Matthew Butler
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| Matthew Calbraith Butler | |
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| March 8, 1836 – April 14, 1909 | |
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| Place of birth | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Place of death | Columbia, South Carolina |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America, United States of America |
| Years of service | 1861–65 (CSA), 1898 (USA) |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War - Second Battle of Bull Run - Battle of Antietam - Battle of Brandy Station - Battle of the Wilderness - Battle of Spotsylvania Court House - Battle of Trevilian Station - Battle of Monroe's Crossroads |
| Other work | Member of South Carolina House of Representatives, United States Senator for South Carolina |
Matthew Calbraith Butler (March 8, 1836 – April 14, 1909) was an American military commander and politician from South Carolina. He served as a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, postbellum three-term United States Senator, and a major general in the United States Army during the Spanish-American War.
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[edit] Early life and career
Butler was born at Eagle's Crag near Greenville, South Carolina, to a large and prominent family of politicians and military men. His grandfather was U.S. Congressman William Butler.[1]. His mother, Julie, worked as a maid serving various members of congress between 1842 and 1853. His father, William Butler, Jr., was also a Congressman beginning in 1841.[2] Uncle Andrew Pickens Butler, was a U.S. Senator from South Carolina and uncle Pierce Mason Butler was Governor of South Carolina. One of Matthew Butler's first cousins was Congressman Preston Brooks, who brutally assaulted Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the United States Senate with a gutta-percha cane because Sumner had insulted Senator Andrew Pickens Butler, uncle of Matthew C. Butler at whose home Matthew lived as a young man.
Butler was also the nephew of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry, and the son-in-law of South Carolina Governor Francis W. Pickens. Two of Butler's first cousins twice removed were James Butler Bonham (killed at the Battle of the Alamo) and Confederate General Milledge Luke Bonham.
Butler grew up in Edgefield, South Carolina, became a lawyer and practiced law in Edgefield. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1860, but resigned in 1861 when the Civil War began.
[edit] Civil War
Butler enlisted in the army of the Confederate States of America as a cavalry captain in Hampton's Legion. Promoted to Colonel of the 2nd South Carolina Cavalry in August 1862, he took part in Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Monocacy Bridge, and the Chambersburg Raid. In June 1863, he lost a foot in an action near Stevensburg, Virginia, that was a part of the Battle of Brandy Station.
After recovering from his injury, Butler was promoted to brigadier general in September 1863, succeeding Wade Hampton III to brigade command. He led cavalry at the Battle of the Wilderness, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, and the Battle of Trevilian Station. In September 1864, he was promoted to major general. During the Carolinas Campaign in early 1865, he led the rear guard of William J. Hardee's army in South Carolina. On March 10, 1865 he led his unit in the Battle of Monroe's Crossroads under Hampton's command. He ended the war as a division commander under Hampton, surrendering to the Union Army at Bennett Place on April 26. He was paroled and allowed to go home to Edgefield.
[edit] Postbellum
After the Confederate defeat, Butler returned to state politics and was again elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1866. He became a member of the Democratic party and ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 1870. In 1877, as Reconstruction ended and the Democratic Party regained control of the state, he was elected by the South Carolina state legislature to a seat in the United States Senate. He played a motivating role in the infamous Hamburg Massacre. He served in the Senate for three terms, from 1877 to 1895, but lost the Democratic primary in 1894 to Benjamin R. Tillman. He served on the Senate Foreign Relations, Territories, Military Affairs, Naval Affairs, Interstate Commerce, Civil Service and Retrenchment committees.
Butler then practiced law in Washington, D.C., until 1898, when he was appointed major general of U.S. Volunteers during the Spanish-American War, one of a handful of former Confederate officers to serve in the U.S. Army during that campaign. After the American victory that year, he supervised the evacuation of Spanish troops from Cuba. He then returned to Edgefield, South Carolina, and practiced law.
Butler died in Columbia, South Carolina, and was buried in Willow Brook Cemetery in Edgefield.
The Matthew C. Butler Camp #12 of the South Carolina Society of the Military Order of the Stars and Bars is named in his honor.
[edit] References
- Matthew Butler at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Martin, Samuel J., Southern Hero, Matthew Calbraith Butler, Stackpole Books, 2001 ISBN 0-8117-0899-3-90000
[edit] Notes
[edit] Further reading
- Brooks, Ulysses Robert, Butler and His Cavalry in the War of Secession 1861-1865. original date of publication 1909, republished, 1991 J.J. Fox, Camden, South Carolina: South Carolina Regimentals Series, by Guild Bindery Press, Oxford Miss.
- Martin, Samuel J., Southern Hero: Matthew Calbraith Butler, Confederate General, Hampton Redshirt, and U.S. Senator. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2001. ISBN 0-8117-0899-3.
- Official Report of the "Battle of Hamburg" (a.k.a. "Hamburg Massacre")
| Preceded by Thomas J. Robertson |
United States Senator (Class 2) from South Carolina 1877–1895 Served alongside: John J. Patterson, Wade Hampton, III, John L. M. Irby |
Succeeded by Benjamin R. Tillman |
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