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

[575] present at all other points, this army should be reinforced at once by all the disposable troops that the East, and West, and North can furnish. . . .

I would also urgently recommend that the whole of the regular army, old and new, be at once ordered to report here, excepting the mounted batteries actually serving in other departments and the minimum numbers of companies of artillery actually necessary to form the nucleus of the garrisons of our most important permanent works. There should be no delay in carrying out this measure.¹

The regular troops of all countries are always relied upon by those who seek to become dictators and tyrants to enslave the people.

It is incredible that McClellan could have published his treasonable utterances. Although they are private letters, his family has made them the property of the historian.

What a spectacle! A young man not only receiving many letters — that he could not help — but having a great many conversations with those who were urging him to commit the direst wrong that man could contemplate, and he not ninety days from a peaceful home, and, is there any doubt, using his best influence to get a Secretary of War appointed who is advising him to this treason, and who would be by his energy and strength best fitted to make it successful.

Was he in earnest? He says: “I would cheerfully take the dictatorship and agree to lay down my life when the country is saved.” Yet he says in the same letter, with naive simplicity: “I am not spoiled by my unexpected new position.” And this on the 9th day of August, within less than ninety days after he quit the employment of building bridges over railroads, and within fifteen days after he got to Washington, and before he had done a thing or struck a stroke except to get old General Scott out of his way, and in which he succeeded, as we have seen. Not spoiled by his position? A young general who is himself contemplating committing the direst act of treason not spoiled, whose position tempted him to be willing to commit treason when called upon to put down a treasonable rebellion which had then scarcely made head? Not spoiled? Then he must have began as a very bad egg indeed.

He admits that after Stanton became Secretary of War that “instead of using his new position to assist me he threw every obstacle in my way, and did all in his power to create difficulty and distrust ”