GORDON, John Brown, American soldier: b. Upson County, Ga., 6 July 1832; d. near Miami, Fla., 9 Jan. 1904. He was of Scotch ancestry, his grandfather being one of seven brothers who all fought for American inde pendence in the War of the Revolution. He was graduated at the State University in 1852 and was, a few months later, admitted to the practise of law; but at the outbreak of the Civil War was engaged in mining operations near Raccoon Mountain, Alabama. Here was organized a company, called the "Raccoon Roughs," of which he was elected captain. This company was assigned to the 6th Alabama In fantry, in which he rapidly rose through suc cessive grades to that of colonel (28 April 1862). At Seven Pines, through the wounding of General Rodes, the command of the brigade fell upon him; and at Malvern Hill he led it in the grand charge of D. H. Hill's division against the Federal position. At Sharpsburg he was five times wounded. On 1 Nov. 1862 he was commissioned brigadier-general with command of a Georgia brigade of six regiments, which he led with great distinction at Chancellors ville and Gettysburg. On the march into Pennsylvania, just before the battle of Gettys burg, he reached Wrightsville on the Susque hanna, making the most extended advance achieved in the East by Confederates during the war. On the first day at Gettsyburg he struck the extreme right of the Union army in Ewell's grand turning movement, by which the victory so desperately striven for by A. P. Hill was secured, and the Federals were driven through the town of Gettysburg to the heights beyond. On 6 May 1864, in the Wilderness leading two brigades, he fell at sunset upon Sedgwick's corps, driving the Federals from a large part of their works and capturing 600 prisoners, including Generals Seymour and Shaler.
On 12 May at Spottsyivania Court House, commanding Early's division, immediately after Hancock had overwhelmed Edward Johnson, Gordon by an impetuous charge first checked the Federals and then drove them back to the base of the salient, where the fight continued with great fury to the close of the day. Two days later Gordon was commissioned major general and placed in command of Evans' Georgia brigade, Hays and Stafford's Louisiana brigades and Terry's Virginia brigade — the lat ter being made up of the remnants of the "Stonewall* brigade and other Virginia troops.
With this command he participated, under Early, in the defeat of Hunter's expedition, the invasion of Maryland, the victory at the Monocacy, the march into the suburbs of Wash ington and the battles against Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, being especially distin guished in the surprise and rout of Sheridan's army in the early morning at Cedar Creek. Having been assigned to the command of the Second corps of the Army of Northern Vir ginia, he held his lines with great tenacity, and in March 1865 made the brilliant dash by which he captured Fort Steadman and parts of the line to the right and left of it. Owing to the failure of the supporting column to arrive in time, he was obliged to retire to his original position. On the retreat from Petersburg he protected the rear, and at Appomattox com manded half of Lee's army, making a last bril liant charge of that heroic but now fearfully depleted host. After the surrender he called his men about him and made them a speech re markable for its strong declarations of faith in God and earnest exhortations to endure de feat with patience, obey the laws and rebuild their ruined homes and fortunes. He became the trusted leader of his people, was twice elected governor of Georgia, and for two terms represented his State in the Senate of the United States, on all occasions using his influ ence for peace and fraternity between the late warring sections. As commander-in-chief of the United Confederate Veterans' Association he possessed the enthusiastic love and devotion of his comrades, who would never entertain the idea of his retirement from the office to which they every year elected him, declaring repeatedly that death alone could remove him from that post of honor. His very successful lecture on "The Last Days of the Confederacy') was well known in both North and South. His war-time reminiscences began to appear in Scribner's Magazine in 1903 and were published in book form in 1905.