Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-10-29
BUTLER AND GOV. AN
DREW.
The General Relates His Yer
sion of Their Quarrel.

81 went to see Mr.. Lincoln after my
return from New Orleans and laid before
him nv plans which had in my mind
i'm relation to the new campaign i'll the
eastern part OF Virginia. He approved
OF them, but said he had no troops that
he could spare me with which TO under
take il. | said To him that | guessed
we could Tx that, and that | had one
fault to find with his policy.
"What is that?' said he.
"It is this, l replied, You are making
this a party war. You are not getting
enough Democrats into it. Now, Mr.
President | said, If this thing goes on,
andlyou makeithis a party war, we shall
never whip the South, and the war will
never end
"'How can help it?' he replied; q
cannot get the Democrats to 90 into IT.
'"Oh, yes, you can, | said; they will
% into IL fast enough il you put epau-
lettes on their shoulders; but the trouble
is, YOU see, all the governors at the North
are Republicans. They have given, and
are giving, all the commissions IN the
regiments raised in their respective
state to their Republican friends. These
Republican friends are enliSting their
Republican neighbOrs, and the result is
that your army is rapidly becoming an
army of Republicans. Now, Mr.. Presi-
dent, this thing must be stopped, or you
will oct into serious trouble. y con-
gressiOnal election is coming on, while
thousands of these Republican voters
are in the field; and il you do not look
out the Democrats will carry your con-
gressional districts in their absence, and
the first thing you know You will have
an OppOSition congress to fight as well as
an enemy in the field
"There is meat in that, replied Mr..
Lincoln. Now tell me what you pro-
pose.
.Thereupon," said Gen. Butler, 81
laid before him my plan, which was to
raise u regiments in New England, two
from each state, and 10 be made up en-
tirelv of Democrats, or as nearly so as
possible. IL should be called the New
England division, and it should be put
under nv command, 10 execute the
campaign which / had mapped out. l
explained 10 him my plan OF raising
them. Il must have absolute authority,
said 10 the president, 'tO appoint the
officers of those regiments, in order that
| may be able beyond peradventure to
secure the appointment Of Democrats.
The President saw the feasibility and
desirability Of my plan in an instant,ap-
proved il. and said: Now Gen. Butler,
sit down and write out such an order rs
YOU want So / sat down and wrote
exactly such an Orlcras / wanted, giving
me the absolute power 10 appoint the
officers Of those regiments which | was
10 raise, and he signed 1t at once.
Now, said |, Mr.. President, there Is
one thing more | want.
"'What is that said he.
al want some money.
GLOW much 10 YOU WANT SAID he.
II told him ut least S15O,OOO Well,
the result of it was that | left Washing
ton that afternoon, hea led North, with
his order i'm my pocket and S75O,OOO in
the form OF a check upon the sub-treas-
ury at Boston. ! stopped first IN Con-
necticut, IA that was on my way; saw
the governor, explained my
plan to him, and told him what ! wanted,
and, without telling him that had au-
thoiity to appoint the officers myself,
asked him If he would appoint two
prominent Democrats whom named rs
colonies OF two regiments, which they
were authorized 10 raise and office by
whomever they pleased He acquieSced
readily, and appointed two staunch
Democrats, and | had them ut work
raising two Connecticut regiments in
short order. Then | went 10 New
HAMPSHIRE and did the same thing
there; the same thing in Vermont, and
the same thing in Maine. The govern
urS oi each Ci those states readily APP
uointcd the men WHom | wanted Salts
/ lied with my work thus lar, went home
tu Massachusetts, and Is soon as posi-
| Die after got there, called on Gov. An
/ drew. / laid before him my plan, and
/ explained 10 him the desirabiiity of en-
/ listing Democrats. exactly as | had eN'
/ plained il 20 the president; but GOV. An
/ drew demurTed at once. declaring that
/ the Republicans of Massachusetts, wert
\ able To take care of themselves anyway
\ and insisted upon appointing the officers
/ himself. lie asked me whom ] wanted
appointed, and told him the first man
/ wanted rs colonel was Jonas III
French.
.s'Oh. now said Andrew, that won Z
do at all. Why, French is rank Demo
crat. and assisted to break up John
Brown meetings just before the war.
81 know that, said |, and II is eX'
actlv the reason why | want to get him
into this war am sure he will fight
\ something and DO not want anybody
who Is not willing 20 fight something.
| Well. We had considerable talk, and the
long and short Of it was that Gov. An
drew refused point blank to DO rs
wished: So finally told him iiatly that
I if he would not appoint the men | want
eel. would appoint them myself, and ]
I showed him my order from the PreSi.
/ dent authorizing me to 10 it. He read
/ IL, and said that the president would
not have given it to me that he had un-
| derstoOd the ease.
81 don't know how that is, said |,
but there is the order, and now | am
going TO raise the troops He got into
a great deal OF passion, and declared
I that never should raise them, and that
/ he would prevent it. i told him could
not help his making a fool OF himself Il
he would, but | should raise the troops
and did. That was the real cause Of
my quarrel with Gov. Andrew"