The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1865-1866, 1865-12-22
A Richmond Editor on
Butler.

-e3 O~-
Butler.
A terrible calamity has plunged the
whole Land in the blackest depths Of
of Sreif and despair. The nation is reel
ing from the effects of a fearful loss. Mas
sachusetts, with streaming eyes, is cloth
ing herself with sackclo!l1, and preparing
to sprinkle ashes over her sable hahiI..-
ments of incorsolable woe. BENJAMIN.
reasonably called Beast, but surnamed
Butler, her well beloved ard greatest
warrior, has shot Ike metcoric stnuc
from the military frnameni of lesser SUNS
planets aid fixed stars, aud ceased to DC
Major>Genclsl. lie !epdcrcd his isres;g-
nation the othr Gay, and rs Republics
are provcrbial'y cngratcful, the Presi-
dent, fngctfnl Of tile bl;zing glorics of
Big Bethel " Of thc immortal lionors CT
T"thc Cap" and Of, tie fami@g repown of
1.-THE "thc fire ship" accepted the mighty
warriors resignation. The newspapers,
with Malignant -cnlnl:es;s. assert that it
was "promptly accepted" aid one God-
less Journal yicipusly hints that the prof.
fered retirement of the. mighty Boatlt
was snapped at by the war Office an:
itics.
Profound as will be the grief Of tie
civilized world at the retirement Of this
honored aid llonest hero, Virginia. is
almost dcsilatcd at The rational bcreav-
cmcnt involved III lis loss We shall
always rccoIlect that many Of tliis great
mars most famous AID wondrous uchi@-
vcmcnts were upon our soil. His first
essay at u pitched battle was at "Big
Bethel" It. was here he dug his i'm.
! mortal "ii;cl,' and from tho waters of
Virginia ,hr great fire slip" sailed and
exploded with <ucl. terrific aud harmless
spleudor a few miles from Fort Fisher,
after wl.i,h exploit the General with
characteristic nudcsty Withdrew lis forces
from hcfnrc that place, and permitted a
yomsyr New England General TO gath.
er.all the laurcl<. Two Virginia ci!i,s,
"rc&r the sea-" will ever held in CRATE,
fuI remembrance tic humanity, prbani&y
unselfsLness aud splendid integrity with
Ehirh he discharged his cEjcial trust.
at the very moment when tie hearts
rcnding intelligence of his resignation
reached us, member Of tie Eiigllia
Legislature, anticipating lis appointment
to the ccn.mand Il this military divis-
sicl, had introduced aresaiution re1olcnt
rcf pl,a>cnt "reminiscences Of The great
warriors drejs Of y;'or in Norfolk aud
Portsmouth 1t was Il touching aud c!u-
gnent t:ihutc to tie latc iiaj"r.Geacs:!'
for it vcccrl:ienica. IL aniicip,t;"n Of
lis advent, :. "t;i>!r;Luiicn IT al the
money in the State Treasury amcn- lhc
wit:ows and orphans II deceased soldiers.
Ind i!sn' provided for tie arprinta'ent .,
swiI. .,ioutc,! "conrierS" 10 CONVEY TIC glad
iidinss If lis arrival through The land.
and to urge all prudent housewives 10
conceal t#nir silver sl'onas and e'ri.s. 1t
WAS Ill aa,sing peculiarly, we LeI:svc
ri lhc great departed, tat lie MS f1"d
of I.la;c, ard had an cyYni ito taste il: jew
cirv, Musical instruments, honsel!ould
furniture, gid and silver coin. The peo>
pie of New Orleans deligl.: to kct p fresh
the memory OF lis remarkable tas:e in
the fiae arts.
At the moment when Benjamin, lie
we'll beloved of Massachusetts,, is taking
leave Of weeping country, and wktr
Columbia with a well muistcrcd mourn:
ing handkerchief at cac:i eye, seems to
say, "Tont 90, Ben" it is to be regretted
that General Grsut should have alluded
in his report to the hero Of Big Bethel iu
such iusi guilicaht and sarcastic, tcruls, as.
to show that he greatly cuntcms ard
dcspises his prctenslons to military
skill.
A!Iof US remember that in he spring
of 1864, General Butler, at the head 'fa
vast army, steamed up James River, and
landed on the south side If that stream.
As discretion always entered very largely
into the valor Of this great chieftain, he
failed to advance OH Richmond for some
eight days, and for two or three OF those
critical days the Confedsrates always
chuckIcd at the thought Of having kept
so valorous man quiet with, We think,
about sixty cavalry and nine hundred
infantry. To This especial part Of Gen.
eral Buffers military career General
Grant refers with an amount of grim
dcrislon which is very divcrt!ng. Lie
charges General Butler with being res
ponsible for the failure of the first grand
attack upon this city from tie south of
the James in May, 1864. 1t will be re-
memberod that on the 18th of May, l8t4
having then. as we have said, wasted
eight priceless days, Butler telcgraphed
from Bermuda Hundreds to washington
that he had put himself across pretty
mach everything, and added, General
Grant will not be troubled With any fur
thcr renfo,ccments to Lee from Beaurc-
ga,d." At that moment Beauregard, as
General Grant informs us, thanks to the
time wasted by Butler, had drawn in all