sir:

In a recent letter I forgot to enclose a letter from Mr. Robert H. Couper, which I now send.

The Major of the 8th Georgia Regiment of Infantry was named Cooper. Hamilton Couper was Captain of the Oglethorpe Infantry, one of the companies of the 8th Georgia.

Mr. R. S. Young, of Natchez, Miss., wrote me to call attention to the name of S. Wilkins Fisk, of the Class of 1840, saying he lost his life in the Confederate service. I wrote Mr. Young Feb. 21st, 1910, asking him to send me the name of the command in which he served, his rank and the circumstances of his death. Thus far I have received no reply.

W. W. GORDON & CO.,

110 BAY STREET, EAST

DICTATED BY WWG/J

Savannah, Ga., 12th April, 1910.

Dear Sir:

Your letter of April 8 is at hand.

You write that the Committee on the Soldiers' Memorial had already come to the conclusion on other grounds that it would be inappropriate to use titles at all in the memorial, etc., and you add that I (you) hope you (I) will not insist on reversing the conclusion which the majority of the Committee had already come to.

May I enquire when and where there has been any notice of a meeting of the Committee at which members could confer and conclusions be arrived at? A majority of the individuals of a committee does not constitute a committee and their actions or conclusions are those of individuals only.

I have never been notified to attend a meeting. In the absence of such notice, I protest against the assumption of authority upon the part of individuals to advance "conclusions" as coming from the Committee, and I will add that such conduct is distinctly dis-courteous to members of the Committee not included among said individuals.

The vital point of issue is this: The soldiers of the South were Confederates; they believed in their cause and died in defence of the faith that was in them. If this fact is to be ignored, their names upon a Yale memorial tablet will be a mockery--if not an insult.

There are scores of monuments at the North appropriately

T.H.Russell, Esq---2.

dedicated to the heroic dead of Union armies.

There are scores of monuments at the South appropriately
dedicated to the heroic dead of Confederate armies.

My understanding of the proposal to erect a memorial at
Yale to the Yale men of both armies was that it was to embody and
recognize the fact that each was true to his principles and each
deserved equal tribute of praise and that Yale University wished to
proclaim this fact to the world, that the mingled dust of both armies
created a solid foundation for the future of the nation.

I am sending a copy of your letter of 8th to me and of
this letter to you to Rev. C. H. Strong, a member of the Committee,
and to Judge Henry E. Howland, its chairman.

W. W. GORDON & CO.,

110 BAY STREET, EAST

DICTATED BY WWG/J

Savannah, Ga., 15th April, 1910.

Dear Sir:

Referring to the postscript of my letter to you of March 29, 1910, I enclose herewith

Letters to me of James E. Horton, jr., dated Athens, Ala., April 11, 1910;

And letter of James E. Horton dated Athens, Ala., April 4, 1910.

The statement of the latter that his brother, William Walter Horton was a member of the staff of General John T. Morgan of the Confederate Army and died from "War exposure" is forwarded for the consideration of the Memorial Committee.

The records of Yale University no doubt show that William Walter Horton was a member of the class of 1846.

Enclosures

110 BAY STREET, EAST

DICTATED BY WWG/J

Savannah, Ga., 18th April, 1910.

Dear Sir:

Your letter of April 14th is at hand.

As I understand from it that "the subject of whether the
titles of persons losing their lives in the war should be attached
to their names is still an open one," I beg to say that the vital
point to me and those whose opinions I may be supposed to voice - is
that the memorial should be a recognition of the devotion of each
to the principles for which each died and must accord equal honor to
each for such devotion.

Unless the memorial expresses by titles, or in some
equally outspoken way, that the names on one tablet are of those
who died for the Union and on the other tablet of those who died
for the Confederacy--each dying for what he believed in--its
significance will be obscured, if not entirely lost.

If the opinion of the members of the Committee was not
influenced in any way by the feeling indicated in Mr. Stokes'
letter, I would like to know what reasons did influence them against
putting on the tablets the titles of both the Union and Confederate
dead. It seems to me that the tablets would interest all who saw
them much more if they gave the rank, the name of the command, and
the date and location of death, - than if it was simply a list of
names.

I send a copy of your letter of April 14th to me and of

W. W. GORDON & CO.,

{ CABLE ADDRESS:
"DONGOR"

DICTATED BY

WWG 8

110 BAY STREET, EAST

Savannah, Ga., Jan. 18, 1912

Dear Sir:

Your letter 9th instant at hand, with copy of minutes of meeting held January 8th, to which I agree, as you wish absent members of the Committee to ratify the proceedings of the meeting where only three members were present.

Your idea of writing the Daughters of the Confederacy for information is excellent. The President of the Savannah Chapter is, Mrs. A. B. Hull, 22 East 34th Street, Savannah, Ga. I would suggest you write to Presidents of the Daughters of the Confederacy in Richmond, Charleston, Mobile, New Orleans, Montgomery, Louisville and Nashville, with a list of the names needing further information.

William G. Conner was Major of the Jeff Davis Legion, not of the Black Horse cavalry. I was a Lieutenant in Jeff Davis Legion, 1861, 1862, 1863, and knew him well.

John Randolph Harper was Lieutenant in 7th Regiment Georgia Cavalry.

Henry Lord Page King was Captain in Regular Army of Confederate States. When killed, he was on the Staff of Gen. McLaws.

William Eugene Webster was (I think) a Captain, but I don't know of what Regiment. He was Great Grandson of the author of Webster's Dictionary, and his father and mother lived in New Haven in 1849, where I knew him.