Gen. John B. Gordon

              GEN. JOHN B. GORDON
“Last Days of the Confederacy”
“First Days of the Confederacy” (NEW)
UNDER MANAGEMENT OF
The Brockway Lecture Bureau,
Liberty National Bank Building, 6101 Penn St., PITTSBURGH, PA.
GENERAL GORDON'S            I
GREAT LECTURE ON
"The Last  Days of The Confederacy."
BECAME famous at its first delivery in the Tabernacle of Brooklyn, New York, before an audience of five thou and people.    Its broad patriotism, its exquisite humor, its faithful portrayal of great leaders of both armie its pathetic delineation of thrilling incidents, and the magical eloquence of the description of the closing scenl at Appomattox and of Grant and I,ee as  they  stood  together  in  the  little  brick house in that last act of the great! drama, and the mingling together of the soldiers of the hitherto hostile armies, combine to make this lecture one of great historical and patriotic interest to the young and old of both sections.
General Gordon, with one exception, is now the sole survivor who held high rank in either army and prominent¬ly participated at the close of the great struggle at Appomattox who is capable of giving to the people a vivid picture of these thrilling events. An orator, of the highest order, a soldier without previous training, whose rapid rise from the rank of captain to the command of one wing of Lee's army reads like a romance, who was designated, in official reports as the "Chevalier Bayard" of the army, and who has devoted his time and talents to the reconciliation of the sections, General Gordon must necessarily accomplish great good by his lecture tour, as well as furnish to the young men of the country the only opportunity perhaps that will ever occur of learning of these great events from a 1 living, capable and faithful witness.
A late issue of Harper's Weekly has the following notice of General Gordon and his recent words in the Senate: 1 " General J. B. Gordon from his place in the United States Senate announced when the followers of Debs threatened insurrection against national authority that he, as the chief officer of the Association of Confederate Veterans—a I society which in the South corresponds to the Grand Army of the Republic in the North—was prepared to lead one hundred thousand of these veterans and others of the South in defense of the national laws and the authority of the flag. In the South General Gordon's announcement created much enthusiasm. He has been so long in public life, and his career is so well known that it is unnecessary to give more than the outlines of his biography.
" He was born in Georgia in 1832, and educated at the University of Georgia. Before the war he practiced law, and in 1861 entered the Confederate Army as a captain of infantry. He rose through the various grades, and in 1863 was a Major-General and corps commander. When the army of I^ee surrendered at Appomattox, General Gordon was in command of the Second Army Corps. During hostilities he was wounded eight times and bears on his face now an ugly scar made by a Union minie-ball. After the war he took a prominent place among the progressive men of the South, and in 1868 ran as a Democrat for Governor of Georgia. In 1868 and in 1872 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and in both years was a Presidential Elector. In 1872 he was elected to the United States Senate, and soon took rank as one of the most brilliant orators in that bod)-. He was elected to succeed him¬self, but resigned before his term had expired, so that he could give more attention to his private affairs. In iSS6) and again in 1888, he was elected Governor of Georgia, and in 1890 was again chosen as United States Senator."
Never before were over 9,000 people seated upon a single level, making a solid acre and a half of heads and faces. And it was a remarkable assemblage in more respects than this. On the stage were 200 prominent men; in the audience were 2,000. The occasion was worthy of the multitude which came to enjoy it. A sol¬dier above reproach, a statesman without a blemish, an orator whose peers are few, was to tell them the story of a time whose smallest incident is the most interesting theme a patriotic American can consider. And even if it had not been so, even if every man, woman and child in the immense hall had been free from tender memo¬ries of the civil war, and merely came like holiday seekers to be amused and entertained, the pathos and eloquence, the brilliant wit and picturesque fancy of the orator would have moved them to just such sobs and tears and laughter and spontaneous bursts of rapturous approval as the sentiment of the occasion inspired last night.—The Washington Post.
COLUMBUS, O., April 3, 1895. Southern Lyceum Bureau, Louisville, Ky.
I take pleasure in bearing my testimony to the excel¬lence of General Gordon's lecture, "Last Days of the Confederacy." When General Gordon delivered the lec¬ture here for die G. A. R. it was my pleasure to preside. The lecture was intensely interesting, and was perme¬ated by a highly patriotic spirit. I have a high regard for General Gordon personally, and he has my most sincere good wishes in his lecture enterprise.
Very truly yours,                WM. MCKINLEY.
He told the story of Lee's surrender in a masterly and most effective manner. He briefly outlined the early stages of the war, and rested the burden of his narrative on Gettysburg and Appomattox. His humor was keen; his pathos affecting. The closing scene of the bloody drama was splendidly presented. It was a tale inspiring to the young and intensely realistic to the old.—Brook¬lyn Daily Eagle.
General Gordon is a speaker of magnetic eloquence, and the scene in the Tabernacle last night was more like that at a stirring political meeting than at a mere lec¬ture. The audience was at times aroused to the highest pitch of enthusiasm. General Gordon is full of fire, and his style of oratory has a Southern warmth, dash, brilli¬ancy and force not often to be found in Northern speakers.—New York Daily Tribune.
The applause continued for several moments, and when it had subsided, General Evans presented "the officer who was nearest to the great heart of Robert E. Lee." A scene followed. It was outburst after outburst of applause that; greeted Gen. Gordon as he walked to the front of the stage. The applause would lull for a moment and then break out anew. General Gordon is a born orator. His voice is rounded and full, his diction eloquent and graphic, his whole manner impressive. And for substance his lecture is based upon a wealth of scenes and incidents at once new and interesting in the extreme.
No synopsis can convey the slightest idea ot the su¬perb lecture. It must be heard to be appreciated. Humor, pathos and lofty eloquence were so delightfully blended that the mosaic loses all the brilliance of its coloring in the weak effort to place it in cold type.
That lecture is a sensation. It is no partisan speech, but comes from a great, loving, loyal heart, a heart which knows how to accept the result with grace, and how to renew its loyalty to the flag of the Union with increased devotion.—Atlanta Journal.
There is but one regret to be expressed in reference to General Gordon's address, delivered last night at Washington Artillery Hall, and that is that it could not have been heard by every man, woman and child in the city of New Orleans. The power to move a vast audi¬ence at will, to move it to tears and laughter, to thrill it with emotion, to make it hang breathlessly upon the lips of the speaker, and then, as one man, to rise in wild acclaim, is given to but few men. This marvelous mas¬tery over the human heart was exhibited last night by Gen. J. B. Gordon in a manner which proved beyond all question his wonderful power as an orator. Those who heard him as he drew a rapid picture of those last path¬etic but heroic days of the Confederacy, who listened to the light touches of humor with which he relieved the more sombre aspects of the sad but deeply interesting history, who felt the hot tears rush to their eyes as he pictured the suffering and privation of the Confederate soldier, who were thrilled by his touching and beautiful tribute to the self sacrificing devotion of the Southern women, who heard his glowing tribute to Jackson and Lee and Grant, and, last of all, who listened with breath¬less interest to his magnificent eulogy of the govern¬ment under which we live, will remember last evening as an epoch in their lives.—The Times-Democrat, New Orleans. [Editorial.]
The debut of Gen. John B. Gordon/United States Senator from Georgia, on the lecture platform, which took place at the Tabernacle last night, marks an epoch in the telling to the rising generation of the story of the war. In thrilling periods that will reach thousands who would never read a book, and in a style of earnest eloquence that no written words can ever hope to equal, however inspired the pen. He paid tributes to Ameri¬can women on both sides, tragic incidents and trivial ones, with an element of pathos that made the audience in turn break forth in applause and tears and smiles.— Brooklyn Citizen.
It was difficult for the large audience that hung spellbound upon the eloquent words of Gen. Gordon last night to realize when the end was reached that he had been speaking for two hours. The interest was so un¬flagging, the splendid eloquence and magnetic force of the speaker was so marvelously sustained from start to finish, that his hearers were unmindful of the lapse of time, and were sorry when the last words were said.
Gen. Gordon's lecture, or oration it may be better termed, is a matchless sermon from the gospel of peace by a matchless fighter in the days of war. It was a great oratorical performance, dealing with the loftiest senti¬ments and thebestknown and most conspicuous charac¬ters in modern history, without once being overdone, or falling below the requirements of the occasion.
We venture the assertion that General Gordon can not in the halls of Congress do his country more valu¬able service than he is doing, in instilling into the hearts of thousands of people, North and South, a higher ap¬preciation of the gallant men who fought under Grant and Lee, a deeper veneration for American valor ?nd unswerving fidelity, and a warmer love and a loftier pride in this great and reunited country.
Without a taint of disloyalty to the cherish the tradi¬tions of the South, without a word of offense to the champions of Northern opinion, he kindles anew the love of every follower of Lee ; he deepens the admiration of every Federal survivor for the military genius and manly magnanimity of Grant; and he awakens in both a loftier patriotism and more consecrated devotion to 11 this nation," which, in the immortal words of Abra¬ham Lincoln, "under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, which shall not perish from the earth."—The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle. [Editorial.]
Gen. John B. Gordon's lecture, was a masterpiece of mingled humor, pathos, and patriotic eloquence. It was a great treat to his audience, whose delight was mani¬fested by spontaneous outbursts of applause, expressing alike the patriotic feeling he aroused and the admira¬tion for the soul-stirring orator.—Philadelphia Ledger.
'The First Days of the Confederacy,
OEN. GORDON'S NEW LECTURE,    _
Is pronounced by those who have heard it as fully equal in all respects to the "Last Days." Indeed many of the most competent critics think it the more powerful lecture of the two. It is a vivid portrayal of the wild and often ludi¬crous scenes enacted at the beginning of the war and the boundless enthusiasm which prevailed. In it General Gor¬don depicts many of the thrilling scenes in the great battles occurring in the first years of the war, interspersing pa¬thetic incidents and amusing anecdates, while the whole lecture is pitched on the highest plain of brotherhood, sec¬tional fraternity and intense Americanism.    Wherever it is delivered it is regarded as a benediction.
About i,ooo people attended the lecture given Satur¬day night by Major General John B. Gordon on the "First Days of the Confederacy."
Gen. Gordon was loudly applauded as he arose to speak. His address occupied about an hour and one naif in delivery, and held the close attention of the audi¬ence throughout.    He said, in substance :
Ladies, comrades, and beloved countrymen of Maine ^My heart was loyal to the Confederate flag, but when It went down at Appomattox I saw in the smoke of bat¬tle the hand of the Almighty holding together this
glorious Union. I told the remnant of Lee's defeated army that Providence had decreed the failure of their cause, but had placed them not in the hands of a foreign foe, but in the hands of their own countrymen, who would see that justice was done—and that prophecy has since been verified.
" But all that is past—gone forever, and by Heaven's decree," declared Gen. Gordon, "and as a Southerner,if by one stroke of my pen I could restore slavery I would not do it!"—The Bangor {Me.) Daily News, February
12, I9OO.
Gen. John B. Gordon. The young men of Augusta bow in devotion and love to-day in bidding right royal welcome to Gen. John B. Gordon.
How grand he is—this noble gentleman—as we behold him—as our fathers beheld him thirty-eight years ago.
Bold in war; brave in peace—the loyal son of this Southern country his valor taught us to love so well is revered by us as he is revered by our fathers.
It is a proud privilege to see him, hear him, to do honor to him.—The Augusta (Ga.) Herald, (Editorial.) March i, 1900.
. The lecture by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon in City Hall on Saturday night for the benefit of the fund which is being raised for the improvement and care of the sol¬diers' and sailors' lot at Mt. Hope cemetery, was attended by more than 1,000 persons,—one of the largest lecture audiences seen in Bangor since the distinguished sol¬dier's last appearance here; his subject was " The First Days of the Confederacy " and the address proved to be equal in interest to his other topic, " The Last Days of the Confederacy.'*
Gen. Gordon when he took the platform was again accorded tumultuous applause and it was several minutes before he could begin his address. When finally the outburst of enthusiasm had subsided sufficiently he commenced, saying:
" I speak now as an American who loves his country. What is that country ? It is wherever that banner floats! (applause). Every acre, whether in contiguous lands or in the far off lands of the sea, where the flag floats is our country. It floats over the Philippines, and if it is ever hauled down there it must be by other hands than these."
Gen. Gordon then told of the causes of the war, speaking to some length upon the opinions which pre¬vailed in the North and the South in regard to state rights. After referring to slavery as one of the causes he said :
" But all that is past—gone forever, and by Heaven's decree, and as a southerner, if by one stroke of my pen I could restore slavery I would not do it."
" I want you to build your monuments, and the higher you build them the higher the tribute you will pay to the barefooted and ragged heroes who held you at bay for four long years. I wish that those monuments might hold their heads among the stars. The descen¬dants of both armies will see to it that wherever the flag of the Union may wave, on land or sea, it shall be more and more respected by the nations of the earth, and that it shall move onward and upward in its benign mis¬sion to humanity."
Gen. Gordon took his seat amidst another outburst of applause and cheers.—Bangor {Me.) Daily Commercial, February 12, 1900.
" The First Days of the Confederacy " was the subject of the lecture delivered last night at Library Hall by Gen. John B. Gordon under the auspices of the Louis¬ville Lyceum. The lecture is a superb companion piece to " The Last Days of the Confederacy," in which Gen. Gordon portrayed so vividly, but without prejudice, the last moments of a nation undauntedly dying.
" My country," said Gen. Gordon, in tones ringing as if with command, " is whereverthe flag rightfully floats, and the day is not far distant, however wise or unwise our first policy may have been, when there shall come from the peoples in Porto Rico, Cuba and the isles of the Pacific, the shouts of glad hozannas, praising God for the presence of that flag and the assured hope of Ameri¬can freedom."
Gen. Gordon then discussed with striking succinct¬ness and eloquence the two great causes of the war, the double construction of the Constitution and slavery, " the primal, immediate, compelling cause—an incident, but a might}r incident."
In leaving the discussion of these two fateful causes, Gen. Gordon lit up the relation of master and slave, or rather, master and ex-slave.
Stirring scenes of camp and battle followed. First Bull Run, that merely served to renerve the North and " bowed the South with thanks."—The Courier-Journal, Louisville\ February 15,1900.
Gen. John B. Gordon has again been with us, and hig second visit, like the first, will long remain fresh in the minds of those who heard him.
Gen. Gordon was in Claremontone year ago the 25th of last month. He came as a regular in the course, an<| this season as an extra. On the occasion of his first visit he carried his hearers with him by his eloquence and personal magnetism, and in speaking of the lecture afterward, we pronounced it a " benediction."
This second visit was even more successful than the first.
His great soul was in his subject, and as he touched the pathetic incidents he moved his audience to tears and then dwelt upon some ludicrous subject with equal effect. His words will live and bear fruit long after he has answered the last order to enter the great camping ground beyond.—The News, Claremont, (N. H) March 8, 1900.
Gen. Gordon's Lecture. "The First Days of the Confederacy" was the subject of the lecture of ex-Sena¬tor Gordon, of Georgia, in Music Hall last Friday even¬ing and the lecturer received a hearty welcome and was frequently applauded. He began at once with a tribute to the stars and stripes and a defense of expansion that brought rounds of cheers from the audience. For two hours he entertained his hearers with incidents of the war, interspersed with many historical facts that were unknown to the younger ones in his audience. He said slavery was only an incident of the civil war, not the cause of it, and he would not restore it to the South if he had the power. The real cause of the strife was the wide difference of opinion on the question of state rights. The debate grew so bitter at the last that the question could only be settled by a conflict at arms.— St.Johnsbury {Vt.) Caledonian.
A billiant audience greeted Gen. John B. Gordon last night at Library Hall to hear his new lecture, "The First Days of the Confederacy." This, his latest effort, will prove a fitting companion in every respect for his other now famous lecture," The Last Days of the Con¬federacy." The speaker's stirring oratory and his vivid words carried the old veterans back to the years when they fought and bled for what they believed to be right, and also opened the eyes of the younger generation present to much about that awful conflict which had never before been brought home to their realization. The lecture was at once filled with the sentiment of de-votion and reverence for the South, its lost cause, and its heroic armies and also rang and resounded with the spirit of national patriotism. Gen. Gordon, grim, scarred Confederate leader that he was, believes with his whole heart in a reunited country. He bespeaks it in every thought of his masterly lecture.—Louisville Commercial February 15, 1900.
A large and appreciative audience greeted Gen. John B. Gordon at the Masonic Temple Tuesday evening to hear the eloquent speaker in his lecture, " The First Days of the Confederacy." For nearly two hours the audience sat spellbound listening to the soldier. In his words was no bitterness toward former foes, but, on the contrary, a fraternal recognition of their courage and fortitude. The General is one of Nature's noblemen and is without a peer in the line of platform work he follows. His lectures abound in wit, sober expression and pathos. At times tears are ready to flow, but soon laughter fills the heart at hearing the relation of some incident like " Mammy Mary's " treatment of an invitation to meet President Cleveland, or the cogitations of the General while lying desperately wounded upon the battlefield. The following brief epitome of the cause of the war is perhaps the most comprehensible of any yet seen in print: " It was not Greek meet Greek, but free-born sons of America pouring out costly libations to liberty. The basis of final settlement is this, that both sides were fighting for the Constitution as interpreted by them and their fathers."—Register, Richmond, {Ky.) February 16, 1900.