The Beast of New Orleans

Paper Summary:

General Butler was the occupying commander of New Orleans from May 1, 1862 to December 1862-seven months. The paper describes how Butler was vilified in New Orleans, the Confederate States and in some foreign countries, while being honored as a civil war hero, political mediator between the races and brilliant administrator in the North. The paper examines how one man, in just seven months, could create such an enduring negative legacy among the people of New Orleans. It examines his convergence of social, economic, culture and personality traits which resulted in the creation of Benjamin Franklin Butler, "The Beast of New Orleans." The paper shows that Butler's behavior throughout the Civil War, particularly during his occupation of New Orleans, Louisiana, was a direct affront to the beliefs of the Southern mentality. His political haranguing, traitorous behavior and harsh treatment of southerners are legendary.

Table of Contents
Louisiana's Background--Emphasis on New Orleans
Benjamin F. Butler's Background
Outbreak of the Civil War
The Siege of New Orleans
The Occupation of New Orleans
Butler the Extremist
New Orleans Women's Resistance Movement
The Women's Order
Official Southern Reaction to the Women's Order
Butler the Opportunist
President Jefferson Davis' Proclamation
Lasting Effects of Butler's Occupation Butler's Continued Attack of the People of New Orleans after the Civil War
Effect on the People of New Orleans Before and After the Civil War

From the Paper:

"Order No. 28 deserves to be explained in layman's terms. Butler is in effect stating that if the women of New Orleans did not cease and desist with their resistance agenda they would be treated as prostitutes and dealt with accordingly. Meaning, "any woman who didn't want to be raped by Yankee soldiers, now kept her silence on the streets."
To truly understand the impact of this Order it is important to realize the social climate in which it was given. The world at large was still a chivalric place. Men were brought up to defend the honor of a woman's virtue. The people of the southern United States took this practice with the utmost seriousness. With war raging on their home soil, the defense of the women took on a new importance.

Butler was saying that the women who were trying to thwart the Union occupation were no better than a common trollop was. This riled up the fervor of the Confederate men, and brought outrage from abroad as well. "The Beast" was born."

More papers on The Beast of New Orleans:

• Essay # 87574 : "The Future of New Orleans: A Sociological Examination"
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• Book Review # 105572 : " Robert Moses and the Fall of New York City "

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