The National tribune., 1893-02-02


GEN. B. f BUTLER.
attributed TO the General. The paternity of it
belongs to Capt Grier Tallmadge, the able and
| experienced Quartermaster of the Fort who
fed the fugitives at his own risk days before
Gen. Butler knew anything about them, and
! at the first moment urged upon the General the
| Importance of an order declaring the fugtives
contraband of war" as much so as the bat
teries they were constructing in full view of
the Fort. Butler adopted but did not originate
the phrase; nor did he use it officially.
The antagonsm between Butler and the mill
tary authorities at Washington grew and even
tuated in his being ordered home to recruit men
! for the New Orleans expedition an enterprise,
/ when III full progress, that afforded scope for
! his peculiar abilities and placed him at con-
siderable distance from Washington; an expe-
/ dition that depended quite as much on eXecu-
! tive as military skill.
Gen. Butler never qrarreed with Mr.. Lin
/ coin. In fact, Mr. Lincoln never quarreled
with anyone, while Gen. Butler frequently
auarreled with others he could not bring into
| his views
The history of the war; while Butler and
! Grant were on the James River is still I'M
! written in many OF its most important particu-
lars, so far as the relations and the reasons be-
! tween the two men are concerned. Butler
wrote a chapter in his reply to Grants use of
the phrase bottled up" rs descriptive Of But
ler's military operations on the James, but for
reasons not much understood suppressed it,
After that Grant and Butter were friends after
a fashion, but there were enmities that never
were healed. 1t is a story which someone
may sometime relate.
Though Gen. Buffers knowledge of military
science when the war began was not much, yet
he supplied from the universal storehousc Of
his brain some things which, ON occasion, an
swered as a substitute 1t was this lack Of the
knowledge of military science that caused him
to fall short of the fame he otherwise might
have achieved and caused his record to be
marred with faults and failures lie was
never commonplace. The exploit of the
powder-b boat at Fort Fisher Was not success
yet the conception had possibilities which, had
they been realized would have redounded
greatly to his credit. While his methods were
sometimes striking innovations, and though
frequently no. productive of intended results
they possessed that which saved them from the
epithet of ridiculous.
In military sense, Butler and Grant were
as far apart as the poles, yet both were great in
their individuality-the one sure and steadfast
the other almost startling in possibilities
sometimes realizing the full intention, at others
falling far short. 1t cannot be said with posi-
tiveness that Butler would not have ended the
war by putting the rebellion down, but it can be
said he would not have done il as Grant did, by
hard blows and scientific methods. The rebel
lion grew into a tremendous struggle with the
best military skill on both sides. Butler was
never held by Lincoln or Grant to possess the
qualities that fitted him for leadership in such
a struggle. II was in contemplation to assign
him to a mixed military and executive position
in the West when circumstances retained him
In purely military one the James River,
an episode of the war which ii is not now pro-
posed to relate.
Had Grant not possessed the military educa-
ton, skill and experience he did, he would
never have been much more than a common
place man in the war. Butler without these
qualifications was still conspicuous and valua-
bic, though whatever results he achieved will
always be catalogued differently from Grants
achievements. Butler once told Lincoln
he was ready TO surrender his commission.
Lincoln declined to accept il, and for reasons as
far q different as possible from those which led
him to decline similar offer from Grant and
instead confer on him the command of all the
armies, with the promise that bis plans should
not be interfered with. OF Butler it can be
said that in whatever he did or said he studied
the probable effect on himself rs an actor. lie
was always looking into mirror and not likely
to do anything that he did not believe would
win applause for Butler. 1t was n prime idea
with Butler 10 make his enemies fear him. but
he was not unmindful of those things for which
friends would love him.
When Butler set out in 1884 TO compete for
the Presidency, it was with no small hopes that
the chapter of accidents would run in his favor.
For sometime he had catered Systematically
for the labor vote, and ii was his fixed Relief
that once on the track labor candidate, if
he could not get the Democratic nomination,
which be first stroye for, he would carry three
or four States at least, and thus create possibil-
titles for his election to the Presidency either
by the House Of Representatives or by the
inn f he fapfp ri.
desperate as they were, decided Butler to make
the run, with Blaine in the field Oh the one
hand and Cleveland on the other. Before de-
Gliding TO do so he had listened to some extra
ordinary statements by labor leaders 10
the votes that organization wonld cast for him
in certain States. Had he not believed them
Butler would not have run. They were plaus-
| ible, and apparently well authenticated, ard
backed, as they were, by a close secret organ
izaton, at the head of which were men who
convinced him they would surely deliver the
! promised votes, that he consented TO run, and
! set out with a railroad train for those States
that were considered most promising, coached
by labor leaders. 1t was personal canvass,
and the results were Insignificant.
The expense of the campaign was consider.
able, by far the larger part of which Butler
1 paid himself. Before il had proceeded far it
1 began TO prove disappointing, and thenceforth
Bntlers hope was that by polling votes for him
/ self in certain States he would beat Cleveland
/ and elect Blainc-all idea favorable to himself
! having been given up.
1t need not be said that Butler came no.
where near carrying single State. After
wards he declared that in New York several
/ thousand votes cast for him were counted for
Cleveland, and Blaine thus cheated out of the
State and the Presidency, but SO far as is
known the proof of il has not been forthcom-
! ing. 1t was Buffers declaration Also immedi.
ately after the election, that had he not been
prompt to warn bis Massachusetts, supporters
TO tuIn TO Blaine, Cleveland would have won
! that State.