Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-01-25
-.
GENERAL BUFFERS EscUTcH.
EoN CLEARED.


published in the Richmond Journal
and thereby assisting in rendering
Justice TO a man who was evidently
much maligned:
Evidently, the esteemed Alexandra
Gazette has not examined the inter-
esting documentary evidence wnlch
Colonel George Harvey publishes III
the current issue Of the North .Amerl-
can Review. Reading it should con-
vince any open mind of the unfair
onus Sc long resting upon General
BENJAMIN F. Butler in regard to a
certain spoon episode alleged to have
been connected with his military adj
ministration OF New Orleans. 1t will
be recalled that General Butler was
charged with appropriating silver
ware belonging to a private citizen,
and that he carried the plate away
! with him when he was ordered north.
| II has remained for Mr. William
Dana Orcutt TO deal this legend It's
.coup de grace in the January num-
Der of Colonel Harvey's sprightly ms
| yazinc, and, we hope, after the editor
| If the Alexandria Gazette has read
he article, he will hasten to make
| he amende honorable, since III re-
| cent issue Of HIS paper ne reprinted
| The stock story. Mr.. circuit tells how
| he opportunity came to him 70
:peruse and study the mass OF But
| er's unpublished private and official
! correspondence" and it was after he
,ad done so that he found his pre-
! conceived notions of the general 20
! lave been ill-fomded: that the his
| .orian, james Ford Rhodes, had done
| The Massachusetts federal officer 9
! rross injustice in pronounc'ng him 4
| reneral without capacity, man
without character"
Here are the facts: August 8, 1867,
!, Mrs. Ferguson, furnished with q
military pass, was arrested, because
y her posssssion were found contra
| and articles, among them ioI OF
;ilverware. the property Of 81 VII
eneuve, a French citizen. Sac was
. arriving them 10 a Mr.. ellis wno,
,avinr proved his loyalty, Mrs. Fer
! ,uson was released after severai days
md given an order for the property
aiken from her. All her personal e.
:ects were restored. but their custo-
liam. Colonel Stafford, retained me
bundle OF silverwarc. These Iact-'
yere put before General Butter, in a
| atter written by Mr.. Villcncuve. lie
.eceived it Just as he was turning
,vcr his New Orleans command 20
General Banks, hence he declined 20
reat with the owner Of the SllV2f,
vbo thcreupon bombardcd the new
'ctcral commander, repeating ms
tory. General Banks appears to nave
,cen unresponsive, which caused vi!-
aneuve to apply to the military go7-
unor for redress Governor ShepiSy
vcnt through motions. His sccresaty
! wrote To Colonel Stafford. Of the First
| Regiment. Louisiana Native Gua."s,
I or an explanation. lie replied That
he circumstances had been lad DC
-ora the commanding general. The
military secretary TO the goVefh2!
hercupon endorsed on his original
ettcr: Colonel Stafford says thai
he silycrwarc was delivered 10 MI.
field. the financial agent Of Major
General Butler" This determined u.
Iillcncuve to lay his case before the
French government. with q view g
,ccovcring the value Of his plate
which he placed at two hundred DOL
ars. He wrote to The Frcncn cons@i,
vho wrote to the secretary OF stale
ut Washington.
! Mr.. Seward referred The claim 10
Secretary of War Stanton, who re-
referred it TO Major General Bark:
Tor investigation. The gulf depar.-
ncnt commander turned the matter
over 10 the provost marshal general,
iwho tried to get on the trail OF Got
mel Stafford and General Buffers
financial clerk. Mr.. Field. But the
acting ouarteimaster, Captain Jcnn
". Mcclure, into whose hands, 1t
:ranspired. the silver went, was rcac.!-
I'd and ne stated that me had nerc!
received the valuaoies. ALI this,
through various stuges. was rcporte"
ihacE TO the secretary OF war. WHo
asked General Butler If he could %
ate Mr.. Field To which shc general.
| then at Fortress Monroe, replied, il
1art. that ne held McClurc,s receipt
+! for The silver and i the acting quar-
| crmastcr had not accounted for II
Sas because he HIS cmbczzIcd tac
| same" Fields sworn affidavit, to The
afTcc: that he had delivered the plate
} 10 Mcclure. was forwarded TO the WIZ
secretary and q public vindication
asked OF the unjust charges. Sccra-
tary Stanton. while admitting that
The report vas entirely s;ttiaac-
tory" denied TIE rcqucSt--hc did not
deem II .cxpcdicnt" = wFcreupon
Clerk Field was dispatched by Gen
cral Butler TO Ncw Orleans, "hers
ne saw Mcclure, who admitted--since
Field had his reccipt--that he hac
sold tho silrcrwarc. and had "accouhJ-
! Cd" for il. Al this took seventeen
months 10 accomplish. Meanwhile.
/ the SPOON story" rev Ill The telling
and IS held against General iSutler
| 10 This dag. wholly unfairly, o. shoTT1.
! As one Of The generals nieccs IS 4