Franklin Butler
THE PONCHATOULA TIMES AUGUST 11,1983 PAGE ELEVEN
E SOUTH CALLED HIM BEAST
. B, Bernard Vincent McMahon
E
!detailed description of
mystique, par-
the Civil War era, I
"Southern Worn-
Myth," by
(American Heritage
83-90, December
reached Eng-
Women Order there
until he pointed out
coPied it word-for-word
2e.
in and distributed
levied on the rich:
used to clean
and canals and for
plague of yellow
the mosquitoes
lellow fever was
h it was still
spread the disease.
reopened and U.S.
Army supplies
out to the populace
program intro-
Was cleared of Con-
and Vicksburg was
Baton
by Co.
in high casualties
Particularly high rank-
and malaria weak-
ies. Short of soldiers
Irish immigrants
Abandoned plan-
with free slaves
again.
Father Mullen,
Butler for rufus-
niGh soldier. "Is that
'sked. The priest re-
is all wrong;
nothing would give
than to bury you
marshal (M.P.) who wo'uld in%e-sti-
gate the charges and inflict punish-
ment if it were found to be warranted.
Although some planters, including
Loyalists, refused to hire negroes
unless they could be whipped at their
employers' will, Butler did not modify
this provision of the labor contract.
He felt that he had no right to send
negroes "back to be scourged by
their former, and in some cases,
infuriated masters.
On August 24, 1862 Butler orga-
nized the first regiment of the Free
Colored Brigade. three regiments of
infantry and a battery of artfllary.
After the war he said, "Better sol-
diers never shouldered a musket.
They were intelligent, obedient.
highly appreciative of their position.
and fully maintained its dignity"
Early in the war the governor of
Louisiana had raised one or more
regimenis of free negroes, known as
the Louisiana Native Guard to help
defend New' Orleans. Butler located
some of the former members and
asked them if they would be willing
to serve the federal government as
soldiers. All of them said they would.
Since Butler had followed a prece-
dent set by a southern governor the
Confederate government could not
logically object to his use of negro
troops.
The story that the general had
stolen spoons became so widespread
that his enemies called him "Spoons
Butler" ever after. It made no differ-
ence that it was unnecessary for a
man of Butler's power and wealth to
steal anybody's spoons, or that he
had documentary evidence of the
falsity of the charges against him.
The rumors persisted.
Lincoln on Nov. 8, 1862 issued
orders to Nathaniel Banks to take
over command of the department of
the Gulf. This stab in the back by
Lincoln who helped his friends sell
cotton abroad with his White House-
issued licenses threwButler into the
Radical Republican camp.
Banks ms an utter failure in New
Orleans and Lincoln ordered Butler's
return but he declined the appoint-
ment. He ,s then placed in army of
the James. Assuming command at
Norfolk he found the local gas
company refusing to supply Fortress
Monroe. He confiscated the com-
pany. He found the city of Norfolk
dirtier than New Orleans; he put
military prisoners to vrk to clean it
up, The prisoners v, ere jeered at by
._the town loafers so he conscripted
thing Butler
of the negroes in the
the Gulf was promul-
labor contract gov-
'taunt. The con-
the payment of
a month. It placed
the care (including
when necessary)
upon their
Provided for the sub-
employer's expense,
of any laborer who
because of illness or
fly forbade corporal
>faints about in-
other misdeeds had
the nearest provost
CROSSWORD
AnB,m-er
4. Guided 39. Quax.
5. ChristiLn rel.
of -- Some
6. Heavy 21. Girl's
• burden nick-
insect 7. Leaves nRme
Norse out 22. Become
-. WOrk
14, lv.i, 8. Keep old
="- 9. C.rmn 23. Lights
river 24. Come
17
• "ne a turf 27. Free
L) 15. Ice cream 30. Before
chasm drinks 31. CRrried on
stupid 16. Affirmative 33. Caresses
6 7
t2
k
5. Capital
of Peru
3@ Greet
38. A curve
39. Open ( poet. ).
42. What?
J e J0
/t2 2s 2
32.
2
votes
18. Mr.
IMncoln
:! Z 5
It
$|
37
4o
3
J" news.
severe
• lng's
reaidence
• PrOnoun
• F1-iend,
Spain
, Wild hog
=t eeu.
41. hk
s. ople of
rlta/n
- htm
t H(rd
& llary
r
nguy
31. Oriental
nurse
them into the work brigades. You
could smell Newbron, Va. from two
miles away, and yellow fever was
decimating the population. He filled
in the open sewers and cleaned up
the town. Yellow fever disappeared.
He thought it was due to his sanita-
tion efforts. It was not until 1901
when Army Dr Walter Reed proved
it was the mosquito breeding in filth
that caused it When he heard that
Union prisoners were dying of small-
pox under a flag of truce he sent
Confederate Commissioner Judge
Robert Ouid 6.000 innoculations
without permission of Washington.
Ould requested Henry Kyd Douglas'
release but a union prison camp
officer balked so the boat pulled out
without him Butler put him onafast
cuter with orders to overtake the
exchange prison ship. Another pris-
oner of war was the tall strapping
MajorOeneralWiltiam F Lee, son of
Robert E Lee. He reported to his
father that Butler returned his horse
and equipment to him and "treated
him with utmost courtesy."
February. 1864 Richmond was sur-
rounded by a sea of mud so the city
was evacuated of most of its Confed-
erate troops. Butler sent General
Isaac Wistar to capture the city.
They would have if Lincoln had not
pardoned a soldier that murdered his
commanding officer and was sent-
enced to death. The murderer de-
serted the attacking force and
warned the Richmond garrison. The
attack was thwarted by reinforce-
ments. There is a strong suspicion
that Lincoln did not want Butler to
succeed, If he had done so he would
have won the 1864 presidential elec-
tion. Butler offered to exchange any
prisoner for the rat but the Confed-
erate Ould refused, knowing Butler
would hang him.
In March 1864 Ulysses Grant, now
Lt. General, was made commander
of all the Union Armies with instruc-
tiGriS to coordinate their movements.
Grant now sent Butler orders so
vague and rambling that he must
have been drunk. Petersburg was not
defended and could easily have been
taken but they thought Grant wanted
Butler to march on Richmond. A
Confederate army came out of Pet-
ersburg in a heavy fog and drove
Butler back into the Bermuda Hun-
dred. Westpoint graduate General
Quincy A. Gillmore was ordered to
take Petersburg. He marched his
army to the city that was undefended,
turned yellow and retreated back to
Butler, who had him court martialed
ACCORDING TO HOYL
My Uncle "Hen," dais short for
Henri, He was down at de Tu Forks
Store wen I byd my suplies des
mornin. He say, how much monnies
you got lef dere. i say, foreten
dollors, He say Oil, He all-de-ways
calls me Oil, but I'm his cuss n Earl,
He say yonsecome ober dis ebnen an
I'll larned you des game of poker.
NoW 1 toth des be a good game to
lern caz lots ob de mens l'se kno
plays it. Uncle "Hen," 1 rink is a good
teacher caz he say, accordin to Hoil !
wins de first Ire hans. But from dem
tre hands on 1 herd a lot abot des
accordin to Holt. Des is jist a part ob
wat happin. I gtt tre duces, uncle Hen
he gits tu fives. He wins accordln to
des guy Hoil, caz Ire duces equal six,
and uncle Hens tu fives equal ten.
Now date mite be rite, i'se git tu
kings on des hans an Uncle Hen he
gits tu queens. Now accordin to des
guy Hoil Uncle Hen he wins caz de
wimmin all-de-ways gits de monnies.
Now date mite be tru.
Now des hans l'se sure l'se gona
win. ! gtts me tu jacks wid wat uncle
Hen he say is ace high, an uncle Hen
he gits tu jacks wid a queen hi.
Accordin tu Hoil uncle Hen wins dis
one caz his one eyed jack is lookin
rite at de monnies. Now ! nos my
uncle Hen an i tink he be all rite. But
accordin to des kuy Hoil l'se ben took
for my foreten bucks.
His Cuss'n
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for cowardice. General Beauregard
commented later that if Gillmore had
been enterprising and bold enough
"the entrance gate to Richmond
would necessarily have been lost to
the Confederacy without the firing of
a single gun of the army of the
Potomac."
William F. Smith, another Wst
Point general, was sent by Grant to
take Petersburg. Smith made a big-
ger botch of the attack tl.an GiHmore
but Grant. another West Point grad-
uate. saved both their hides. Butler
snorted. "Another example of the old
school tie."
In the Fall of 1864. fearing another
riot during the presidential election,
Grant sea Butler with 5.000 men to
New York City which at that time
consisted sole!y of the Borough of
Manhatten. an island with no tunnel
or bridges Commandeering the ferry
boats. Butler placed his men on
board and taking over the police
stations, if trouble broke out he could
strike at will. The city was peaceful
on election day.
Butler and Admiral Porter turned
the Fort Fisher expedition into a
fiasco. Who was to blame is still
being argued. Grant. using the fail-
ure as an excuse, on January 7. 1865
relieved Butler of command. He went
home to Lowell and wrote this
farewell address o his army:
"Knowing your willing obedience to
orders, witnessing your ready devo-
tion of your blood to your country's
cause, [ have been chary of the
previous charge confided to me. I
have refused to order the useless
sacrifice of the lives of such soldiers
and I am relieved from your com-
mand. The wasted blood of my men
does not stain my garments. For my
action I am responsible to God and
my country,"
/
A deliberate slap in "Butcher"
Grant's face.
Returning to_Lowell, Butler became
a Radical Rep'ublican. Lincoln
wanted him as his running mate if he
had become president insterad of
Andrew Johnson, a democrat. What
post-war history would have become
s anyone s guess.
LJncoln called Butler to Washington
and asked him to take charge of
negro veterans. Butler suggested
they be used to dig the Panama
Canal. Lincoln, who would have
liked to ship all of them out of the
country, thought it was a great idea.
Reaching New Jersey on his way
home he was told of Lincoln's
assassination.
In 1866 he was elected to Congress.
In Congress he out-radicaled the
radicals. He advocated Woman's
Sufferage, the eight hour work day,
equal political rights for negroes, and
finally, he advocated paper currency
to pay off bonds purchased by paper
currency. This last antagonized the
bankers who wanted gold and silver
to pay off the wartime government
bonds purchased by paper currency,
They got their wish under their
stooge Grant, Throwing the country
into the worst depression until the
1930's they created a whole group of
millionnaires enriching themselves
on the blood of the men who fought
to save the Union. As a sop to
veterans, they gave them a war
pension
END OF
PART THREE
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