|The influence of women, so powerful an agent during the progress of
the Revolutionary war, was essential after its close in restoring
a healthful tone and vigor to society. The exercise of the higher
qualities of character was then no less demanded than in the troublous
times of violent popular excitement. Energy, industry, and perseverance
were necessary to the fulfilment of daily duties, which were to form the
character and shape the destinies of the youth of the Republic. It was
the part of women to reclaim what the ravages of war had laid waste;
to weed from the soil the rank growth it had nourished; to carry out in
practice the principles for which patriots had shed their blood, and
to lay a moral foundation on which the structure of a nation's true
greatness might be built. How faithfully the honorable yet difficult
task was performed, may be best seen from the characters of those who
were prepared for usefulness under this training. And it is not a little
remarkable how indifferent were those to whom this mighty trust was
committed, to views of personal ambition or interest. The spirit of Mary
Washington was among them. No distinction was in their eyes worthy to be
coveted, except that of eminent usefulness; they thought not of the fame
or power to be won by service to the Republic, but in their simplicity
and singleness of heart believed a patriot's best reward the
consciousness of having done his duty. Such were the matrons of the
nation's early day. Had they been otherwise, America would not have been
what now she is.
It is pleasant to dwell upon the character of one of these matrons,
whose influence, exerted in the privacy of the domestic circle, has
borne rich fruit in those who owe their distinction to her training. But
few incidents of her early personal history can be obtained; her life,
like that of most women, has been too quiet and secluded to furnish
material for the chronicler of mere events; but in view of the part she
has borne in the great work appointed by Providence to American women,
and the example afforded, its lesson should not be lost.
Behethland Moore was born on the 24th December, 1764, in Fauquier
County, Virginia. Her father, Captain Frank Moore, commanded as
lieutenant one of the Virginia troops at Braddock's defeat. Her mother
was Frances Foote, of whose family many still reside in that part of the
State. About 1768, five years after the marriage of her parents, they
removed to South Carolina, and settled on Little River, in Laurens
District, where Captain Moore died two years afterwards. His widow
contracted a second marriage with Captain Samuel Savage, who in 1774
removed to Edgefield District, and fixed his residence on Saluda River,
just above Saluda Old Town. Here Miss Moore and her two brothers,
William and George, lived with her mother and stepfather. Her education
was attended to with more care than was usually bestowed on the tuition
of young girls. She was sent to school in Camden, and placed under
the charge of a female teacher who enjoyed in that day a very high
reputation, receiving instruction in various useful and ornamental
branches.
While she was at this school, Count Pulaski, with the forces under his
command, passed through Camden on his way to join the American army at
Charleston. Miss Moore and her young companions took great pleasure in
looking at the soldiers as they passed through the streets; though they
were frequently rebuked for this indulgence of a natural curiosity. In
1781, she returned home. The smallpox was making fearful ravages through
the country; and to secure her against the dangers of the disease in
its more violent form, Miss Moore was sent to the neighborhood of
Ninety-Six, where she was innoculated by a British surgeon. While
awaiting the effects of the operation, being placed as a boarder in the
house of James Maysons, General Greene laid siege to Ninety-Six. The
wife of Colonel Cruger, the commander of the garrison, had lodgings
in the same house with Miss Moore, and was well acquainted with the
American General. The approach of Lord Rawdon rendered it necessary to
attempt carrying the place by storm. Greene determined on this; but with
characteristic humanity and delicacy, gave notice of his intention to
Mrs. Cruger, and detached a sergeant and guard of eight men to protect
the house in which she resided, from dangers that might be apprehended
in the heat of the assault. When the cannonading commenced, Mrs. Cruger
was engaged in sewing up guineas in a girdle; an occupation which she
continued in spite of the alarm occasioned by the successive reports.
Miss Moore, as may be supposed, had her share in the uneasiness caused
by the military preparations. She returned home the day before Lord
Rawdon's troops passed along the road, not far from the dwelling of her
parents. The terrors of war were brought to their very door; for it was
here that a sanguinary skirmish took place between Rawdon's men and a
body of Colonel Washington's cavalry sent to impede their progress. Soon
after, one of the royalist officers came to the house, where there were
none but women; and advised the family to take care of their property.
The caution was not unnecessary; for they were presently intruded upon
by several British soldiers. In their search for plunder, they rolled
down from above stairs some apples that had been gathered and stored for
the use of the family. The soldiers below began picking them up as they
fell on the floor; Miss Moore commanded them to desist, and gathering
some of the fruit in her apron, offered it to a non-commissioned officer
who stood by. Struck with the cool courage and determination of so young
a girl, he made some remark expressive of his admiration, and ordered
the soldiers instantly to desist from their rude trespass. He then
asked if her father did not own some sheep; to which she replied in
the affirmative. "The men are killing them, then, in the lot," said the
officer. Miss Moore hastened thither, followed by her informant. Two men
were in the act of slaughtering one of the sheep; but at the officer's
bidding, with the threat of reporting them to the commander, were
compelled to let them go. This incident, though trifling, exhibits the
same spirit which in other instances impelled to heroic actions. The
determination to interfere, though at no little personal hazard, for the
protection of her father's property, required a degree of courage in one
of her age, which can be estimated only when we consider the ferocity
of the marauders who then made it their business to pillage private
families.
On another occasion a band of tories came to the house of Captain
Savage, and were taking off a negro boy who had been the personal
attendant of Miss Moore's father in the Indian war. With no thought of
the risk to herself, she hastened after them to rescue him from their
hands. The men, however, merely wanted him to show them where the horses
were. When they returned driving the latter, one of them ordered another
servant to catch one for him. Miss Moore commanded him not to obey such
an order; it was repeated; and the tory swore he would beat the servant
for his disobedience. As he was about to put his threat in execution,
the young girl threw herself between them, and the grumbling assailant
was forced to forego the intended violence. It must be remembered that
the intrepid maiden thus braved the ruthless band entirely on a point
of honor--knowing that the horses would be taken, but resolved not to
permit a servant belonging to her family to wait upon a tory.
While she resided at home, it became necessary to convey intelligence
of danger to Captain Wallace, who was in command of a small force on the
other side of the Saluda. There was difficulty in doing this, as no male
messenger could be procured. Miss Moore, at that time but fifteen, years
old, volunteered to undertake the service. Accompanied by her little
brother, and a friend named Fanny Smith, she went up the river in a
canoe in the middle of the night; gave the warning to Captain Wallace,
and through him to Colonel Henry Lee, who had crossed the Island Ford on
the retreat ordered by General Greene.
The next morning a young American officer, who had been below on some
reconnoitering service, rode up to the house to make a few inquiries.
These were answered by the young lady, who, it is said, was somewhat
struck with the appearance of the handsome man in dragoon uniform. This
was the first occasion on which she saw her future husband. It appears
that the pleasing impression at first sight was reciprocal; and that
the fair girl's image accompanied Captain William Butler into his next
battle-field; for it was not long before the courtship took place. This
did not meet the full approbation of the step-father; but love seldom
yields to the discouragement of obstacles; and the lover's perseverance
was crowned with success. The marriage took place in 1784. The young
people took possession of a small farm which Captain Butler had
inherited from his father, near Mount Willing. Fourteen years afterwards
they removed to an estate on one of the branches of Saluda River, where
they continued to live till the husband's death in 1821.
General Butler was almost constantly engaged in public service, and was
necessarily absent from home a great part of his time. In Congress from
1801 to 1814, and commanding the South Carolina forces in Charleston
as Major General during 1814 and 1815, the whole care not only of his
family, but of his plantation and business, devolved upon Mrs.
Butler. Never were such varied responsibilities more worthily met and
discharged. It was in this situation that the sterling qualities of her
character were developed, and shone with brightest lustre. She had the
care of a large family, the support of which was derived mainly from the
produce of a small farm; and the energy with which she devoted herself
to the charge, evinced a wonderful fertility in resources, commanding
the admiration of all who knew her. She undertook the superintendence
of her children's education, and especially of its most important
part--that moral training which always gives tone to character in after
life. Abundant occasions were afforded, in many trying scenes, for the
exercise of the unfaltering fortitude and prompt judgment which have
been her most remarkable characteristics. One who has enjoyed an
intimate acquaintance with her, says he has never known her, in many
years to perform an act, or utter a word, which calm and deliberate
judgment could disapprove. Amid trials and difficulties, sustained by
high principle, integrity and independence, her character has impressed
itself upon those who know her as rare and remarkable, commanding
universal respect; while her gentle virtues endear her to all within the
circle of her acquaintance. With a singular power of command and stern
energy, she combines the softest and most womanly qualities. In her it
may be seen that a superior mind, rigidly disciplined, may belong to a
woman without the development of any harsh or unfeminine lineaments;
and that a heart the most tender and affectionate may prompt to all the
generous charities of life, without being allied to weakness. It is this
union of benignity with force of intellect and firmness of resolution,
which has given her the ascendancy she possesses over others--an
attribute difficult to define, yet which is felt instinctively, as the
most peculiar and imposing of natural gifts.
The best testimony that could be borne to the excellence of this noble
mother, and of her system of education, is afforded by the career of her
sons, several of whom have attained distinction in public service. Their
acknowledgment of indebtedness to her for this eminence speaks more than
volumes of eulogy. The family consisted of seven sons and one daughter.
The eldest, James, was sheriff in his native district, and a Colonel in
the militia of the State. He died in 1821. George, a Major in the army,
which he left in 1815 for the bar, was one of the most prominent men in
the State; and died at the age of thirty-three. The Hon. William Butler
studied medicine, and was for several years in the navy. The fourth son,
who practised law, died in 1828. The eminent talents and public career
of Andrew Pickens Butler, for many years a distinguished member of the
Judiciary of South Carolina, and now United States Senator, are too well
known to need illustration. It may suffice to say that in domestic
life, and in the social circle, he commands the same esteem as in public
station. He appears to have inherited the cheerfulness of disposition
still retained by his mother, and which contributes more than any other
quality to shed around home the sunshine of happiness. The late Colonel
Pierce Mason Butler was celebrated for heroic and generous qualities.
A hero in the best sense of the term was this "American Douglas." He
commanded the regiment of his native State in the Florida war; and
subsequently received the highest testimony of the people's confidence,
in his election to the Chief Magistracy of South Carolina. He fell at
the head of the Palmetto regiment in Mexico. Few of our prominent men
have left any single condensed expression that has become classic by
fixing itself in popular remembrance; some of Colonel Butler's are,
however, thus embalmed. In his letter to General Worth, on the day of
the battle of Churubusco, he claims-a position for his command in the
front of the action. "South Carolina," he says, "is entitled to a place
in the picture." And his motto of his regiment--"Our State expects us
to do our duty, but to make no show of it"--is an expression strongly
characteristic not only of him, but of the noble-minded mother by whose
precepts, discipline, and example his character was formed. To her
judicious care, and the high example of their father, her sons owe the
large share they have exhibited of the old Greek feeling that they were
born for their country.
The parting of Mrs. Butler with her gallant son, on his departure for
Mexico, was cheered by no expectation of meeting again--his health being
greatly impaired. She gave him her last embrace with tearless eyes,
though with an agonized heart. Chosen as he was by the unanimous and
spontaneous call of the State to lead her forces, he could not refuse
to accept the trust; nor would his mother allow the exhibition of her
sorrow to impede him in the performance of his duty.
The youngest son, Leontine, died at the age of twenty-five. The only
daughter, Emmala E., was the wife of Hon. Waddy Thompson, late Minister
to Mexico.
A single anecdote of domestic management may serve to illustrate Mrs.
Butler's power over the minds trained by her, and her habit of making
use of slight occurrences to mould the character. The children of the
late Colonel Butler attended school in the village of Edgefield, where
she resides. One day when it rained violently, the children having been
provided with cloaks and umbrellas sent for the purpose, her grandson,
eleven years of age, observed that a little girl, the child of humble
parents, had no such protection. He gave her his arm and the shelter of
his umbrella, and conducted her home amid the jeers and laughter of his
young companions. The amount of moral courage required for this simple
act of courtesy and kindness, can be estimated when we consider the
sensitiveness to ridicule in a boy of such early age. His grandmother's
expression of approval was sufficient reward, and she lost not the
opportunity of exhorting the generous child never to be ashamed of an
honorable action, however humble the object.
It may perhaps be seen, even in this brief and inadequate sketch, how
in the incidents of Mrs. Butler's early life, were developed the high
mental and moral qualities which marked her in after years, illustrated
in her actions, and sending forth so many streams of blessing. In her
children, whom she reared to usefulness, and whose devotion to her has
never faltered, her recompense has been found. Admired and beloved by
her descendants and friends--the object of the high regard and respect
of a large circle of acquaintance--she has yet the consciousness of
being able to contribute to the enjoyment and improvement of those
around her. It is but recently she has been called to mourn the death of
her only daughter, worthy of her in her elevated principles, her gentle
yet lofty spirit, and her grace and benignity of nature. The death of
the brother whom she loved--Colonel Butler--it is said, was the blow
which consigned her to an untimely grave. The memory of her amiable and
noble qualities, and her deep and unaffected piety, is warmly cherished
in the hearts of her kindred and friends.