VP Beast Butler?

[Don1946]

(10-22-2014 11:34 AM)J. Beckert Wrote:  Butler's repulsive conduct during his occupation of New Orleans alone should have precluded him from holding public office. Or ever taking another breath as a free man again.

Does Benjamin Butler deserve this? More than anyone, his early order to treat escaped slaves seeking refuge with the Union army set the Lincoln administration on the path toward emancipation. His "woman order" in New Orleans was very controversial, to be sure. Some Confederate sympathizers interpreted it as an invitation to the rape of women accused of abusing Union soldiers. But did it actually lead to rape and violence against women in New Orleans or elsewhere? I don't believe so. It seems as though it was effective in curbing abuse of Union troops by women who thought they could act without retribution.
Here is an interesting piece on the Woman Order in the NYT Disunion blog: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/201...the-women/