The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-10-18
BEAUREGARD AND BUTLER
A Sad Romance in h Life of tn,
Confederate General.

A Sad Romance In the Life OF IN
Confederate General.
Interview with Beauregard in N. Y. World
81 left home suddenly February %, 1851,
having resigned from the United States corps
Of engineers, on the call of the provisional
government of the ~Confederacy, at Mont
gomery, Ala 1 expected at that time to
return in about a fortnight to command in
Louisiana, where 1 had been stationed for
many years. Instead, l was ordered to
Charleston, S. c., thence to Man
the end of the war, remaining absent
from nome four years and three
months. When I started from New Orleans
Mrs. Beauregard was in very bad health, and
l was compelled to leave her with her own
family to be taken care of; hence / was ex-
tremely anxious TO return to be with her; but
in war asoldier belongs first to his country
and then to his family. Shortly after New
Orleans was taken possession of by the Fed
erals, my wife and family-composed only of
ladies, the gentlemen having gone to the
war-received an order from Gen. Buffers
chief quartermaster to vacate their
houses in forty-eight hours, as it was
to be occupied by Federal officers. An
old friend of the family, DR.. Mercer, who
was well acquainted with Gen. Butler, went
TO him to demonstrate against such a proceed
ing and to explain the condition of Mrs.
Beauregards health. Gen. Butler at once
countermanded the order, which, he said, had
been given without his approval. Moreover,
he sent a guard to protect the house from
further intrusion, but the ladies requested the
guard to be withdrawn. which was done.
1.-THE war progressed with variable results,
while Mrs. Beauregard's health became worse
and worse. At last, in the early spring of
1874 n harama aviIant IN har phucician and
her family that she had not long to
live. Our good old friend, DIR. Mercer,
again went to Gen Butler to know if there
were no possibility of my seeing once more
the tender and loving wife from whom l had
boon so suddenly and long separated. He
Immediately turned to his desk, and with his
characteristic pr%omptness wrote an uncon-
ditional pass, which authorized me to enter
his lines and to come to New Orleans, where
l could remain unmolested as long as circum-
stances required my presence there. That
was a noble act, for which l shall ever be
grateful. 1t is doubtful, in my mind,
whether many officers of the United States
service would have boon willing to assume
such a responsibility without first referring
the matter to tho war department at Wash
ington-
When I received the pass Charleston was
Threatened with another serious attack, and
Gen. Seymour, of the United States army,
was about to leave Jacksonville, Ala, on an
expedition across north Florida, thence to
the gulf Of Mexico, aud was organizing a
force to check his march, which was done
shortly after by Gems. F~innigan and Colquitt,
at the battle of Olustee or Ocean Pond. 1
was thus placed in the painful dilemma of
selecting between my duty as a commander
and my affection as n husband. l declined
the pass so generously rendered.
1.-TWO weeks after while with my troops in
front of jacksonville, in which Gen. Seymour
had retreated after his defeat, l received, and
read by the dismal light Of a campfire, the
news of the death of one W bomI loved dearer
than life. We had been married less than
one year when we parted, and I never saw
her again.