Benjamin Butler lost every battle?

Just for the record......you may find this of interest......
Why the James/Younger Gang ventured so far north from their Missouri homeland to rob the Northfield bank has been the subject of much discussion. Many historians feel the robbery may have been the last battle of the Civil War.
The bank held substantial funds of two men who were despised by southerners, and some think Jesse James was out to settle a score with the Yankees. Adelbert Ames, a member of the Northfield family that owned the Ames Mill, was a former carpetbagger governor of Mississippi. His father-in-law, General Benjamin Butler, was hated for his occupation of New Orleans during the war.

Dern it. Wish I could add something here that was appropos.

It has always interested me that Beast was a democrat, supported Breckenridge (the Southern Choice for President over Lincoln, hell - anybody was the Southern choice over Lincoln) and then volunteered for the Union.
In New Orleans, he confiscated the entire St. Charles hotel for his headquarters, stole $800,000 from the Dutch Consoles offices claiming the money would have been used to aid the Confederacy, he retired (obviously a very wealthy man) from the army in 1864 because he did not get along with Grant, and came back as a Reconstructionist, black-republican in 1867, enthusaistically hating the south and making reconstruction as hard on the south as he could.

While he was the Chief Prosecutor for Johnson's impeachment, he was so sloppy at what he did and how he did it, he probably was the reason Johnson was found innocent.

He was finally elected Governor of Massachusetts in 1882 after running for the office about 6 times, and died in Washington DC. I am certain that he now holds a high position in hell, probably still roasting poor old Confederates over a slow fire...and stealing their money and spoons. A real gentleman, Beast Butler.

I wonder, EWC, if you have picked the best candidate for your eulogizing?

regards all
Oldreb

[mobile_96]

Butler was actually relieved of command, not retired.
Butler had been ordered by Grant to land his forces at Ft Fisher, entrench and lay siege. Instead, he landed about 1/3 of his force, then retired after a reconnaissance, and stranded about 1000 men on the beach, whom Porter had to rescue the next day. When Grant found out about the embarrassing debacle, he wrote Stanton asking that Butler be removed from active duty: "I am constrained to request the removal of General B.F.Butler from command of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina. I do this with reluctance, but the good of the service requires it. In my absence, General Butler necessarily commands, and there is a lack of confidence in his military ability, making him an unsafe commander for a large army. His administration of the affairs of this department is also objectionable" (Grant to Staton, January 4, 1865, OR Vol 46, Pt2, pg 29).
Lincoln no longer needed Butler and on Jan. 7,1865, relieved him of command.
Butler was then called to appear before the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War to plead his case. During the same time, Grant sent Maj.Gen.Alfred H.Terry with a 2nd force from the Army of the James to coperate with Porter in subduing Ft. Fisher. While Butler was blaming Porter for the defeat and claiming that the fortress could not be taken without a prolonged siege, a newsboy came into the committee chambers shouting "Fort Fisher done took." Butler looked foolish but his tainted report was allowed to stand because of his standing with the Radical Republicians.
A good question is....Why did Lincoln no longer need Butler.

10th Ala. Inf., 7th Vir.Inf.,47th Vir.Inf,6th Vir. Cav. Gettysburg July,1863

Abraham Lincoln decided he wanted Butler as his running mate in the 1864 presidential election. It was argued that this would help Lincoln win the votes of the War Democrats. Simon Cameron was sent to talk to Butler about joining the campaign. However, Butler rejected the offer, jokingly saying that he would only accept if Lincoln promised "that within three months after his inauguration he would die".

[mobile_96]

Ron, not heard about the promise. A good one.
I also heard in another group, that even without Butler as a running mate, he could, and did, help pull in a lot of votes because of all his connections.

10th Ala.Inf., 7th Vir.Inf., 47th Vir.Inf,
6th Vir. Cav. Gettysburg July,1863

[gary]

One of Grant's concern was that something should happen to him and Butler, being the SENIOR major general in the army would by right ascend to command. Noooooo!

Baldy Smith's assessment of Butler as a military leader is quite accurate. Butler was a capable administrator and when resistance was futile, quite a tiger (Baltimore, New Orleans). His most memorable contribution was his declaring of runaway slaves as "contraband of war" and thereby giving the Union the lawful right to seize/capture/liberate slaves. To his credit, Butler did his best to exchange prisoners to relieve the suffering of Union troops in Confederate PoW camps. Butler was a shrewd politician, a great lawyer, but no military general by any stretch of the imagination.