Who is John Gordon from --and Ladies of the Club and what is their importance?

John Gordon is Anne's husband and a local doctor. He served in the military during the Civil War. John describes his time in the war, as a time when he spent an inordinate amount of time cutting off limbs to avoid gangrene and watching many men die. John has several affairs over the course of his marrige and is even believed to be Rodney Stevens's father. He and Anne, however, remain married until his death.