ID 0 II Biographical Wet GEN. WILLIAM 0, B Thelemorratie Candidate for Vi BY.FILANCIS P ULM Is memoirs of i !dividuals of d usual to look bask to their ancest ing is universal ishich prompts us thing of even anordinary acquain interest is fult. , ,,r, It will indulge, t a natural and proper curiosity to subject of this notice by a short family whose striking traits sury remarkably. ..) • General Butler's grandfather, Thomas But ler, was born Oh April. 1720, in Kilkenny, Ireland. He niarried there in 1742. Three of his five sons Who attained manhood, Richard, William, and thorhas, were born abroad.— Pereival;the father of General Wit ler, and Edward, the youngest a in Pennsylvania. It is remarkalh men, and all their immediate mal with a single e*ception, were ei military service rd this country. The eldest, Richard, was lieu enant colonel of Morgan's celebrated rifle reg went, and to him it owed mach of the high haraeter that gave it.a fame of its own, apart om the other corps of the Retolution. The co 1, disciplined valor which gave steady anti de dly direction to the rifles of ;his regiment, was derived prin eipally from that officer, who devo ed himself to the drill of his then. He was pr meted to thei full command or a regiment so etime during; the war, and In that capacit commanded!: Wayne's left in q the attack oh S ony Point.— I About the year; 1790, he was ap ointed major general. On the 4th of Nove ber, 1791, he was killed il General St. Clair's loodly battle with the India 4. his combat With the Indi ans, after he was shot, gave . such a peculiar fate, that a rep esentation of i • interest to his; himself and the group surroun ing him, wasl exhibited throughout the Union i _Notices of this acomplisheci soldic in Marshall's I.4ife of Washingto all, 420. Inl General St. Cl the American Museum, vol. ai. Peadie. , William Butler, the second so cer, throughon(the revolutionar the rank of colonel, and was in 4 : serest battles. Ile was the faro i ily, and was bqasted by this , 4 the coolest and, boldest man in b ever known. When the army duced in rank and file, and Alt superfluous officers , they organi into a separat4 corps,-and elec command. General Washin _ ceiling this ndyel, corps of go diers: hut in it' proud testimoni gi l their devoted .patriotism. Of Thomas 43utler, the thi the following Facts from the grapical DictiotAry. 'ln the ye he was a student of law in the o Meet Judge Wilson of Philadelp pursuit and joined the army as lie soon obtained the command in which he co4tinued to the el lie was in alaost every action middle States during the war. of Brandywine he received the On ington on the _field of battle, thi de-camp, General Hamilton, ft couduct in rallying a detachmen troops, and giving the enemy a se the bat tie of Monmouth he , receii of General Wanye for defending . face of a severe, fire from the mom Richard Butler'a regiment mac treat. I . At the eloseof the war he re rate life, as a farmer, and cuntin joyment of rural and domestic h the year 1791,i - when he again t meet the savage foe that tuertae frontier. Ile tcommanded a b disastrous battle of November 4, his brother fell: Orders were gi iii, St. flair to 'it harge with t Major Butler, though his leg b by a bill yet,ron horseback,' I to the charge. ' , lt was with diffic er, Captain EdWard Butler, rem the field. In 1792 he was co establishment as major; and • promoted to the rank of lieu mandent of.the4th sub-legion. ed in this yeariFort Fayette, at prevented the deluded insurgen it, more by hit:name than by h' bad but few troops. The close imbittered with trouble. Im 18 restedby the 4om m andin g gene st Fort - Adam4 on the Mississip Maryland, wheke he „sras tried b tial, and acquitted of all char: • wearing his Fair. He was 4 New Orleans,where' he arrived, mand of the tioops, October again arrested 3next month ; bu not sit until 4tily bf the nest decision is no q known. ' Colo - September 7,1805. Out of t gem of this sturdy we ffir e' hiring I (Kniekkbocker) , bas w , piece of burlesque, in which ' G sca i s ettallicte is inimitably de of the vain and pompous Gen burg. Percival Stier, the fourth General With" n 0. Butler, w lise, Pennsyllsais„ in 176 Q. army as a lieetenant at the • was with Watingtorr at Valle the - battle of onmoutb,- and a Yorktoini--bding: &TOMO the druales in thh . middle &atm, under the .coMmander-in-eltief short period Alen be was : eerps;vommanded ‘ by Lafij * a sword. 111Tear , --theedese-- went to the Snhth viol ow Pen Pk, ilia* ries found-him. Ili Kentucky le oat se m l is - phi stock left Wtien the warof 18 He was .adjutant geuer4 -when Kentucky be came a State; and in that capacity joined one of the armies sent out by Kentucky during the war. LER, e President. .'Edward' Butler, the youngest of the five brothers,was too young tti enter the army in the fiat stages of the Bev lotion, but joined it near the close, and ha risen to a captaincy when General St. Clair took the command, and led it to that disastrous Quit in which 'so many. of the 'best soldiers of thh country perished.— * therci evinced the 'highest courage and strongest fraternal affeetion,, in carrying his wounded brother out of the massacre, which was continued for miles along the route of the retreating army, and fro* which so few escap ed, even of those who lied unencumbered. He subsequently became adjutant general in Wayne's army. Of these five broOera, four had sons all of whom, with , one exceptioe, were engaged in the military or' naval service' of the country during the last war. tidetion it is I t .. The feel o learn some - nee in whom , erefore., only ntrodueo the accoubt of a ye in him so ,liain 0. nut ria were hoorn I that all these deeendants, I I gaged in the Ist. General Richard IButlees son, William, lied a lieutenant in the navy, early in the last • ar. His son, Captain James Butler, was at the bead of the Pittsburg Blues, which compa ny he commanded in the campaigns of the northwest, and Was particularly distinguished in the battle of Massissinnawa. 2d. Colonel William Bleier, also of the rev olutionary army, had two sons : one died in the navy, the other a subaltern in Wayne's ar my He was in the battle with the Indians in 1794. 3d. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Butler, of the old stock, had three sons, the eldest a judge.; The second, Colonel Robert Butler, was at the' head of General Jackson's steffthroughout the, last war. The third, William E. Butler, also' served in the wimp of General Jackson. Percival Butler, captain in the revolutione- Ty war, and adjutant general of Kentucky du ring the last war, had.four sons: first, Thomas, Who was a captain, and aid to General Jackson I at New 'Orleans ; next General William 0. ; Butler, the subject of this notice; third Rich ard, who was assistant adjutant general in the! cainpaig,ns of the war of 1812 ; Percival But ler, the youngest son, now a:distinguished law- Yer, was not of an age to bear arms in the last war. Of the second generation of the Butlers., I there are nine certainly, and probably more,' engaged in the present war. • This glance at the family shows the charac ter of the race. An anecdote, derived from a letter from an old Pennsylvania friend of the' parents, who transplanted it from Ireland, ,shows that this military instinct was an inher- Inenee. ",While the five sons" says the letter, l 1 " were absent from home in the service of the, country, the old father took in his head to go also. The neighbors collected to remon strate against it ; but J;lis' wife said; ' let him I, go ! I can get along Without him, and raise I something to feed the army in the bargain ; I and the country wants every man who can I shoulder a musket.'" It was doubtless tbisj extraordinary zeal of the Butler family which' . I induced Gen. Washington to give the toast— f'l The Butlers and their five sons," at his own table, whilst surrounded by a large party of of lficers. This anecdote rests, on the authority of the late Gen. Findlay, of Cincinnati. A sim ilar tribute of respect was paid to this devoted house of soldiers by Gen. Lafayette, in a letter; now extant, and iu the possession of a lady 1 connected with it by marriage. Lafayette says, " When I ranted a thing well done, I ordered a Butler to do it." From this retrospect, it will be, seen that in 'Oll the wars of the country-in the revolution ary war, in the „Indian war, and the present Mexican war—the blood of almost every But ler able to bear arms has been fYecly shed in the pnblic cause. Major General William 0. Butler is now a mong the highest in the military service of his eonetry ; and he has attained this,grade from tbe ranks—the position of the private being tbe only one he ever sought. At the opening Of the war of 1812. be bad just graduated in the Transylvania University and was looking to the law as a profession. The surrender of Detroit, and of the army, by Hull, aroused the patriotism and the valor of Kentucky ; and young Butler, yet in his minority, was among the first to volunteer. He gave up his books, And the enjoyments of the gay apd polished so ciety.of Lexington, where be lived among a circle of fond and partial relations—the hope to gratify their ambition in shining at the bar, of m the political forum of the State—to join Capt.. Hart's company of infantry as a private soldier. wax figures. will be found , pages 290, ir's report, iu Ipage 44, Ap- I t W 39 an offi war; rose to any of the se iteof the fam ,e of h%-oes as ttle they had as greatly re !re were many ed themselves d to the declined re ,issioned RA : did honor to son, we glean . merman Bio r 1776, whilst ce of the em ia, he left his subaltern.— •f.a company, se of the war. foueht in the At the battle nks,of Wash ough his aid r his intrepid of retreating •ere fire. At ed the thanks defile, in the ..y, while Col. good its re- !tired into pri !,ed in the en ppiness until j k the field tol Id our western; ttalion in the I 1791, in which en by Gener-, bayonet, and ; been broken 1 1; his battalion ty his broth- l red him frcim! , tinned in the 1794 he was t colonel com- He command- I' ittsburg, and 1 s from takin l ' forces, for be! lof his life wail 13 he was sr- . al, Wilkinson, and sent to • &court-mar -1!: save that of en ordered to . Ito take coin lth. He was' Ithe court did vear, and their Butler died o arrest and. Waihingion ked op a fine anal ;Wilkin-' rneated in that I „ I Von Poffen- Before the march to join , the northwestern army, he was elected aco oral In this grade be marched to the relief of Fort Wayne, which Wm:invested by hostile Indians. These were firivet before the Kentucky volunteers to their lowan :en the Wabash, which, were destroyed, and th e:troops then, returned to the Miami of the lakes. where they made a winter encamp. went. Here an ensign's commission in the 2cl regiment - of United States infantry was tender. ed to this volunteer corporal;: which he declined, unless permitted to remain with the northwest ern, army, which be hadontered to share in the effort of the Kenticky militia to wipe out the disgrace of Hull's surrender by the recapture Of Detroit. His proposition was, assented to, end be received an ensagn'e appointment in the 17tti , infantry, then a part of the northwestern army, under the comniad of Gen. Winchester. After enduring emy privation in a winter en campment, in the viadeniesi and'frozen marsh es of lake countiy,4l7,4,A7g iayam the ex pected support of additional forces, the Ken tucky volunteers, led by. Lewis, Allen and Madison, with Well's regiment, (17th U. 8.,) advanced to encounter the force of British. and Indians which defended Detroit. On. leaving •lentneky.:olo , valauteers had pledged them selves to Ore a#1.1)1'414 invader, from our , s ot: The4piti And their leaders iVero held tp sti3Oli-est4ition at borne, that the expects: Zion famed ter thew ekeeeied their , promises; and tbeseleillimtaink :tkoegli disappointed ie !lot, secion- !tali tivimialeason to.sutioi. JD . ?Iwamoto& olotbes, ,ossmoo, esesoluns--resolved, ra th ez Gait lose rape- an% father til born at Car- 1 • enttirefl thel e of eighteen; Forge,;, Was in the taking Of hole series 00 . , ith the: : troops except tor e: hed to a light' who presented' -9/e war, het 'prat& brig',- tnnignitei 401 . A /Ist of the 2 conmenea =I tatOn, to press on to the enterprise, and en delOor to draw on after them, by entering into act bn, the troops behind. It is not proper bet o to enter into explanations of the causes of the isaster at the river Raisin, the cense. queime of this movement, nor to give the pa:- Limiters of the battle. The incidents which sigiiitlized the character of the subject, of this I me - oir alone are proper here. . ere were two battles at the river Raisin— on'f,,, n the 18th, the other on the 22d ofJanti ar i . In the first, the whole body of Indian waiti ors, - drawn together from all the lake trilits,, for the defence of Upper Canada against theiapproaching Kentuckians, were encounter- 1 ed.'s' In-moving to the attack of this formida ble °roe of fiercest, and bravest, and most ex- per warriors on the - continent, a strong party! of . em were described from the line with whiith Ensign Butler advanced, runningforward toach a fence, as a cover from which to ply their rifles. Butler instantly proposed, and wasipermitted, to anticipate them. Calling up- on tiome of the most alert and active men of the co any, ho ran directly to meet the Indians at, the fence. He and his comrades outstripped Oil enemy ; and, getting possession of the fenite, kept the advantage of the position for th 4 advancing friends. This incident of how ever little importance as to results, is worth ,•., remembrance in giving the traits of a young; sol:dicr's character. It is said that the hardi-1 ests•eteran, at the opening of the fire, in bat- I tleigfeels, for the moment, somewhat appalled ; anf Gen. Wolfe, ono of the bravest of men, de claind that the " horrid yell of the Indian sties the boldest heart with affright." The Ail I I ling student, who, for the first time, be he ' a field of battle on the snows of the river Raisin, presenting in bold relief long files of th4se terrible enemies, whose massacres had Fill P his native State with tales of horror, 1 mit have felt some stirring-sensations. But ; the]crack of the Indian rifle, and his savage yet awoke in him the chivalric instincts of his n a t, ; i ms re na h;r around, c a ua n nt d de , I a h hn e i promptitudee rushingenthusiasmforw with at rod tao inf e which ewe t canorn h u he d On its most appalling form, risking himself are others, and to secure a triumph which; ould scarcely hope to share, gave earnest; he military talent, the self-sacrificin tour and the spldicrly sympathies whic hhave •n to him the nation's esteem. The close I `he battle of the 18th gave another instance ' • hich these latter traits of Gen. Butler's 'meter were still more strikingly illustrated. Indians, driven from the defences around i town on the river Raisin, retired fighting the thick woods beyond it. The contest harp-shooting from tree to tree was bete 'tinned—the Kentuckians pressing, forwara, the Indians retreating—until night closed when the,Kentuckians were recallcd'to the ' ampment in the village. The Indians ad ; eed as their opposers_ withdrew, and kept he'fire until the Kentue;cians emergectfrom theiwoods into the open ground.' Just as the 1 mn to which Ensign Butler belonged reach l veige of the dark forest, the voice of a finded man, who had been left some distance find, was beard calling out most piteously help. Butler induced three of his company o back in the woods 'with him, to bring him He was found, and they fought their way qk—one of the men, Jeremiah Walker, re x-ing a shot, of which he subsequently died. n.the second sanguinary battle of the river isin, on the 22d of January, with the British Indians, another act of self-devotion was 'formed by Butler. After the rout and sacre of the right wing, belonging to Well'sl mand, the whole force of the British and i ians was concentrated against the small yof troops under Major Madison, that ntained their - ground within the picketed dens. A double barn, commanding the t of ground on which the Kentuckians stood, approached on one side by the Indians, .er the cover of an orchard and fence; the tish op the other side, being so posted as to inland the space between it and the pickets. ,arty in the rear of the barn Was discovered Zincing to take possession of it. All saw fatal consequences of the secure lodgement he enemy at a place which would present ev man within the pickettiat close rifle shot , he aim of their marksmen., Major Madi- _ inquired if there was no one whn would steer to run the gauntlet' of _the fire of ' British and Indian lines, and put _a torch he combustibles within the barn,- to -save remnant of the little army from sacrifice. tler, without a moment's delay, took some . ng sticks'from a fire at hand, leaped the ts, and running at his utmost speed, thrust fire into the straw within the bard. Ole was an anxious spectator of the event we te,•says, " that although volley upon vol was fired at him, Butler, after making some a on his way back, turned to see if the fire_ taken, and; not being satisfied, returned to barn, and set it in a blaze, As the con tion grew, the enemy was seen retreating the rear of the building, which they had red at one end as the flame was ascepding he other. Boon after reaching the pickets fety, amid the shouts of his friends, be was lick by a balkin his breast. Believing from pain he felt, that it had penetrated his chest, mg to Adjutant (now General) M'Oilla, 1 of-his Lexington comrades, and pressing his 1 dto the spot, he said, " I fear this shot is al; but while I am able to move, I will do duty." To the- anxious inquiries of his [, rid, who met him soon afterward again, be ned his .yest p with a smile, and showed him the ball !punt itself on the thick wadding is coat'ana on his breastbone. He suffer however, for many weeks. be little hand within the pickets, which Incheater bad surrendered,after being carried self a prisoner into Proctor's camp, denied poweril They continued to bold the enemy ay until they were enabled to capitulate on ()Table terms ;which, nevertheless, Proctor fully violated, by leaving the sick' and 04e&who were unable to milt to the tont,- , *of hia . a4bes. Butler, who was amOrif few of the wounded who, escsOd the was e; was Mitrehed through Ca*di to Fort d , . b v i l fo .1 at I ER I Niagara—suffering under his wound, a d every privation--Oppressed with grief, htinge fatigue and the inclement cold oft hat .deaola region. Even here be forgot himself; and his M nd wan dered back to the last night scene , bleb he surveyed on the shores of the river -Raisin. He gave up the heroic- part, and betiame the school boy again, and commemoratedibis sor rowator his lost friends, in verse, like Rime pas sionate, heart broken lover. These; elegiac strains were. never intended for any but the eye of mutual fiends, whose sympathies,j like his' own, poured out tears with their plaints over the dead. We give:mam of those lil t s of his boyhood,' to show that the heroic gou t had a bosom not less kind and brave. 1 • , . THE FIELD OF RAISIN.I The battle's o'er ! the din is past, Night's mantle on the field is - testi; The Indian yell is heard no more, And silence brO,oclsjo'er Erie's sh(ire. At tbis lone horir II go,to tread The field wherer vainly bled= — To raise the wa ded warrior's crest, Or warm with tears his icy breast ; To treasure up, his last connnandl, And bear it to his native lank It may one,pulse of joy itursitz, I To a fond mother's bleeding heali ; Or for a moment it may dryi , The tear-drop in the widow's eye,. Vain hope, away! , Tlie widow ne'er He warrior's dying wish shall hear. The passing zephyr hears no sigh, No wounded warrior meets the er— • Death is his sleep by Erie's wavel, Of Raisin's snow we heap his grave ! How many hOpes lie murdered here— The mother a joy, the father's :dide, The country's boast, the foeman'S fear, In wilder'd havoc, side by side.i Lend me, thou silent queen of n'ht, Lend me awhile thy warning li gb , That I may see each well loved orm, That sunk beneath the morning Storm. These lines are introdudtory to what may be considered a succession, of epitaphs on the personal friends whose bodies he found upon the field. It would extend the extract too fauto insert them. We can only add he close of the poem, where he takes leave of a group' of his young comrades, in Hart's Company, who had fallen together: 1 And here I see that youthful band I That loved to move at ?art's comand ; I saw them for the battle dressed, I And still where danger thickest pressed, I marked their crimson plumage wSve, -How many fill-this bloody gravel The plllow and their windingshee I The virgin snow—s Amami mist-us:eel But wherefore do I linger here?l Why drop this unavailing tear ? I Where'er I turn, some youthful foem, Like flowret broken by the storm, I Appeals to me in sad array, ' And bid me yet a moment stay, Till I could fondly lay me down, And sleep with him on the cold grPund, For thee, thou dread and solemn' plain, I ne'er shall look on thee again ; . 1 And Spring, with, her effacing shoal Shall come, and summer's mantlinh, And each succeeding winter throw I ° On thy red breast new robes of snow; Yet I will wear thee in my heart, 1 All dark and gory alf thou art. Shortly after his return from Can da, En- I sign BUTLER was promoted to a eaptaincy in the regiment to which he' heionged. But as this promotion was irregular, being made over the heads of senior officers in that regiment, a. captaincy was 'given him in the 44th, a new raised regiment. When free from parole, by exchange, in 1814, he instantly entered on ac tive duty, with &company which he had recruit- ell at Nashville; f Terineasee. His regiment' was ordered to join Genera Jacks n in the South; but Captain llitortza, ding its movements too tardy, pushed on, an effected that junction-with his company alone Gener al Call, at that time an, o ffi cer in Cap ain But ler's company, (since governor of Florida,) in a letter addressed to-Mr. Tanner, ofeatueky presents, as an eye witness, so graph tally the share which Captain Butler hid in the cam paign which followed, that it may well super sede any narrative at second hand : 1 .. "Tsia,iiessais, April :a 1844. " Sin : I avail myself of the earlie t leisure I have had since the receipt of yo letter of the 18th of February, to give you a ply. " A difference of political sentients will not induce me to withhold, the b. aye you have requested 9f the military servi of Wil liam 0. Butler, during the late war ith Great Britain, while attached to the a y of the South. My intimate associations wi h him, iu camp, on the march, and in the field, has per haps made me as-well acquainted wit his mer- , its, as a gentleman and a soldier, as ay other man living. And although we are n w stand login opposite ranks, I cannot forgethe days and eights we have stood side by et e, facing 4 1, the commonenemy of our country, s **ring the same fatigues, dangers andpriv- ' god ticipating in the same pier meats. The feelings and ing from such- associations . youth can never be removed difference of opinion with rev sures, when, each may well -• qually sincere as himself,- ardent desire,of both is to the happiness and prosperil ",Soon after isy appoint the United Spates, as alio 1814, I was ,ordered to j 4 Captain Butler; of the 44t1 ry,, then at. Naehville, Tem, and reported. myself,. I foum der orders. 40 join ourrqiMl The maxoh, mOstly tbrourP , &moss, was eosdueted 1... y, I his uOusl prociePtitude and cad and rapid movenleati4i liontgemery, tkia head.qui, son. a bo rt diafancgi 111 1 1 3 7 1 just in p 1& to 404a. 11 o ur drive i his bol . entiirpt4 0 to' strong position.* a . antral territory ; iTliii.vati guard of the army d ' 'ned for the trivasion of Louisiana, bad made P , ascola its hiadt-quar t\t, ters, and the British na : • "ti the ;Gulf oiMet ico had rendezvoused in tha ' beantifid bay. " The penetrating sagacity Gei4 Jackson discovered the advantage of the osition assum ed by the British forces, and with a decision and energy which never faltertfitfe*ii ved tor` land his enemy, evel under 'the flag of it neti txal Power. This was done by a pfempt and rapid march, surprising and cutting Off ill the advanced pickets, until we arrived with* gun shot of the fort at Pensacola. Thii army . of Gen. Jackson was then so inconsideridde as to , render a reinforcement of a single ;company, commanded by such a man as Captaib Butler, an important acquisition. And althciugh there Were several 'companies of the segnlar troops ordered to march from Tennessee al the same time, Captain' Butlei's, by his extOtordinary energy and promptitude, was the lonl . f one that arrived in time to join this expedition. Elia company formed a part of the centrelcolumn of attack at Pensacola.. The street wb entered ii was defended by a battery in fro t, which fired l on us incessantly ; while several trofig block-. houses on our , flanks discharged po4 na small arms and artillery. But a gallant and rapid charge soon carried the guns in front, and the town immediately surrendered.. 1 1 .... I rln this fight - Capt. Butler led oni his com pany with his usual intrepidity. Ue had one officer, lieutenant Flourney, severely4wounded, and several non-commissioned office and pri vates killed and-wounded. " From Pensacola, after the obj4ct of the expedition was completed, by anothir prompt and rapid movement; we arrived ati New Or leans a few weeks before the ap, • arnnce of the enemy. " On the 23d -of December t announced the approach of the previous night they had surpriie one of our pickets;-had ascende embarked, and bad taken posses bank of the Mississippi, within s' Orleans. The energy of every in requisition to concentrate our to meet the enemy. Captain B of the first to arrive ot.the Gene and ask instructions. They we promptly executed. ' Our regim on the opposite side, was- trans the river. All the available for I not much exceeding fifteen hund concentrated in the city; and went.down the lino of battle wa armed, and every o ffi cer took the station sidned him in i t the fight. The infanfry Jenne o d the open square; • in front of the Oath nill waiting in. finxiiiitunikpeetiatott - for - thec ci et: th move. During this momentary pause, w He the enemy was expected to/enter the city, seine of deep and thrilling , interest Was presennid. - Every i gallery, porch; and window around Ithe square were filled with the fair forms oflicarity, in si lent anxiety and alarm, waving their handker-' chiefs to the gallant and devoted band which stood before them, prepared to }lief or defend them from the rude intrusion of i a Foreign sol diery. It was silicone calculated t.,0 awaken' emotions never to be forgotten! it appealed to the chivalry and patriotism ot every officer and soldier—rit inspired every heart, and nerv ed every arm for battle. ' From 414 impressive scene the army marched - to meet, - ihe enemy, and about eight o'clock at nikliti they were surprised in their encampment, immediately on the banks of the Mississippi. rfhiliscovered, our line was formed in silence within a short distadce of the enemy. A rapid charge was made into their camp, ando ilesperpte conflict , ensued. A ft er a determined resistance the enemy gave way, but &minting every itch of ground we gained. In adiancing Over ditches and fences in the night, .rendered, still more dark by the smoke of theliattld, Oucili confu sion necessarily ensued, and many loffieers be came separated from their commXnd4k It more than once occurred daring, the fih that some of our O ffi cers, through mistake tntered the : enemy's lines, and the British o fficers in like manner entered ours.!- The meritooons officer in command of our regiment at tiliegeommence, ment of the battle lost his positin in the dark ness and confusion, and was n able to regain it until the action was over. 1 this manner, for a short time, the regiment ae without a commander, and its movements eie regulated by the platoon officera, which inc caiied the con fusion and irregularity of the a WOW°. I In this ended situation, and in < the heat of the battle, Captain Butler, as th i spnior officer present, assumed command of the regiment. and led it on most gallantly toj rOpeated and successful charges„ until the fight 'nded in the 1 complete rout - of the enemy. W were still pressing on their .rear, trim, ani• eer of the i general's staff Lode up . and order d Ithe pursuit discontinued. ' Captain Butler ried its con tinuance,- and eipreseed the codOit belief of his ability td take many prisone s t f permitted r to advance.- But the order was omptly re peated, under the well-founded a: prehension that our troops might. come - inoption with etch other, an event which had nhappily• cc , ctured 'at a previous hour of the gilt .; No corps 1,, on that field was more bravely lild 'to battle than the regiment commanded b Craptain,But ler, and no officer of anzianki aa4e the Com mander-in-thief, was entitledle b)gher credit for the achieveMent of tliat-gloril night. ," A short time before the battle f the Bth of January, Captain BunEa was t detailed to command the, guard in front of 11)iencame mato. A limas standing near h : bridge, in advance of his positton,-Ilkii been In passes- 'ion of by the light troops of th . , emy, froay *bowie . they annoyed our gu . Captairi Butler determined toidislodgf t e ,and 'burn the house. 14 seeeidiegY m. b !to the *C... tack at the head,of his nommen 1:14 the ene my retired befog hitii. geeing t ' retreat, I l ie hilt e d his guard, irnd iSdian , . itesitlf,, ac , cempsthied by- re or tOrge,ineti O y, . for, the Wren of irkriiniibesbOtme! .it au , old (mine building IY!eitthiiirainirdo.t W:tit erli ing or plaster **lin, . with i 4E. lolig opening to tie') :Wail Stipp. 04 flitfeript the heueei be fegnil S*liiiirse 4 the Min? o*tet -; .0 iers, flowers ed is one'. 9 011 18; who" he 43 441114- end, sinS t o the rear with his men, - rinuainfet alei*Lip the, bons* While he was in the acCtiirliinir • _ ling.s, fire, a detachment of theietuni, , apPerr ceived, occupied the only door: O tt pulse to force,iwith his single ern; a:, put . aage through themi babe mu instanily in a violent manner byf4vo..nr„th*Otooklati, , , lotirOiliii - inshcd hi*hie, 14441 with sucli a force.is bunt,oft the*s4iii;%' boarding frOm the Well,,a4ho felltirsill tl opening ;thus made. pit in instant ed himself, and-undiir i hoisyy_irefrcia the en. emy, he 'retreated until C o t o rtesi liylbegent* which hi immediately, on:to. the aidncl4, drove the British light.tavopefrosithoirlymit 'position, and burnt the hoesijut4i!!"*OF the two armies:' " 1 witnessed on, that field mut a l i ri of daring enursge, but none. of ted my admiration than; this. , " Captain Butler was, soon 'nark its-bath of the Bth of January; wlere hesaatiaget previouSly high and well-eorned.ripsfatini4 bravery, and usefulnesi. But dot im = which, from' its important results, hag those which preceded it, waklint the enebsy, with trivial , loss on our pFt, an presenting few instances of individusl fdistiair tion. "Captain Butler received the larevistrank of major for his gallant services during that irons. ful campaign, and the reward' of.merit was never more worthily bestowed. Sootiefter the close of the war he was appointed/sit/4..4=p to Geneiel Jackson, in which station be re mained Until ha retired froil the szmy Since that period I have seldom had-4e pismire of meeting with my valued friend and epinpamon in arms; and I knoW bat little.of his career. in civil lira. But in camp, ples, hie intelligence, and generous! won forilim the respect ant: Conlitlince . iftdl who knew him; and where - he is tiestlnowi4 venture to say, he is Still most highly ip.: preciated for every attribute which citmititiiteS 1 the gentleman and the soldier. "I am, sir, very respectfully, • ult. K. CALL. " Mr. WlLLiax TAIINZIL" e signal-gun lene!imy. The iand captured a fi ayou, dia. loft of the left inVes of New ffiepr was put caries,. in time ;Lithir was one al'h quarter's rUeeived and ; nt,i stationed oiled; across s of our army, Ired men, were 'vhgc the sun ePi , General Jackson's sense of the , usrviees of Butler,.. in this memorable eanspaign, was strongly expressed in the following letter to a member of the Kentucky Legislatnre : ._ " HatairrA.Ox, February 20,.1844. " Mir DEAR SIR il You ask me to'.-giro y on my opinion of the military' services of the then CaptaM, now Colonel, , WILL,Lut b. Bustin, of Kentucky, during the investment of New . Orleani by the British'forces in 1614 andlB26. I wish; -bad -sufficient strength' to Speak fully of Merit and the services of Colonel Diger on that ;Occasion ; this strength I 'have not. Suffictkit to say, that bn all occasions he die-- played`that heroic 'chivalry and calmness of Judgmiint - in the midst of dingex t wiali, dis- - tinguish. the valuable Officer in tieheur a bat tle. In a conspicuous manner **these no ble qualities displayed by bim : on the night of the 23d December, 'lBl4, and on the Bth of Janinty, ) lBl6, as well as at all ' tiniei'during the presence of the 'Wash army, at Yew .Or leans. i, In short, he was to be foiled at at points Where duty called. flaxen! plating in sayinethat should onr country win 'be en gaged in war during the active age of Colima: . , Butler; he would be one of the 'very best se-- Ilectioni that could be made to . tiotateamiour army, and lead the Eagles of our mantel on to, victory; and renown, ,He has sufficient energy to nun& all responsibility necessary to suc cess, and for his'couitry's good: " ANDREW JACKSON." General Jackson gave earlier proof of the- • high estimation in wiiich he- held the young soldier,who bad ideritciedlitoselfwith Ins-pwn• glory it New Orleans He-made him hie-aid de-cainp in 1816 ; which station hi retained: on the, peace establishment, with the rank of colonel. But, like his illustrious Eutrok be , I soon felt that militaryi station-and distinction, had no charms for hits , when unattended . with the dangers, duties, c u d patriotie achievements wart Ile ruigued therefere; : even:the as sociation with: his Ivateran chief, of ' which be wait stirouti, and ; retina in 18 4 to; n" life. H e resumed hit stunt or 00 . -Tirtaiimo that was interrupted y the war. iiiiirritaand! • I settled doiin on his patrimonial , lioliessioa sti the confluence of the Kentuckyand,: Ohineir eis, in the noiselem but arduous vocations of civil life. 'The abode which be had anemia made it peculiarly . 4, 11& with bite. .. The . region: around him was w i ld, and romantic's,' _ 'spars ely settled, and by pastoral people. There liana. populous towns. The high, rolling: and tsti . . rich hinds—the precipitous clifft. of - ail les" tueltyl: the Nagle, Powell, and' othar iiiilit* ' ries which pour into it near the iiiiiiiiinde, 'this section of the Ste still, . some ftt l ark wilderness of thiekets—of the' wood R*: vine, ;the gicpc-4 ri* a, and beantig 'ties* whichrendered all KintuckY;tintW the shin of the whites, one gr . cat Indian ' - iiari6= The 'Whole luxuriant denim i4:relierred: 'bY the. Indians' ,as a pistil" for buff4N7.,...4ittt elk. and other animals= their ,enjo,*4. - 11314,0 tiS !I chase " and 'a subeisience—bT : "" :. every tribe lioin fixing a habitatiniiiiiti' ' i#le riebul ad .conselriteil it as darkinaldoildi' '.; acid rrarliursied every ' foot ` it"..',``,'#. .ttliAtdst of this regibii, ii•Aprit 1791. ~ 44* 0. B %.i.0.0 waif I!oric !facials' Dino , motif w oiv'tio Itentunki!,liver. His father 'iia mixiiid in Lexington,' Kiwi: after' his - tOff.kOlt Kentucky, 1782, Mils Ila*lti* t - sistorllY., law of colonell'odd,Who snail* ` 'ltliar , 4 isbudliliAti battle 4: tliS 'BM!' lowing, instnicti of bialfaMil',' ~ _ 4 ed, - isr. _ to court danger, : . -? 0.. uelibiiiitioad a ' 'tibiuiti"'W ' Ther;s ts iiiiiviktoflong a ft er; 1,1 0 11 1f1 1 0, 01 kr4 iiim - ,* -- AO' mouth let the Ir4iti ~atqlfiiirt ThOgh*iii section ' 0 1 , I!?#i** .' ''.l ll .Whitto . the 1h Kinit,tehituiok ,:t ~! phour tb. o**l _...0f 1794, *to' ni -051060 f /41 ';# 1,3144 saki Aosta. !aviigo' did* WO,:euoia the 4041 fit 'fore * 104 , 'tke loW6tho - tirbtrim, sirtspiiiiutt.,lll4. iioi*atitilifiti*AlPo! 4 ''AII4' 1 100 1 , 3 ; 41 ,"ar*: - lis*i It-MOO, lain ID LI
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