Scope and Content Note
The papers of Benjamin Franklin Butler (1818-1893) span the years 1778-1929 with the bulk of the material dating from 1861 to 1893. The collection consists of correspondence, letterbooks, reports, military orders and dispatches, speeches, newspapers and newspaper clippings, and other papers concerning Butler's legal career, his Civil War commands, his service in the United States Congress as a representative from Massachusetts, his election as governor of Massachusetts, and his candidacy for president. The papers are organized into the following series: Personal File, General Correspondence, Legal File, Speeches and Writings, Subject File, Printed Matter, Letterbooks, Miscellany, and Oversize.
Correspondence makes up the largest portion of the Butler Papers, and it can be found throughout the collection. The two largest groupings of correspondence are in the General Correspondence and Letterbook series. The General Correspondence series spans the years 1830-1894 and consists primarily of letters received. The Letterbooks are comprised of two groups of bound volumes. Set A covers the Civil War years and Set B covers the period 1875-1893. Set A contains copies of letters sent and letters received by Butler. Set B consists of copies of letters sent by Butler. Set A is accompanied by an index volume. Volumes in Set B contain indexes of correspondents. Correspondents include military and political figures, constituents, and former soldiers. They are concerned with issues on the national level as well as matters in the state of Massachusetts.
Documents from the Civil War are found throughout the collection and focus on his commands in Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia. Subjects include the capture of Fort Clark and Fort Hatteras in North Carolina, Butler's service as military governor of New Orleans, the Petersburg Campaign, and the Fort Fisher expedition. Included is correspondence with French and Spanish consuls in New Orleans. Among the correspondence in the Personal File series are letters to Butler from his wife, Sarah Hildreth Butler, that were written during the Civil War. Her 1864 letters were written at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia.
While serving as a member of the United States Congress, Butler chaired a special committee in 1867 to investigate the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He was also appointed by the House of Representatives to serve as a manager of the impeachment proceedings against President Andrew Johnson. Material on these topics is in the General Correspondence, Speeches and Writings, and Subject File series. Included in the General Correspondence file is a July 20, 1867 letter with a detailed account from Charles Augustus Leale, a surgeon who witnessed Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre and remained with him until his death.
The General Correspondence series is the largest segment of the Butler Papers. In addition to correspondence, it contains related material such as statements, notes, and printed matter. Arranged chronologically, it spans his life as a lawyer, military officer, member of Congress, governor of Massachusetts, and presidential candidate. It supplements topics covered in the Legal File and Subject File series.
The Legal File contains material relating to Butler's career as a lawyer as well as a few files relating to legal cases in which Butler was the defendant. Among the cases relating to the Civil War are Ex parte Milligan and United States v. Farragut. Butler was the attorney for Simon Cameron in the breach of promise case Oliver v. Cameron. Items relating to that case include reports from detectives from the Pinkerton's National Detective Agency.
The Speeches and Writings series contains speeches made by Butler while he was a military officer, representative in the United States Congress, governor of Massachusetts, and presidential candidate. The writings section is less extensive. It includes a small portion of a draft of his 1892 autobiography.
The Subject File relates to various aspects of Butler's life and career more fully documented in the General Correspondence and Speeches and Writings series. Topics include military commands, political campaigns, and his work in the United States Congress in the 1860s and 1870s.