NYTimes Charles Blow Opinion

[Steve]

(09-10-2023 02:39 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  I also agree that Lincoln's life was an exercise in growth and continued search for understanding, but if one accepts Benjamin Butler (not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination), then Lincoln didn't live long enough to realize the mistake that colonization would have been, both politically and most important, morally.

So I looked into Butler's story and after looking at contemporary newspaper accounts, I believe he did have discussions about colonization with Lincoln. But those conversations occurred on meetings that happened on June 27, 1863 and June 30, 1863; not in April 1865 as he remembered two decades later.

The 27 June 1863 meeting is mentioned in this article from page 1 of the 30 June 1863 edition of the Boston Traveler:



The 30 June 1863 meeting is discussed in this article from page 7 of the 01 July 1863 edition of the New York Herald:



In his autobiography, Butler himself says colonization was discussed with Lincoln in what he calls his spring 1863 meeting with Lincoln (summer actually started 6 days earlier). There were two meetings a few days apart like he describes, but as far as anybody has been able to determine, Butler only had one known meeting with Lincoln in April 1865, on April 11th.

For the context of the June 1863 meetings, Lincoln and his cabinet had been discussing yet another freedman colonization proposal, that of setting up a colony with British Honduras (present day Belize). Here's an article from page 4 of the 24 April 1863 edition of the Baltimore Sun with some background information:



This article from page 4 of the 18 May 1863 edition of the New York Tribune describes the contentious cabinet debate about the project:



And just two weeks before his two meetings with Butler, Lincoln signed off on this memorandum signed by James Mitchell:

Emigration Office

Washington D.C. June 11th, 1863

John Hodge of London, and S. R. Dickson, agents of the British Colonies of Honduras and Guiana, are here in accordance with the well settled policy of the United States, to aid such free persons of color as desire to remove to their colonies. We, therefore, recommend all parties and persons having the direction or charge of such, to present no hindrance to them or their agents in the work of canvassing for emigrants, but to render them and their regularly appointed agents, all the aid possible in this work.

James Mitchell
Commissioner of Emigration

(Which was given an endorsement by Lincoln two days later- )

I approve the within. A. LINCOLN. June 13, 1863.

Page 5 of the 10 Sept. 1863 edition of the New York Observer contains an 19 August letter from Mitchell to the Observer about the progress (or lack thereof) of the British Honduras scheme:



I wonder why the letter took nearly a month to show up in print? Anyway, despite Mitchell's positive outlook, the colonization scheme never happened or even received any of the colonization money appropriated by Congress.

[Rob Wick]

Very interesting, Steve. Thanks for sharing.

Honestly, I never have had much faith in the word of Butler. But, of course, even a broken clock is right twice a day, so it's possible that what Butler described may have happened, even though Steve's articles make that seem unlikely.

Just as an aside. I'm currently writing about Tarbell seeing Anna Dickinson speak on the stage in Titusville. Tarbell would write briefly about Dickinson when Tarbell was with the American Magazine and corresponded with her. In looking over a biography of Dickinson that I have, I noticed that Dickinson had a very interesting potential suitor whose affection would remain unrequited--one Benjamin Butler.

Best
Rob

[Gene C]

(09-14-2023 12:11 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  I noticed that Dickinson had a very interesting potential suitor whose affection would remain unrequited--one Benjamin Butler.

I can understand that, noticed that Butler was about 24 years older than Annie Dickinson
(not to be confused with Angie)

this reminds me of a song - Young Girl by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqoXNmpa80s
(gotta love that album cover)