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

Thus matters remained until Seward sent that secession spy and agent, Reverdy Johnson, to New Orleans; and then the French consul asked for a pass to go to Washington and came back with an order on me to release him from his promises. Of course I obeyed orders.

Shortly prior to Nov. 13, 1862, I was informed that our minister at Brussels had written to the State Department that the Confederate agents in Europe were embarrassed by the non-arrival of a large amount of coin from New Orleans, and that the purveyors of cloth could not be paid. One of these was the commissary-general of the French army, who sold the cloth from the army stores of the emperor to the rebels. “But,” the minister added, “assurances are now given that the money is in the hands of the French consul, and will be shortly received.”

This accusation the Secretary of War directed me to investigate, and I did so con amore. I caught the firm of Gautherin & Co., which did the business, and seized its books. I sent for the French consul and asked him if he knew anything of any such transaction, and he assured me on his word and honor that he never had any knowledge of it, and he knew no more than that there was a firm by that name in New Orleans.

I caught the chief book-keeper of Gautherin & Co., and he confessed all. He even produced for me the books, showing that the gold, rising eight hundred thousand dollars, had been in the hands of the French consul before I came. The consul had been paid by Gautherin & Co., certain sums in gold as part of the expenses of the undertaking; and a very considerable amount of gold had been paid the consul's wife in order “to make the affair go off well,” as appeared on the books. I also was enabled to get evidence of a receipt given by the consul for the money, and full evidence that the money had been lately sent away to pay for this clothing of the Confederate army; and that there was a large amount waiting in Havana, which could not be delivered until the first was paid for, and then it was immediately to be sent to Texas and be delivered to the Confederate quartermaster.

I reported all this to my government, and they demanded the exequatur of Mejan, and he was recalled by his government.

I learned afterwards that Napoleon required that I be recalled from New Orleans. It was done. Under the cowardly and unjust