The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-11
HIS REMARKABLE CAREER.
One of the Most Wonderful Men of His
Century.

OSntuTN.
Benjamin Franklin Batles was born at
Deerficld. \. H., December g. 1918. He was
graduated at Watervlle College in 1888,
admitted 10 the bar two years later, and in
1871 began the practice of law at Lowell.
Mass.
AT an early age he evinced lively inter
est in politics on the Democratic side, and
in 1853 he was elected a member of the Mas
sachusetts House of preseDtatives. In
1859 he was elected to the Senate. He was
a delegate 10 the Democratic National Con-
vention which met at Charleston. After
taking part in The opening debates and
votes Butler announced that majority of
the delegates from Massachusetts would
not further participate in the deliberations
of the convention on the ground that there
had been a withdrawal in part OF the ma
jority of the States.
BE also said: II will not sit longer in
this convention on the further ground that
/ would not sit in convention where the
African slave trade, which is piracy by the
laws of my country, is approvlngly adyO-
Gated"
He was nominated that year for Governor
OF Massachusetts, on the Democratic ticket,
but was defeated. He was brsadier-geD-
eral in the State militia when President
Lincoln issued his call for troops in April.
1861, and on the 18th Of that month he
marched to Annapolis with the Eighth
Massachusetts regiment and was placed In
command of the district of Annapolis, in
which the city OF Baltimore was Included.
On May 13 1861, Butler at the head Of
900 men entered Baltimore without opposi-
ton, and three days later he was made
major general and assigned to the command
of Fort Monroe and the Department of
Eastern Virg inia. While he was stationed
there TIE masters of some slaves who had
come within his lines demanded that their
property be given up. but the general re-
fused TO deliver them on the ground that
they were contraband OF war. From
this Circumstance arose the designation of
contrabands, which was generally applied
to slaves during the war.
On August, 1861, Butler captured Forts
Hatieras aud Clark on the coast OF North
Carolina, after which he returned to Massa-
chusetts to recruit an expedition for the
Gulf Of Mexico and the Mississippi.
The expedition reached Ship Island on
March %. 1862, and on April II went up the
Mississippi River. After Farragut had vir-
tually captured New Orleans, General But
Ter took possession of the city.
The generals government OF New Or
leans was a very vigorous one. He armed
the free eolored men, Instituted strict sanI-
tary regulations and compelled rich seces-
sionlsts to contribute to the support Of the
poor OF the city. His course in hanging
William Mumford for hauling down the
United States flag from the mint, and in
Issuing ''0rder No. 28," intended to prevent
women from insulting Union soldiers, ex-
cited much comment and adverse criticism,
not only in the South but In the Northern
States.
This feeling eliminated IL declaration
issued by Jefferson Davis denouncing But
Ter as an outlaw. On May 10. 1862, General
Butler seized $4,000 which had been de-
posted in the offics OF the Dutch Consul,
claiming that the money was to be used 10
purchase arms and ammunition for the
Confederate army. All the foreign Consuls
protested against this action on the part OF
Butler, but he remained firm and refused to
give back the money. but he was finally
ordered 10 do so.
On December 16 General Butler was re-
called at the instlgatlon, as he believed, OF
Louis Napoleon, who thought that he was
antagonistic to his Mexican schemes.
He was placed In command OF the depart
ment OF Virginia and North Carolina In