TRIBUTES TO GENERAL GEORGE W. GORDON
[Many organizations of Confederates have formally paid tribute to the late Commander in Chief U. C. V., General George W. Gordon. It would have been well to publish all of them, but these used were the first available, and to publish all that had been received would tax too heavily the limited space.]
NASHVILLE VETERANS AND DAUGHTERS HONOR GORDON
At a joint meeting of Frank Cheatham Bivouac and the Nashville Chapters, United Daughters of the Confederacy, held in the headquarters of the Bivouac at Nashville to take action on the death of Gen. George W. Gordon, Judge S. F. Wilson was called to the chair, and Mrs. John P. Hickman, of the Kate Litton Hickman Chapter, was appointed Secretary. After several speeches had been made on the life and character of General Gordon, the chair appointed a committee, which submitted the following preamble and resolutions, which were unanimously adopted:
"Gen. George W. Gordon was born in Giles County, Tennessee, on October 5, 1836; and died in the city of Memphis on August 9, 1911. In April, 1861, he was appointed and commissioned drill master of the Eleventh Tennessee Infantry Regiment. For gallantry on the field of battle he was promoted from time to time, being first elected captain, next major, and then colonel of the Eleventh Tennessee Regiment. On August 15, 1864, he was appointed a brigadier general, and commanded the brigade composed of the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Twenty-ninth, Forty-seventh, One Hundred and Fifty-Fourth Regiments Tennessee Infantry.
"He engaged in every battle fought by the Army of Tennessee, save that of Bentonville, N.C., which was fought on March 16, 1865. He led his brigade in the sanguinary battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, in which he was captured, being pulled over the breastworks. He was imprisoned at Fort Warren, where he was held until the Confederate flag was furled forever.
"At the time of his death General Gordon was the only general of the armies of the Confederate States living in Tennessee, and was the only Confederate general officer in the Congress of the United States. After the war, he at all times took a great interest in organizations, the advancement, and the assistance of the Confederate soldiers, and was an ardent advocate of all laws for their betterment.
"He was for a number of years Commandant of the Tennessee Division, United Confederate Veterans; was Lieutenant General, commanding the Army of Tennessee for four years; and at the time of his death was Commander-in-Chief of the United Confederate Veterans, with the rank of 'General.' In civic and military life he was without reproach, and was frequently honored by his people, having been for thirteen years Superintendent of the Public Schools of Memphis, which position he surrendered to accept a seat in the Congress of the United States. In his death he emphasized his devotion to the Confederate cause for he had directed that he should be buried by the Confederate soldiers in full Confederate uniform, with the Confederate flag in his coffin; therefore
"Resolved, By this meeting of Confederate soldiers and United Daughters of the Confederacy, that in the death of General Gordon the South has lost one of the gallant spirits who made the chivalry of the Confederate soldier immortal, the United Confederate Veterans their much beloved and honored Commander, the United States one of its most conservative, painstaking, and conscientious lawmakers, society a high-toned, upright, and Christian gentleman, and his wife a devoted and exemplary husband; be it further
"Resolved, That a copy hereof shall be sent to Mrs. Gordon." [Signed] S.A. Cunningham; R. Lin Cave; S.F. Wilson; A.A. Lyon; John P. Hickman, of Frank Cheatham Bivouac; Georgia Reece Wade, for William B. Bate Chapter; and Lucy B. Satterwhite, for the Nashville Chapter.
RAPHAEL SEMMES CAMP HONORS GENERAL G. W. GORDON
The Raphael Semmes Camp, No. 11, U.C.V., of Mobile, adopted resolutions in memory of Gen. G. W. Gordon, late Commander in Chief U.C.V., in which they state:
"Over threescore years and ten, more than the allotted duration of mortality, he measured the pathway of life with unsullied honor. From the peaceful and happy surroundings of domestic comfort, from the sunlight of a home radiant with affection and tenderness, through every ordeal of tested fortitude his devotion to a deathless principle bore him to honorable prominence. He met the conditions of those days, bloody in the calendar of great events, with a tried manhood and an unswerving devotion to his State.
"The problem of war had its solution at last in peace. Accepting the arbitrament of the sword, by his example he inspired his people and materially shaped and molded public sentiment, bringing back to them after strenuous self-denial prosperity and a hopeful resolve to the despondent.
"Honored by his people, he brought the dignity of an exalted mind and character to our national assembly.
"Resolved, That this tribute of respect be inscribed on the minutes of Raphael Semmes Camp, No. 11, U.C.V., and that copies be sent to those he loved so well and whose sad affliction at their loss has the profound sympathy of every living Confederate veteran.
"Committee: Hureosko Austil, T.T. Dorman, H.R. Malone, and P. Williams, Jr." (Sent by Horace Davenport, Adjutant.)
TRIBUTE BY THE R. E. LEE CAMP, RICHMOND
"The members of R. E. Lee Camp, No. 181, United Confederate Veterans, have heard with sorrow of the death of Gen. George W. Gordon, Commander in Chief of the United Confederate Veterans, and desire to place on record their appreciation of the services of this distinguished soldier and statesman. He has gone to join his comrades and illustrious predecessors, John B. Gordon, Stephen D. Lee, and Clement A. Evans, and to receive the reward of the faithful; therefore Resolved:
I. That in the death of Gen. George W. Gordon the United Confederate Veterans have lost a wise and able Commander in Chief, who devoted many years of his life to the interest of the organization, and whose zeal knew no abatement until death ended his labors; that the people of his State and of this county have lost an incorruptible statesman and patriot who was unswerving in his integrity and loyal to the Constitution of our country; that his surviving comrades can point to his record and achievements with pride as a Confederate soldier who bravely fought to preserve inalienable rights and shed his blood and suffered for principle, but who remained true to his convictions amid all persecutions.
2. That these resolutions be spread upon the records of the Camp, that copies be sent to headquarters of the United Confederate Veterans, to the CONFEDERATE VETERAN for publication, and to the family of Gen. George W. Gordon."
[Signed} D.C. Richardson, W.B. Freeman, Committee; E.D. Taylor, Lieutenant Commander; J.T. Stratton, Adjutant.
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