The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-10

bottle, bar glass pnQ u CODY 0tth King
wood paper dated April /, 1859, annolnc-
Jug the election Of George Washington.
The Buusr.PorIsr War,
Chicago Tribune,
Cheerful war "reminiscences these which |
Ben Butler and Admiral Porter ura rak-
ing up, and how quick the bluff old tel.
lows drop the main question and fall
foul Of each .aerl On the one hand we
are assured that Porter is q coward, and |
on the other that Butler was drunk, and |
on each side alarming threats are given |
out that they will tell all sorts Of scan.
dalOus stories about each other--Hfl
through the coming heated term. But,
ler's specific charge is that Porter on
the morning when Farragut passed the
forts, and shortly after that time, came
rushing down the river with his hotilla
crying "phe Rebels are coming down,
get ont Of here as fast as you can" and
left the army It's fate, and that he came
back again the next day when no found
there Waauo one alter him. Butlermakes
his charge in specific way, and oilers TO
confirm II by the officers oftheland forces
who heard Porter's warning aud saw
his retreat. Farragnt passed the forts
about 4 o'clock. The Porter incident
took place Mt Z o'clock the same morn
ing, The forts themselves did not sur
render for several days afterwards, Por-
ter in reply quotes from ex.Secretary
Wellcs, Admiral FaFragut, and the
Rebel Col, Higgins, who was in com.
mand oil the forts, to prove that he pelt-
ed them vigorously before and while the
fleet was passing, and that he played q
conspicuous partin forcing theif surren-
der, Even Butler himself does not deny
this, but he Justly complains that Porter
does not answer the charge that he ran
away that day after he had done the
Smelling with his mortar fotilla and
came back the next, That Is the core Of
the controversy, but We shall probably
never know the real truth, for the two
old fellows are already getting clear away
from their bearings and accusing each
Other OF lying, drunkenness, and various
other olenses, Admiral Porter says;
1.-THE forts surrendered to me, and But
Ter knows it, His position is untenable,
and he never would have attacked me
had he been sober. That speech OF his
was u drunken speech, you know. Ill
give him enough Of reply, however.
I'll fire it at him for the next three
weeks, and then he will let me alone for
five years, shall not hear any more
from him during my lifetime, for ! don't
EXPECT to live another five years."
From this it will be aeep that the fast
approaching summer Is mos likely TO be
a dull ono, particularly II Butler holds
the Admiral strictly down to his specific
charge aud insists upon his giving a cat
egorical answer.
ApropOs OF the quarrel, Col. Q. NJ.
Whelden, who was Lieutenant, Colonel
OF the Thirty-ATst Massachusetts, at the
time, and went TO New Orleans with
Butler, declares in an interview that
there was an officer connected with
the navy who ran away, but he Is not
prepared 10 say 1t was Porter. The fol-
lowing extract from his interview, how
ever, throws some light upon the causes
OF the III feeling between the two old
gentlemen:
EDO you remember any controversy
at headquarters at the time, or any sub
sequent time, about Porter's running
awayW
"As ] understand II Porter was not
willing 10 give Butler any Of the credit
Tor capturing the forts. He claimed
that the capture was due TO Farragut
and himself"
"Do you believe that Butler had any
thing to do with the capturePo
Certainly, l believe that Butler had
much 10 do about the capture OF the
forts, for when the Rebs in Fort st.
Philip found that Buffers men were be.
ing landed above them they mutlnied
oil their officer and refused to fight, and
soon after that the flag was hauled
down." Z.
Up to the present time Admiral Porter
is cleprahead in the way Of vituperation,
though Ben has not yet had time to
steam up. When he does the fur will
fly. The bluff old Admiral thus lar has
observed that Ben is a foul old bird, q
military fraud, an imbecle fond OF
liquor aud rich food and addicted to
maudlin fits, an old hummer, lniauser
OF public money, u deirauder Of soldiers,
and an incorrigiblp old scamp. He also
alleges that Butler sent fourteen boxes
OF silver which was distributed among
his friends in Lowell, and remarks that
after death some one should get Buffers
skin, stuff it, and pass him round at six
pence a sight; and then, like Mr. Wegg,
he drops into poetry:
Ills namo "a soldier was lar below zero,
And he went 10 tho North and p0Eod A. horo.
Meanwhile Ben contents himself with
the declaration that II Porter will say he
did not on the day that Farragut passed
the lorts steam down the river with his
flotilla and put TO sea, he will provo him
a liar by the documents. II isa pretty
fight as 1t stands, and whether the
Admiral answers the specific charge or
not there is going to be heaps Of fun for
the outsiders.