Lot 228 email save

Includes Butler's Famous "Woman's Order"

Sign In to see what this sold for

General Orders from the Headquarters Department of the Gulf, issued by Major-General B.F. Butler, 1862 to the Present Time, a series of 77 general orders published after the fall of New Orleans and while General Butler held New Orleans under Martial Law.^tThe General Orders in this booklet clearly document Butler's severe occupation of New Orleans. Most infamous of all Butler's excesses is General Order No. 28 attacking the women of New Orleans, in its' entirety, "As the officers and soldiers of the United States have been subjected to repeated insults from the women (calling themselves ladies of New Orleans) in return for the most scrupulous non-interference and courtesy on our part, it is ordered that hereafter when any female shall, by word or gesture, or movement, insult or show contempt for any officer or soldier of the United States she shall be regarded and held liable to be treated as a woman of the town plying her avocation ( prostitute). Major General Butler." The New Orleans city officials protested this Butler order and were all jailed including the Mayor. Then, General Order No. 36, in which six paroled confederates faced court martial, convicted of parole violations and "shot to death" Butler's occupation caused so much controversy that he was replaced December 1862. Scarce printing, 6" x 9," 36p. lacking wraps, by E.R. Wagner, New Orleans, 1862. (Note, HCA sold similar booklet with wraps, September 2002, $4250.) ^tOn May 1, Union troops marched in to take control of the city, headed by Major-General Benjamin Butler. Historians describe Butler as almost uniformly unsuccessful in battle, but a capable administrator. The mood in the city was one of loathing the occupation and the Yankee troops. Defiant New Orleanians weren't shy about expressing their feelings. Butler, in an attempt to quash any expression of anti-Union sentiment, cracked down on the citizens in a series of abhorrent actions. This earned him the nickname of "The Beast." Under Butler's administration, New Orleans became the spoils of war. The general himself picked up the second nickname of "Spoons" Butler, for his reported habit of stealing valuable silverware. Butler's harsh occupation raised a furor, both in the Confederacy and abroad. President Jefferson Davis issued a death sentence for Butler, ordering him treated as an outlaw and hanged if he were captured.

View Raynors' Historical Collectible Auctions next auction.

Similar lots up for auction