The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-02-08
Tho Rrnyc Butler.

Genera, Bcniamin +. Butler. Of Massachu-
sets, is a brave nun, anc. the only tri'!
great soldier who was developed from tnat
Safe during the late Onpleasantness. We
do not mean to claiI, that he is brave IN rue
usual acceptance of the term, but sun nc
Possesses a peculiar kind Of bravery-Pecu'
liar to himself, For instance, very lew tlen
could stand by and see helpless women ana
innocent children suffer. But General Bat
Ter is a hero. and he can look upon snch n
spectacle with brave, unmoved Iearti III.
deed he has the tirmness 10 order regiment
of soldiers to charge upon crowd OF wo'
men and children.
ue was uescr known to fire cannon.ball,
and when by accident he came upon the
Confederate picket in front OF Bermuda
Hundreds he scampercd of 80 fast that
marble might have rolled forward on bis
own coat.tail and the tail Of his horse: but
this did not proceed from want OF bravery,
but simply from desire not to he Killed.
| His life was so valuable to himself that he
did not want 10 lose 1t, but when he had a
HELPLESS prisoner before him then his bravery
came forth like shining star. Nothing
could equal the hiHh.metted courage with
which he would bully over the poor prisoner
and brow.bcat him (Butler is good at bully
! ;nrl and with a spirit of determined devo-
! ton TO the cause of his couutry'S honor and
1.-the flag" he could send gray-headed man
TO prison for refusing TO turn over 10 him
money which was held in trust Tor others.
! ON occasion, of this kind Butler was brave.
He was grand while insulting fsl en- Zoe,
although he never manifested any SPECIAL de-
sire to meet the aforesaid foe when he had
gun in his hand.
He has given the country another ilustra-
ton of his peculiar courage IN deoate ID
the House of Representatives, IN when ne
characterized tue southern people as ban
ditti, horse-thieres, and asSaSslnS. NO douDt
his great heart sweIled periodically when he
made this charge, like it did when he order
ed his soldiers to charge upon the LADIES' OF
| New Orleans, for he is brave man. DOUBT
less he was thinking of that time when, III
his Imagination. he rode over the battlefield
IN front of Fort Gilmer " after the battle and
saw the bronzed faces Of the dead colored
troops turned upward to the sum-" when he
swore that terrible oath that he spoke OF last
winter. But even his imagination could not
picture TO himself his riding among them
during the battle. But, as we SAID before,
this leel!ng proceeded merely from an un-
willingness to get killed, for, like brutus,
Butler is a brave man.
1T. McLCdu, VI leAaS, iutiLuatSo tiiae D1iI7
iler himself was murderer for the reason
that he bad Mumford hung in New Orleans
for nothing. But be ought not 10 have been
so hard on the Massachusetts hero. Butler
was in the army of the Union and thought
it would never do to let it be said after the
war that he had done his country no SER
vice-that he had not killed his man. This
would have been disgrace he could not
have survived. and would have been thrown
! up to him as bar to bis future political as.
piration, and as he never expected to kill a
rebel soldier on. the field Of battle be
! thought he would try his ksnd upon civ
/ ilan, go the unfortunate Mumford was st.
| lected az the victim and sacrificed by Butler
as an offering TO his country. No one can
charge now that he did not kill single
! Southerner during The whole war. 1t istrue
! Mumlord was not in the Confederate army,
! but that makes no difference, be was a
souheruer, all the same, and Butler deserves
all the credit Of having him hung for no.
thing Portsmouth Enterprise.