CDV of Union General Benjamin Butler with Paris Backmark

CDV of Union General Benjamin Butler with Paris Backmark
 
General Benjamin Butler (1818–1893) was a controversial and influential figure in American political and military history. Born in Deerfield, New Hampshire, and trained as a lawyer, Butler rose to prominence in Massachusetts politics as a Democrat before the Civil War. When the war broke out, he offered his services to the Union Army and was appointed a major general of volunteers. Butler is best known for his early wartime command in New Orleans, where he administered the occupied city with strict measures that earned him both praise and condemnation. His “Contraband of War” policy, which declared escaped enslaved people who reached Union lines to be free, was a significant early step toward emancipation.
 
After the war, Butler returned to politics, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and later as governor of Massachusetts. A strong advocate for Reconstruction and civil rights, he supported legislation to protect formerly enslaved people and to reform labor laws. However, his career was often marked by controversy—critics accused him of corruption and heavy-handedness both in military and political roles. Despite this, Butler left a lasting legacy as a bold, if polarizing, leader whose actions helped shape the course of the Civil War and Reconstruction America.