Heroes of The Civil War: Benjamin Franklin Butler

Butler lived from 1818 to 1893 and was a Union politician and general who frequently confused his two roles, and in so doing became perhaps the most controversial, even scandalous, figure of the era. Settling in Boston he prospered at his law career and in his investments and turned to politics, soon becoming prominent in the Democratic Party.

          At the Democratic convention in 1860, he opposed Stephen Douglas and then joined the Southern secessionists in nominating Breckenridge. As with so much of what he did, Butler seemed to have been motivated more by his own egotism than by any ideology. In any case, when Fort Sumner was fired on, Butler immediately activated his rank as brigadier general in Massachusetts militia and led his regiment to Washington. After helping to secure the capital, Butler occupied Baltimore and then participated in a series of field operations that were militarily successful and also managed to keep the spotlight on Butler.

          In May of 1862, he commanded the land forces that entered New Orleans and was then appointed the military governor of that exceptional city. He proceeded to run affairs like some independent baron, and seized bullion that Southerners had handed over to the French consul and bringing protests from many foreign governments. He also hung a man who had taken down a Union flag, but his most notorious doing was his Order #28, in which he declared that when any woman of New Orleans showed contempt for Union soldiers, she was to be treated as a common prostitute. This again aroused international protest, and when Butler was also suspected of corruption, he was removed from New Orleans in December of 1862.

He spent most of the rest of the war in command positions in Virginia and North Carolina, but saw little battle action. In November of 1864 he was assigned to New York City when it was feared that there might be riots, but nothing actually happened. In December, Butler was given one more command by Grant to take Fort Fisher and close the port of Wilmington, North Carolina, but the expedition failed and Grant relieved Butler from any further command. Even so, Butler was not removed from controversy. He had by this time joined the Republican Party and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1866.

He went with the most radical wing and took one of the leading roles in impeaching Johnson. When Thaddeus Stevens died, he tried to take over his role in advocating a most punitive approach to Reconstruction. With his wealth and confident manner, Butler cut quite a figure in Washington society, and in 1873 he bought the famous yacht America and was later charged with using public money to recondition it.

He lost his Congressional seat in 1875, but after several attempts he attained his ambition of becoming governor of Massachusetts. Defeated after one term, he ran for President on the National Greenback party but received few votes. Of such an extravagant person little can be said except that he defied ordinary rules and judgments.