Huntsville gazette., 1893-01-14

GENERAL B. r. BUTLER.
friends and altogether unexpected.
His death was the result Of an attack
Of pneumonia.
Soon after midnight his coiored body
servant, West, who slept in an adjoin-
ing room, heard him coughing Violent
". He went to the generals room and
found that he had gone to the bath
room adjoining He followed him there
and offered assistance.
The general mentioned that his ex-
pectoratlon had been discolored with
blood, but did not appear to think seri-
ously Of the matter.
West assisted him to bed, and he ap-
parently went to sleep.
He soon after died.
He was born at Deerfeld, n a., Nov.
s, 1918; was graduated from the Baptist
college at Waterville, Me-, in 1888, and
was in no long time admitted to prac-
tice at the bar; was married In 1643 to
Miss Hildreth, and became general Of
Massachusetts, militia in 1850.
Bu,ler's Military Career.
It was in his capacity as m officer Of
the Massachusetts, militia that he enter
ed the service Of the United States,
April IS, 1861. On the 10th he started
for Washington, and his experience at
Annapolis, Nd, from which his troops
repaired the railway and locomotives
and ran the latter, was one Of the most
interesting and encouraging incidents
Of the time.
Can you repair this enginer' he asked
Of Private Charles Hoinans, Of the En-
glish Massachusetts.
II guess so," was the Yaekee reply,
'for helped make it,"
Calling to his aid other machinists
who had worked in the same shop, they
soon had the locomotive in running or
der, and Buffers command entered
Washington on the 25th, exciting an
enthusiasm Of which no idea can be
conveyed in words.
May IS, 1881, he took possession of
Baltimore, finding the late turbulent
city as quiet as Lowell, and three days
later he was commissioned major gene
raj Of volunteers commanding the de-
partment Of eastern Virginia, with
headquarters at Fortress Monroe. There
he issued the famous order, or decision,
that ''as slaves are property in Virginia,
fugitive slaves who enter our lines are
contraband Of war;" and many year
passed before the freedmen ceased to be
called ..contrabands. The first move
ment ordered by him resulted in the
repulse at Big Bethel, which at that
time was thought great disaster; but
he soon regained prestige by aiding in
the capture Of Forts Hatteras and Clark,
on the coast Of North Carolina
March 20, 1852, the so-called Butler
expedition" reached and took possession
of Ship island; April II started up the
Mississippi, and May took formal pos
session of New Orleans. For the next
twenty months General Butler was the
most talked about and most hated man
in America. He has undoubtedly been
threatened with sudden death oftener
than any other man in the world, ex-
cept the czar of Russia, but verified the
problem by Living long.
His first important act was to seize
$e00, 900. which had been deposited in
the Office of the Dutch consul, on the
ground that it was for Confederate uses
With this and money subsequently OBJ
tanned by "asking banks and merchants
for an amount equal to what they had
subscribed for the Confederacy, he fed
and provided for the poor Of the city
and paid for administering the local
government On the 10Th Of May he
Issued the famous "Order 90" known as
the Woman Order" to the effect that
"any female who shall by word, gesture
or movement insult or show contempt
for any officer or soldier Of the United
States, shall be regarded and held liable
to be treated as woman of the town
plying her vocation
Another order (No. 27) commanded
the pastors to keep their churches open,
and forbade "a day of fasting and
prayer for one jefferson Davis" On
the 7th Of June William Munford was
hanged for having torn down the Amer
ican flag from its place ON the mint.
That act was done in the interval be-
tween the entrance OF the squad who
raised the flag and the final occupation
Of the city, on which account its legali-
ty was and still is questioned. For
these and other acts Jefferson Davis Of
fered reward for Buffers capture.
Dec. f6. 1862, he was recalled, and he
always believed it was at the instiga-
ton Of Louis Napoleon. Late in 1853
he was placed in command of the coas:
division Of Virginia and North Carolina
his command being afterward designa
ted as the Army of the James, II
was in this era that he devised the IA
nous Dutch Gap canal. General But
Ter had made an advance toward the
Richmond ana Petersburg railway. had
been repulsed at Drswry's bluif. anil
after another attempted advance ha
taken position in the peninsula besweer
the James and ths Appomattox.