Benjamin Franklin Butler: a Noisy, Fearless Life

[Tom Bogar]

Just finished, and want to recommend, Elizabeth D. Leonard’s new biography, Benjamin Franklin Butler: a Noisy, Fearless Life. It’s exceptionally well-researched, and is neither a hagiography nor a denunciation of this oft-maligned general and (we sometimes forget) politician. It puts into proper perspective, for instance, that his time in New Orleans was only about six months, and the local population was so hostile that he needed to be somewhat oppressive, to protect his troops and local freedmen. It also lays out reasons why his failures in two minor Civil War battles might not have been totally his fault. The author also emphasizes, and documents, Butler’s lifelong dedication to bettering the plight of the poor and downtrodden, of any race. Very readable, too, and (rare, these days) actually free from typos, as far as I could see. A few paragraphs are a bit wordy in their documentation with supporting quotations, but you can easily skim these.