The National tribune., 1889-05-09
The Hero Of Nem Orleans.

In making an address to the Butler Club, at
Boston, Mass, Wednesday, May l, Gen. b. t.
Butler, after giving a graphic account of the
feet under the command of Admiral Farragut
III the operations for the reduction of New Or
leans La, said: " | have taken some minutes
Of your time to renew your remembrance of
this glorious victory of Farragut aud his brave
officers and sailors-heroes all, save one, high
officer, who ran away. So the exception proves
the rule-so that, by the testimony of an eye
witness then within some 600 yards of the fort
when the Hartford passed it, and who saw the
facts as l have described them, it may be fixed
who was the sole hero Of the capture of New
Orleans and should be so recognized for all time
and by ali men. For myself claim only that
1 held, preserved and governed that city ia
such way and manner as history has settled,
/ for good or i'll theme which, for every rea-
/ son, l cannot discuss here and now.9
/ Gen Butler has since said that Admiral Por-
ter was the officer he alluded to in his speech,
and that at the time the forts were passed by
Farragut he (Butler) was following him closely
where he could see all the movements: that he
was well up the river on the Saxon, his head
/ quarters boat, watching the progress of the
4 fight. Porter was III command of the mortar
J fotiila and was ordered TO lombard the water
/ batteries below Fort jackson after Farragut
/ had passed up. Farragut got well by the forts
before sunrise, and it was nearly o'clock
when the Porter incident above alluded to hap
pened.
Gen. Butler said his army was nearly 30
miles down the river on transports. About
the time mentioned the army on the transports
saw Porter's whole feet come rushing down
/ the river pell-mell, and went to sea. When
Porter rushed by the troops he called out:
The rebels are coming down the river; get
out Of here as fast as you can" He came back
the next day.
When Gen. Butler was asked if the rebels
were actually coming down the river he re-
/ piled that they could not come, as the only
thing they had was the pondrous dry-dock
Louisiana which was t0wed by tugs, and could
not be used as a water battery, having no ma
chinery in her. What scared Porter was the
fact that the rebels transferred some heavy
ordnance from the forts to the Louisiana, and
| he thought she was coming down upon his
/ fleet and consequently he ran away.
| 1t seems that the ill-feeling between Butler
and Porter dates from 1864 when Porter ac-
/ cuses Butler of not supporting with his land
/ force Porter's naval operations against Fort
| Fisher.
Admiral Porter is inclined to look upon Gen
Buffers utteranees as huge joke and could
| hardly be induced to regard the matter seri-
ously.
And so Gen. Butler has been saying things
about me, the Admiral said when interviewed
on the subject. well, what if be has. l shall
not take any notice of it, He knows what
! think Of him. / have said time aud time again
! that he is a coward and worse | never minced
matters about it, and I suppose that now he
wants to get even with me IN his old age Well,
he can go ahead and say what he pleases If he
should charge me with being murderer and
say that he saw me in the act nobody would
! believe him."
/ But he says you ran away"
ooh. be does does he? Well, let him say so.
He can say all sorts Of things and | won't care
/ Give him enough rope and he VIII hang him
SELF
- have in my possession letter written
/ TO me by Gideon Hel!es, after the capture of
the fort, thanking me for my efforts and say
/ ing that but for my exertions Admiral Farra-
gut could not have captured New Orleans
/ don't want any stronger praise than Secretary
/ Welies gave me III that letter. l ran away did
j? Those who were there will not say so, If I
remember Alright" said the Admiral, laugh
ingly. . was IN the front of the fight Peo-
pie who run away don't get to be the head of
the Navy. There were three officers who were
| censured by Earragut two of them uniustly.
The other one has never. to my knowledge,
satisfactorily explained his conduct.
. ] supposed Butler meant him, but you say
he referred TO me. Well, well, well! 1t don't
trouble me one bit People who will believe
what Butler says must set history aside and I
haven't the slightest regard for their opinions
Father (threateningly)- I've great mind to
thrash you!
Little son-Take man of yer size. Take
ma!
Father trembles at the thought and sits
down.