Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-08-16

! til. July of the next year. and their de
cision is not known. Col. Butler diea
September 7, 1905. Out of the arrest an
persecution of this sturdy veteran, Wash
ington Irving, (Knickerbocher) has work
ed up fine, piece of burlesque, in which
Gen. Wilkinson's character is inimitably
delineated in that Of the vain and pompous
General Won Poffenburg. ::
Percfyal Butler, the fourth son, fathe
of Gen. VIM. 0. Butler, was born n
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 1850. He enter
ed the army4as lieutenant at the age Q
eighteen; was with Washington at Valley
F4ge; was in the batllasof Ahonmen,h ,ane
!. It thseaeAtsng Of r ,esing thrapgf
sse whole Series ofstrhggles understandable
States, with the troops under the comman'
der in.chief, except for short period wher
he was attached to a Light corps commanded
by La sFayette, who presented him a word
Near the close ofthe war he went to the
south with the Pennsylvania brigade where
peace found him. He emigra,ed to Ken
lucky in 1884. He was the last Of The
old stock left when the war Of 1872 com
meneed. He was made Adjutant General
when Kentucky became a State, and ir
that capacity, Joined one of the armies sem
out by Kentucky during the war.
Edward Butler, the youngest Of the five
brothers, was too young to enter the army
in the first* stages of the revolution, but
joined it near tho close, and had risen TO a
caplaincy when Gen. ST. Clair took the
command, and led it to that defeat in which
SO many of the best soldiers of the country
perished. He there evinced the highest
courage and strongest paternal affection,
in carrying his wounded brother out Of the
massacre, which was continued for miles
along the route Of tie retreating army, ,and
from which so few escaped, even Of those
who fled unencumbered. He subsequently
became adjntant general in Wayne's ar
my.
Ofthcse five brothers, four had sons
all of whom with one exception, were en-
gaged in the military or naval service Of
their country during the last war.
lst. General Richard Buffers son
William died lieutenant in the navy,
early in the last war. His son, Captain
James Butler, was at the head Of the
Pittsburgh Blues, which company he com
manded in the campaigns of the North
west, and was particularly distinguished in
tho battle Of NJ ississinnawa.
2d. Col. William Butler, also Of the
revolutionary army, had two ssons; one
der in the navy, the other n subaltera in
Wayne's army. He wasin the battle with
The Indians in 1891.
Sd. Lieut. Col. Thomas Buffers, Of
the old stock, had three sons, the eldest u
Judge. The second, Col Robert Butler,
was at the head Ger. Jackson's staifthrough-
out the last war. The third Wm. E. But
ler, also served in the army Of Gsr. Jack
son.
4lh. Percival Butler. captain in the
revolutionary war, and adjutant general Of
Kentucky during the last war, had four
sons: first, Thomas, who was n captain,
and MD to Gen. Jackson, ut New Orleans;
next, General VIM. o. Butler, the sub
Iecl of this notice; third, Richard, who was
assistant adjntant general in the campaigns
of the war of 1879. Percival Butler the
youngest son, now a. distinguished law
yer, was not of an age to bear arms in the
last war. Of the second generation of the
Buffers, there are nine certainly, and prob
ably more, engaged in the present war.
This glance at the family shows the
character Of the race. An anecdote, de-
rived from letter of an old Pennsylvania
friend of the parents, who transplanted it
from Ireland, shows that its militrry in.
stinct was an inheritance. "While. the
five sons" says the letter, "were absent
from home in the service of the country
the old father took it into his head to go
also. The neighbors collected to remon
strate against it: but his wife said: ''Le
him go! can get along without him, and
raise something to feed the army in the
bargain; and the country wants every wal
who can shoulder a musket." 1t was
doubtless this extraordinary zeal Of the
Butler family which induced Gen. w ash
ington to give the toast-"Ihe Butler's,a ant
their five sons," at his own table, willis
surrounded by large party of officers
\ This anecdote rests on the authority of tht
late Gen Findlay, of Cincinnati, A sim
liar tribute of respest wos paid to this devo
led house of soldiers by Gen. Lafayette, il
q letter now extant, and in possession of ;
lady connected with it by marriage. La
fayette says, "Whe,a auante d than4
1ceH done l ordered q Butler to do at. :"
From this retrospect, it will be seen that
in all the wars Of the country-in the rev
olutionary war, in the Indian war, in tn
last British war and the present Mexican
war-the blood of almost every Butler abl
to bear arms has been freely shed in tn
public cause. Major Gen. VIM. o. But
) Ter is now among the highest in the militia
: ry service Of his country; and he has a
: tanned this grade from the ranks-the pos
tion of private being the only one he ev
+ er sought. At the opening Of the war
}. lsl2,he had just graduated in the Trar
i sylvania University, and was looking o
e the law as profession. The surrender
1t Detroit, and of the army by Hull, arou
A. ed the patriotism and the vaior of Kentucky
'e and young Butler, yet in his minority, ,ws
s. the firsts 10 volunteer. He gave up h
h books, the enjoyments of the gay an
le polished Society of Lexington, where
rt lived anong circle of fond and partial
to lations, to join Capt. Harris company
t. infantry as private soldier.
IS, Before the march to join the northwes
as ern army, he was elected corporal.
he this grade he marched to the relief of Fc
IS, Wayne, which was invested by hostile
ed dians. These were driven before the Ke
II