Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[216] been done in a single instance, my men are to be attacked by poison, or as in another, stricken down by the assassin's knife, and thus murdered, the community using such weapons may be required to be taught that it holds within its own border a more potent means for deadly purposes and indiscriminate slaughter than any which it can administer to us.

Trusting that these views may meet your excellency's approval, I have the honor to be,

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Benj. F. Butler.

I have not one word, or one letter, to alter or change in the communication I then wrote. The only argument attempted to be set up against my position was by one of Governor Andrew's staff officers, that I had no right to use Massachusetts troops, which I was ordered to take directly to Washington, for the purpose of putting down a servile insurrection, entirely ignoring the fact that the servile insurrection was placed before me in a loyal State as a reason for opposing my being allowed to land in that loyal State. I was to be opposed in my march because the people of an always loyal State believed I was landing on its soil, not with the intent of going to the defence of the capital, but for the purpose of aiding their slaves in a servile war. That fear being withdrawn, neither my troops nor any other of the United States forces met the least opposition from the people of that State in their march to Washington.

The only notice that I took thereafter of this question was when it appeared that Governor Andrew had so dealt with his own letter that injurious comments were published in the newspapers upon this action and his reprimand, before I had made my reply to it. I published both letters in self-defence,--one such article issued in the New York Tribune of May 4, 1861.