Sickness.--Battle of Baton Rouge.--Death of Williams.--"Fix
Bayonets!"--Thomas Williams.--His Body.--General T. W. Sherman.
--Butler relieved.--General Orders, No. 10.--Mr. Adams and Lord
Palmerston.--Butler's Style.
Of the events which immediately followed the council of war referred
to in the last chapter, the writer knows only by report. He was
prostrated with fever, taken to a house on shore, moved back to
head-quarters boat, put on board a gun-boat, and sent to New Orleans.
Farragut, with his usual kindness, offered to take him on board
the _Hartford_, give him the fleet-captain's cabin, and have the
fleet-surgeon attend him. But Williams declined the offer. Farragut
then offered to send him to New Orleans in a gun-boat. This Williams
accepted. The writer was taken to New Orleans, sent to military
hospital, an assistant-surgeon's room given up to him, and every care
lavished upon him; for one of Williams's staff--poor De Kay--wounded
in a skirmish, had died in hospital. Butler had conceived the
idea--erroneous, I am sure--that he had been neglected by the
surgeons. When I was brought down he sent them word that if another
of Williams's staff died there, they would hear from him. I did not
die.
Meantime, unable to effect any thing against Vicksburg, with more
than half his men on the sick-list, Williams returned to Baton
Rouge. The rebel authorities, with spies everywhere, heard of the
condition of our forces, and determined to attack them. Early one
foggy morning twelve thousand men, under Breckenridge, attacked our
three or four thousand men fit for duty. But they did not catch
Williams napping. He had heard of the intended movement, and was
prepared to meet it. Our forces increased, too, like magic. Sick
men in hospital, who thought that they could not stir hand or foot,
found themselves wonderfully better the moment there was a prospect
of a fight. Happily a thick mist prevailed. Happily, too, they first
attacked the Twenty-first Indiana, one of our stanchest regiments,
holding the centre of the position. This fine regiment was armed
with breech-loaders, the only ones in the Gulf. Lying on the ground,
they could see the legs of the rebels below the mist, and fire
with a steady aim upon them, themselves unseen. On the right the
Thirtieth Massachusetts was engaged, but not hotly. The left was but
slightly pressed. Williams had carefully reconnoitred the ground the
afternoon before, and marked out his different positions. As the
battle progressed, he fell back upon his second position, contracting
his lines. As it grew hotter, he issued orders to fall back upon the
third position. As he gave the order, the lieutenant-colonel of the
Twenty-first, Colonel Keith, as plucky a little fellow as lived, came
to him and said, "For God's sake, general, don't order us to fall
back! We'll hold this position against the whole d--d rebel army."
"Do your men feel that way, colonel?" replied Williams; and turning
to the regiment, he said, "Fix bayonets!" As he uttered these words,
he was shot through the heart. The men fixed bayonets, charged, and
the rebels gave way. But there was no one competent to take command.
The Fourth Wisconsin, on our left, waited in vain for the orders
Williams had promised them, eager to advance, for he had meant that
this regiment should take the rebels in flank. The victory was won,
but its fruits were not gathered.
I think that grander words were never uttered by a commander on the
field of battle as he received his death-wound than these words of
Williams's. "Fix bayonets!" means business, and in this instance they
meant victory.
Thomas Williams was a noble fellow. Had he lived, he would have been
one of the great generals of our war. Butler told the writer that,
had Williams survived Baton Rouge, it was his intention to have
turned over the whole military command to him, and confined himself
to civil matters. The "General Order" he issued on Williams's death
is a model of classic and pathetic English. It is quoted as such by
Richard Grant White in his "Miscellany." I give it entire, for it can
not be too widely circulated, both on account of its style and its
subject.
"Head-quarters, Department of the Gulf,
"New Orleans, August 7th, 1862.
"GENERAL ORDERS, No. 56:
"The commanding general announces to the Army of the Gulf the
sad event of the death of Brigadier-general Thomas Williams,
commanding Second Brigade, in camp at Baton Rouge.
"The victorious achievement, the repulse of the division of
Major-general Breckenridge by the troops led on by General
Williams, and the destruction of the mail-clad _Arkansas_ by
Captain Porter, of the navy, is made sorrowful by the fall of
our brave, gallant, and successful fellow-soldier.
"General Williams graduated at West Point in 1837; at once
joined the Fourth Artillery in Florida, where he served with
distinction; was thrice breveted for gallant and meritorious
services in Mexico as a member of General Scott's staff. His
life was that of a soldier devoted to his country's service. His
country mourns in sympathy with his wife and children, now that
country's care and precious charge.
"We, his companions in arms, who had learned to love him, weep
the true friend, the gallant gentleman, the brave soldier, the
accomplished officer, the pure patriot and victorious hero, and
the devoted Christian. All, and more, went out when Williams
died. By a singular felicity, the manner of his death illustrated
each of these generous qualities.
"The chivalric American gentleman, he gave up the vantage of the
cover of the houses of the city, forming his lines in the open
field, lest the women and children of his enemies should be hurt
in the fight.
"A good general, he made his dispositions and prepared for battle
at the break of day, when he met his foe!
"A brave soldier, he received the death-shot leading his men!
"A patriot hero, he was fighting the battle of his country, and
died as went up the cheer of victory!
"A Christian, he sleeps in the hope of a blessed Redeemer!
"His virtues we can not exceed; his example we may emulate, and,
mourning his death, we pray, 'May our last end be like his.'
"The customary tribute of mourning will be worn by the officers
in the department.
"By command of Major-general BUTLER.
"R. T. DAVIS, Captain and A. A. A. G."
Williams was an original thinker. He had some rather striking ideas
about the male portion of the human race. He held that all men
were by nature cruel, barbarous, and coarse, and were only kept in
order by the influence of women--their wives, mothers, and sisters.
"Look at those men," he would say. "At home they are respectable,
law-abiding citizens. It's the women who make them so. Here they rob
hen-roosts, and do things they would be ashamed to do at home. There
is but one thing will take the place of their women's influence, and
that is discipline; and I'll give them enough of it." I used to think
his views greatly exaggerated, but I came to be very much of his
opinion before the war was over.
A curious thing happened to his body. It was sent down in a transport
with wounded soldiers. She came in collision with the gun-boat
_Oneida_ coming up, and was sunk. Various accounts were given of
the collision. It was of course reported that the rebel pilot of
the transport had intentionally run into the gun-boat. I think this
improbable, for I have observed that rebel pilots value their lives
as much as other people. Captain (afterward Admiral) Lee lay by the
wreck, and picked up the wounded: none were lost. Shortly afterward
Gun-boat No. 1, commanded by Crosby, a great friend of Williams, came
up. Lee transferred the men to her, ordered her to New Orleans, and
himself proceeded to Baton Rouge. Crosby heard that Williams's body
was on board. He spent several hours in searching for it, but without
success. He reluctantly concluded to abandon the search. Some hours
later in the day, and several miles from the scene of the disaster,
a piece of the wreck was seen floating down the current, with a box
upon it. A boat was lowered, and the box was picked up. It turned out
to be the coffin containing the body. His portmanteau too floated
ashore, fell into honest hands, and was returned to me by a gentleman
of the coast.
It had been General Butler's intention, on my recovery, to give me
command of the Second Louisiana, a regiment he was raising in New
Orleans, mostly from disbanded and rebel soldiers. My recovery was
so long delayed, however, that he was compelled to fill the vacancy
otherwise. Shortly afterward General T. W. Sherman was ordered to
New Orleans, and I was assigned to duty on his staff. He was sent
to Carondelet to take charge of the post at the Parapet, and of all
the northern approaches to New Orleans. This was done under orders
from Washington; but of this Sherman was not aware, for no copy of
the orders had been sent him. He never knew to what an important
command it was the intention of the Government to assign him till
some years later, when the writer, having become Adjutant-general of
the Department of the Gulf, found the orders in the archives of the
Department.
But the days of Butler's command were brought to a close. Banks
arrived with re-enforcements, and exhibited his orders to take
command of the Department. No one was more surprised than Butler.
He had supposed that Banks's expedition was directed against Texas.
His recall seemed ungrateful on the part of the Government, for it
was to him that the capture of New Orleans at that early date was
principally due. It is probable that the consuls in that city had
complained of him, and our Government, thinking it all-important to
give no cause of complaint to foreign governments, Great Britain and
France especially, recalled him.
As General Butler will not again appear in these pages, I can not
close this part of my narrative without endeavoring to do him justice
in regard to one or two points on which he has been attacked. The
silver-spoon story is simply absurd. Butler confiscated and used
certain table-silver. When Banks relieved him, he turned it over
to him. When a howl was made about it toward the close of the war,
and the Government referred the papers to Butler, for a report, he
simply forwarded a copy of Banks's quartermaster's receipt. I was
amused once at hearing that inimitable lecturer, Artemus Ward, get
off a joke upon this subject in New Orleans. He was describing the
Mormons, and a tea-party at Brigham Young's, and said that Brigham
Young probably had a larger tea-service than any one in the world,
"except," said he, and then paused as if to reflect--"except,
perhaps, General Butler." Imagine the effect upon a New Orleans
audience. It is perhaps needless to observe that Butler was not at
that time in command.
The only charge against Butler which was never thoroughly disproved
was that he permitted those about him to speculate, to the neglect
of their duties and to the injury of our cause and good name. He
must have been aware of these speculations, and have shut his eyes
to them. But that he himself profited pecuniarily by them, I do not
believe.
The famous General Orders, No. 10, "The Woman's Order," was issued
while I was in New Orleans, and excited much and unfavorable comment.
Butler ordered that ladies insulting United States officers should
be treated "as women of the town plying their trade." Strong, his
adjutant-general, remonstrated, and begged him to alter it. He said
that he meant simply that they should be arrested and punished
according to the municipal law of the city, _i.e._, confined for one
night and fined five dollars. Strong replied, "Why not say so, then?"
But Butler has much of the vanity of authorship. He was pleased with
the turn of the phrase, thought it happy, and refused to surrender it.
In this connection, when in London, I heard an anecdote of Mr. Adams
and Lord Palmerston which is not generally known. It was not often
that any one got the better of old "Pam," but Mr. Adams did. When
Butler's order reached England, Lord Palmerston was the head of the
Government; Lord John Russell was Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs. Lord Palmerston wrote to Mr. Adams to know if the order as
printed in the London papers was authentic. Mr. Adams asked if he
inquired officially or privately. Lord Palmerston replied rather
evasively. Mr. Adams insisted. Lord Palmerston answered that if
Mr. Adams must know, he begged him to understand that he inquired
officially. Mr. Adams had the correspondence carefully copied in
Moran's best handwriting, and inclosed it to Lord John with a note
inquiring, who was Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs; was it Lord Palmerston, or was it Lord John? A quick reply
came from Lord John, asking him to do nothing further in the matter
till he heard from him again. The next day a note was received from
Lord Palmerston withdrawing the correspondence.
I have given two specimens of Butler's style. Here is another, and
of a different character. At the request of a naval officer in high
command, Farragut applied to Butler for steamboats to tow the mortar
vessels to Vicksburg. Butler replied that he regretted that he had
none to spare. The officer answered that if Butler would prevent
his brother from sending quinine and other contraband stores into
the Confederacy, there would be boats enough. This came to Butler's
ears. He answered. After giving a list of his boats, and stating
their different employments, he proceeded substantially as follows. I
quote from memory. "Now, there are two kinds of lying. The first is
when a man deliberately states what he knows to be false. The second
is when he states what is really false, but what at the time he
believes to be true. For instance, when Captain ---- reports that the
ram _Louisiana_ came down upon his gun-boats, and a desperate fight
ensued, he stated what is in point of fact false; for the _Louisiana_
was blown up and abandoned, and was drifting with the current, as is
proved by the report of the rebel commander, Duncan: but Captain ----
believed it to be true, and acted accordingly; for he retreated to
the mouth of the river, leaving the transports to their fate."