BENJAMIN F. BUTLER - AUTOGRAPH LETTER DOUBLE SIGNED 02/24/1889

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BENJAMIN F. BUTLER - AUTOGRAPH LETTER DOUBLE SIGNED 02/24/1889:
$1000.00

HistoryForSaletm Autographs & ManuscriptsMake an Offer Today and Get a Quick Response!Take a Look at this Week\'s Specials!MAJOR GENERAL BENJAMIN F. BUTLER - AUTOGRAPH LETTER DOUBLE SIGNED 02/24/1889 - HFSID 3856GENERAL BENJAMIN F. BUTLER
Union Civil War General Benjamin F. Butler wrote this long letter to his law partner Oliver D. Barrett in 1889 regarding a case brought by Samuel Strong and about his house being \"possessed\" on Inauguration Day.
Autograph letter signed \"Benj F Butler\" and, in postscript, \"B F B.\". 6 pages, 5¾x8¾, 3 folded sheets, front and verso. Written in \"Lovell\", Feb. 24, 1889. In full: \"Dear Mr Barrett Your somewhat ex trordinary letter reached me last evening; as I shall not see Mr Majors till tomorrow I hasten to reply to it in my own poor writing. - 1 thank you for your labors in the Strong case. They seem to be well done from the tendering of the brief But as you were in the case I do not see how you could well do otherwise Your telegram informs me you were unsuccessful on the main point into the enjoining the Secretary or or [sic] Treasurer. Strong is enjoined but how does that affect his legionary assignees? A receiver is to be appointed If the Court has no juris-diction over the U.S. (?) officers to enjoin them what power has it to require them to pay the money to its officers the receivers? Why has not the District Agent, pay and the assignees of Strong who have not come into Court, take all the funds before the receivers are appointed I am curious on these points. 2. As to the House I had a Janitor a Colored man acting under your orders; as you kindly said you would look after the property for you you [sic] applied to me to have the house \'possessed\' on inauguration day At first I yielded to your advice but upon further thought I saw that opening the house at all would of necessity fill it that there would be nobody there to guard it, and that every movable thing would be stolen even the books of the Congress ional [sic] Committee and great damage would be done and I ought not to be called upon to suffer that additional loss. I had offered the house to the public use at a reasonable rate for years and it had been refused The committee\'s terms expired with them March 4 3 and why should I not have my house then specially as the Committees did too? With those views I was about to direct this to be done. To relieve you from all responsibility of this matter I gave orders so that I might take all the blame and responsibility on myself. You Showing that no discretion had been left you. I did this as an act of kindness . To this you take offence and tell me about your friends in the House whom you will not offend. I tried you should offend nobody. You say you and your friends will not guard the House on that day That leaves my House without protection - Be it So. I will try to come on and take care of it. 3 You say I have not sent $500 dollars for you to go to Las Vegas That you are in debt there-that ought to be paid I will send tomorrow a check for that sum and would advise (not order) you To start at once. That will relieve you from the charge of \'offending your friends\' on the inauguration day because they and the General public cannot inaugurate my property by occupying it. Please telegraph me when you start so that at all hazards I can be in Washington, as soon as you go, to Care of my interests. 5. I asked you to make the address of Elkins in the Case of Law Compare limits because I understood you to say that as you drew the [illegible] in same case substantially in New York you could do it better but I did understand that anything was wanted from Las Vegas. Will you leave me \'orders\' or directions what to do in that case when you go. 6 If you will be so kind as to Sell me in the same way any other interest on case which you think should be at once looked to You will add another much esteem favor to yours truly (signature) P.S. If I have failed to reply to any thing in your esteem favor to Your truly,\" Postscript: \"P. S. If I have failed to reply to any thing in your esteem of the 22d I will hope not to fail to so do when in my next I have an answer\". OLIVER D. BARRETT (c. 1826-1901) was Butler\'s law partner for over 20 years. He was lead counsel in a case brought by Samuel Strong against the District of Columbia Board of Public Works over a contract to build a sewer at Boundary Street. Barrett was also had control of Butler\'s estate after his death. A well-known lawyer and political leader and a Brigadier General of the Massachusetts militia, Butler (1818-1893) entered the Civil War in a dramatic way. Leading the 8th Massachusetts, he broke the blockade of Washington five days after the bombardment of Ft. Sumter. President Abraham Lincoln rewarded him with an appointment as the first volunteer Major General. Butler was appointed Military Governor of New Orleans in May of 1862, but he served only until December, earning the sobriquet \"Beast Butler\" from angry Southerners. He returned to combat duty with command of the Army of the James in 1863. He proved to be inept against General P.G.T. Beauregard at the Battle at Bermuda Hundred (May 16, 1864), and Grant sent him to New York. Butler resigned his commission in January of 1865. He was a member of the House of Representatives (1867-1875, 1877-1879), where he played a prominent part in the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. He changed political parties several times, and was elected Massachusetts\' Democratic Governor (1882-1884). In 1884, Butler, who advocated an eight-hour workday, ran unsuccessfully for president on an anti-monopoly platform. Lightly toned and creased. Signature and body of letter have bled lightly in places and are lightly smudged, but are legible. Light tear in right edge of page 1. Paper clip impression at top edge, with rust stains on page 1. Lightly rounded corners. Folded once vertically and twice horizontally and unfolded. Encapsulated in Mylar. Not examined outside of encapsulation.See more material from these signers:MAJOR GENERAL BENJAMIN F. BUTLER See more listings in our MILITARY (2,442) category.
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