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

As we were cod fishing, we preserved the livers by throwing them into a half hogshead, where the oil was separated by the process of maceration and floated on top. The low temperature prevented anything like offensive decomposition, and when it was very cold, say ten below, I have taken the tin dipper,--and I alone was allowed to do so,--and dipped out the oil and drank with as much relish as I ever drank anything in my life. It was fuel for my stomach furnace. The air, frozen dry in the upper latitudes, restored my lungs, and when I reached home, I had gained some twenty-five pounds in weight. Since that time health and strength of body have never deserted me. I have never been sick in my life to a degree requiring me to spend half a day in bed, except as the result of an accident, so that in the four years of the war, I never lost a day by sickness.

On my return to Lowell, I commenced the study of law in the office of William Smith, Esq., a New Hampshire lawyer of considerable learning. He had the most complete library in the city, and remnants of it, after escaping two fires, are still in my possession. But Mr. Smith had taken for himself an office in Boston, where he attended much more largely to operations in real estate than he did to legal cases, although he had a considerable practice. He went to Boston nearly every morning, coming back at night. He never interfered with my studies or gave any direction concerning them except to reply kindly and carefully to questions asked him. He at first gave me Tucker's edition of Blackstone, and told me to read it carefully, not attempting to commit it to memory, but studying it so as to understand it thoroughly. Then he left me to myself. I did not know how to read Blackstone, but I did that which was the very best way, so far as I can yet see,--I read the text and the notes, and then read the cases cited in the notes as the best means of understanding the text. But this was a very laborious and time-taking method. I also read some of the cases cited in the citation, so that as far as going through the book was concerned, I made but little progress, although I worked very diligently. I used to begin reading at half past 7 o'clock in the morning, stopping at twelve for dinner, beginning again before