William Schouler, A history of Massachusetts in the Civil War: Volume 1

[156] rising in rebellion against their masters; and that he offered to Governor Hicks the Eighth Regiment to suppress it, which offer was declined peremptorily by the Governor of Maryland. The rumor had no foundation upon which to rest. Governor Andrew was informed that such an offer had been made, by a despatch from General Butler, written at Annapolis. He regarded it with disfavor, and immediately wrote to the General, expressing his approval of all that he had thus far done, with the exception of this offer to use Massachusetts troops for such a purpose, especially as their first duty was to get to Washington, and protect the national capital from threatened attack. Governor Andrew said,—

I think that the matter of servile insurrection among a community in arms against the Federal Union is no longer to be regarded by our troops in a political, but solely in a military point of view; and is to be contemplated as one of the inherent weaknesses of the enemy, from the disastrous operations of which we are under no obligations of a military character to guard them, in order that they may be enabled to improve the security which our arms would afford, so as to prosecute with more energy their traitorous attacks upon the Federal Government and capital. The mode in which outbreaks are to be considered should depend entirely upon the loyalty or disloyalty of the community in which they occur; and, in the vicinity of Annapolis, I can on this occasion perceive no reason of military policy why a force, summoned to the defence of the Federal Government, at this moment of all others, should be offered to be diverted from its immediate duty, to help rebels, who stand with arms in their hands, obstructing its progress towards the city of Washington. I entertain no doubt, that, whenever we shall have an opportunity to interchange our views personally on this subject, we shall arrive at entire concurrence of opinion.

General Butler, on the 9th of May, wrote a long letter to Governor Andrew, in which he defended his action in offering the Eighth Regiment to suppress a slave insurrection. He began by apologizing for delay in writing; his active official duties pressing him for time, and a slight attack of illness, being his excuses. He acknowledges ‘the more than usual accuracy’ of the despatch received by Governor Andrew, and then proceeds to defend his course. He said, ‘I landed on the soil of Maryland ’