Just Generally Speaking...

I know other people have written about what I'm going to write about in this entry, but my guess is that not everyone knows about it. So, I'm going to talk about it again. Again, you say? Well, I touched on it briefly almost exactly one year ago today on August 29, 2017, in a post about 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box' (CARD). (It was titled Data! Data! Data! if you want to take a look.) But the idea came from a recent post I made over on this blog's sister site on Facebook. Now, let's expand on it.

In CARD we hear the following:

'Do you mean to say that you read my train of thoughts from my features?'
'Your features, and especially your eyes. Perhaps you cannot yourself recall how your reverie commenced?'
'No, I cannot.'
'Then I will tell you. After throwing down your paper, which was the action which drew my attention to you, you sat for half a minute with a vacant expression. Then your eyes fixed themselves upon your newly-framed picture of General Gordon, and I saw by the alteration in your face that a train of thought had been started. But it did not lead very far. Your eyes flashed across to the unframed portrait of Henry Ward Beecher which stands upon the top of your books. You then glanced up at the wall, and of course your meaning was obvious. You were thinking that if the portrait were framed, it would just cover that bare space and correspond with Gordon's picture over there.'
'You have followed me wonderfully!' I exclaimed.

Major-General Charles George Gordon was a British Army officer who saw action on numerous fronts in Europe and Asia. It was his service in Asia that made him a national hero and earned him the nickname "Chinese" Gordon. Watson was obviously an ardent admirer of the man, as were many, and even went so far to put up a picture of him at 221b. (There are lots of pictures of Gordon, but the one shown here seems to be the most popular, so I picked it.) He was a hero in the eyes of the British people because of his exploits in other lands and because of his glorified death in 1885, but was less so to the British government who found him to be a bit of a troublemaker who sometimes went against orders.
Now let's talk about the part that will make you wonder.

There's another General Gordon.
The other Gordon, John Brown Gordon, was an attorney before becoming a soldier, and a Senator and railroadman after. He wrote a book in 1903, but that was after he was a Governor. He was also the leader of a veteran's group until he died in 1904. His war record isn't too shabby, either. He certainly seems like the kind of man to admire, right?
Well, this General Gordon was in the Army, too. The Confederate Army.

Now, I'm not going to express any opinion one way or the other, but there are certain things about him that can be viewed as unfortunate by some. This Gordon was, in fact, a slave owner like his father, and there is some evidence that he was the head of the Georgia KKK. (That's never been proven, by the way.)
Let's take a look at the next paragraph in the story.

'So far I could hardly have gone astray. But now your thoughts went back to Beecher, and you looked hard across as if you were studying the character in his features. Then your eyes ceased to pucker, but you continued to look across, and your face was thoughtful. You were recalling the incidents of Beecher's career. I was well aware that you could not do this without thinking of the mission which he undertook on behalf of the North at the time of the Civil War, for I remember your expressing your passionate indignation at the way in which he was received by the more turbulent of our people. You felt so strongly about it, that I knew you could not think of Beecher without thinking of that also. When a moment later I saw your eyes wander away from the picture, I suspected that your mind had now turned to the Civil War, and when I observed that your lips set, your eyes sparkled, and your hands clenched, I was positive that you were indeed thinking of the gallantry which was shown by both sides in that desperate struggle. But then, again, your face grew sadder; your shook your head. You were dwelling upon the sadness and horror and useless waste of life. Your hand stole towards your own old wound and a smile quivered on your lips, which showed me that the ridiculous side of this method of settling international questions had forced itself upon your mind. At this point I agreed with you that it was preposterous, and was glad to find that all my deductions had been correct.'

Looks like the Civil War was in fact on Watson's mind, but again it really doesn't say in what way. We can go the easy way and say that he was a fan of the Union, but what if? Again, I'm not levying an opinion here, I'm merely laying out the facts so that others can decide. It's a gray area, but one that I suspect most will say has to fall with the winning side. (Just remember, though, that the guy in the other portrait was an American. Hmm...)

So, which General Gordon was it? Both men had great war records, and both were distinguished gentlemen in most ways, but they also had their controversies. I don't know the answer here, but I know as a Brit Watson would probably have chosen his fellow countryman.
Well, those are all the pertinent facts. You can decide for yourself. Remember to follow your heart.
I'll see you next time. And as always...thanks for reading.