The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-12-14
Grant on Butler.

Grant on Butler.
The difficulty between Generals Gran. and
Butler is not new thing; and therefore the
illusions to it in the report of the lieutenant
general have not the interest of very great
novelty, The matter, however, receives
much additional light in this report; and for
the sake of the truth of history and the cor.
rectness Of public opinion, the affair is wOr-
thy of note even ut this late day.
There is something in the hold which this
man Butler possesses upon certain class of
people that is wonderful. They cling to him
and believe in him and admire him TO an ex-
tent whose magnitude only finds it's equal in
that of the proofs which, from the very open
ing of his military career to its close, have
been gathered mountain high with reference
to his inefiiciency, his brutality and his Gull
pable. glaring dishonesty. Among all cur
military failures, from Fremont and Sigel TO
Banks, there has been none so marked, so IN
redeemed by single redeeming occurrence,
that of Butler. From Big Bethel to Will
mington, Buffers career was a thorough, con
sistent and remarkable failure. In no single
case did he ever achieve success in no in
stance did he display one evidence of militia
ry genius.
Despite these facts, whose truth is as pat
ent as the existence of sunlight, there are
thousands of men in the world who believe
that the military capacity of Butler, is in no
respect inferior 10 that of Sherman or of the
first Napoleon.
The last failure of Butler was his most no.
torious. and resulted in his removal While
the public is familiar with the asserted cans
es of that removal, we have never before had
the official statement Of the lieutenant gener-
al. According 10 that statement. Buffers
last failure included not merely lack # mill
tary capacity, but cowardice and disobedi-
ence of orders General Grant says he des-
ignated General Weitzel to command the ex-
petition against Wilmington and that the
instructions which he sent that officer through
Butler were never delivered. He says in his
report:
General Butler commanding the army from
which the troops taken or this enterprise, |
and the territory within which they were TO oper-
ate military courtesy required that all orders and
instructions should 60 through him. They were /
sent; but General Weitzel has since officially /
informed me that he never received the foregoing
instructions, was he aware o. their existence
until he read General Buffers published report of
the Fort Fisher failure with my Endorsement and (
papers accompanying II. had no idea of GeRer- I
al Buffers accompanying the expedition until the
evening before it got off from Bermuda Hundreds I
and then did not dream but that General WeitzeI !
had received all the instructions, and would be in
commando
i little further Gen. Grant says:
position and Reconnaissance, under Brevet Briga-
der General Curtis, pushed up towards the fort |
But before he received !ull report of the
sance General Butler in direct violation of the
sruclions given ordered the reembark alton Of the
troops and the return Of the expedition.
''On the return of the expedition, officers and /
men-among them Brevet Major General then !
Brevent Brigadier Genera) MIR. Curtis, LIST Lieu
tenant G. w. Ross, - regiment Vermont vOluu- |
teers, LIST Lieutenant George w. Walling and I'd /
Lieutenant George simpson, 1920 New York vol |
unteers-voluntarIly reported to me that when I
called they nearly into the fort and, their
opinion, it could have been taken without much /
loss.'
Gen. Grant, after recounting hos Fort |
Fisher was taken by Gen. Terry, adds that /
by his (Grants) request Gen. Butler was re-
moved from command, and his place given 10 /
Gen. Ord. This disposes of the whole mat |
ter, aud places Buffers last military per |
formance clearly before the public. While /
people may continue to believe in Butler as /
an exponent of rsdicalism, they cannot, with |
out misunderstanding all the occurrences of |
his military career. AID especially the last 1
event as narrated by Gen. Grant, believe that /
as a commander he is, or was, anything but |
the most gigantic humbug produced by the |
war.
1t is a pity that some moral lieutenant /
general cannot report authOritatively upon |
Butler, the governor Of New Orleans and /
Butler, the cOmmandant at Norfolk. In I
such case we should the present moral /
colossus dwinde into the bully, the oppres-
sor of women. the uDprincipled Spectator,
the bank robber. lie would then be regard
ed by the radicals of the northern states as
he is now by the south, by q respectable
minority in the north. aud by every nation
in Europe. There is probably not city in
Europe in which Butler could set foot to-day,
without being mobbed. Even the country
which produced Haynau would turn But
ler over TO the mercies of it's cauaille.
1t seems impossible thai Butler can long
defy the almost unanimous opinion of christ
endom. Grant has exposed the military pre-
tender, and in time the good sense of his
presnt admirers will discover the unscrupul-
GUS, Implying "beast" in the shape in which
they now see only the patriot and hero
Chicogo Times