Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Matthew Galbraith Butler. (By James Henry Rice, Jr.) General Butler is a subject : which Lord McCaulay would ha-* reveled. Indeed part of McCaulay matchless talent was expended on tl dukes of Ormond, to whom the Bu lers claim kinship. While the late George D. Tillnu may have stretched things a bit fi in terming General Butler "the be blooded man in America," in blur ing out in the constitutional convei tion of 1895, yet "it would be a lon time before the equal of M. C. Bu 1er in intelligence and patriotisi would sit in the United States sei ate," it is still true that his lineage : illustrious; his patriotism withot taint. Men of his race have won dil tinction in every crisis of America history. Their women have shon with charm of manner, grace of min and beauty of person in the highes stations of America's social realn Matthew Calbraith Butler was th son of Dr. William Buder and hi wife, Jane Tweedy (Perry). He wa boru on Lowndes and Butler Hil some four miles from Greenville. Dr. William Butler again was th second son of General William But 1er and his wife, Behethland Moor Foote Butler. There clusters romance about Di William Butler's marriage. Gradu?t ing at South Carolina college, <y to rode horseback to Philadelphia, ii companw with a man named Hill from Wilkes county, Ga. Remaininj at Philadelphia until graduating, h< rode back home to Greenville. Whih assistant surgeon in the navy, anc walking the deck of his ship anchor ed in the harbor of Newport, R. I. he saw a young girl promenading by It was a case of love at first sight and they were shortly married ir New York City, at the house of Com modore Matthew Calbraith Perry, an older brother of Commodore Oli ver Hazard Perry, who gained th? famous victory on Lake Erie over th? British. Dr. Butler and his 16 year old bride came South on horseback and settled on the family plantation over the river from Saluda Old Town (now Saluda). Four children born here all died of malaria, which raged like a pestilence in the up country at that time. Thereupon Dr. Butler moved to the place near Greenville with his wife, where 12 more children were bom to them. Gov. B. F. Butler was fond of telling about' Mrs. Butler. He wrote a sketch of her , from which and from divers other accounts, she must have been a woman of rare charm and force of character. Hav ing been appointed agent to the Cherokee Indians by President Polk, Dr. Butler traveled across country to Fort Gibson, Ark., then the nearest point to civilization. His work lay in Indian territory, now Oklahoma. He died in 1850 and his son, George, was appointed agent in his stead. Judge A. P. Butler of Edgefield and Comndr. M. C. Butler both asked for a boy to educate and adopt. The choice fell on Matthew Calbraith Butler, who arrived in Edgefield on a cold bleak November day, describ ed as "a little sickly pickle-faced boy" with only a grip. William Pulas ki Butler, a merchant at Edgefield, fitted him out in clothes and sent him out to his uncle at Shorelands, five miles from Edgefield. Here he enjoyed the motherly influence of Judge Butlers' mother, Behethland Moore Foote Butler, one of "he hero ines of the Revolutionary. Going to South Carolina college, Butler left during the "Rebellion" and took up the study of law un der his uncle, Judge A. P. Butler. It was on this trip to Judge Butler's plantation that, in passing through Edgefield, he stopped at "Edgewood" and met his future wife, a daughter of Colonel Francis Wilkinson Pick ens, later Governor Pickens of South Carolina. There was an affair on at once, for Calbraith Butler made love as he fought and spokej going straight at it. Colonel Pickens, how ever, quite a wealthy man, objected on the score of the young man's pov erty. This recalls General Butler's own account when somebody in Washington said one day: "General, I understand that your family in South Carolina was one of great wealth before the war/' "They lied on us," said the general, without moving a muscle, "the Butlers black ed their shoes and went with the good folks; but none of them had any money." All through his life, whatever else may be said, General Butler was wholly without pretense. Gentlemen always are. It is the son of an over seer of a mushman that puts on airs. Although objecting to the match, Colonel Pickens was soon to have trouble enough of his own. He had been twice widowed. His first wife, Eliza Simkins, daughter of Hon. El dred Simkins, a pupil of Moses Wad dell, at Wiiiington, and later immor talized by Calbraith Butler made love as the Family Provided for; his sec ond wife was Marion Deering of Athens, Ga. Here fate took a hand in the af fairs of Mathew Calbraith Butler, as it did several times afterward. Colonel Pickens was getting ready for the trip to White Sulphur Springs in Virginis. He was heading straight into danger, although he little reck oned it. He rounded up old Harper, the coachman, old Mose Wallace, baggage wagon negro, Henry Crook er, footman and gate opener, and Robert, a small boy, who had Dolly, the saddle mare, hitched to the bug gy. In June, 1857, the cavalcade be gan its journey to the springs, resting and relaying at Columbia, Charlotte, Raleigh Richmond, and other places, until they landed at White Sulphur Springs for the late summer. In his plans for business and poli tics the coming fall, all fully ma tured, Colonel Pickers failed to in clude Lucy Holcombe; but there she was, standing right across his plans! Radiant, glorious, with the sunshine of the prairies on her brow and the roses of Virginia in her cheeks, and queenliest woman known to Ameri ca's history, she was destined to stirke dumb all beholders in that cen ter of female loveliness, St, Peters burg of the Tsars. Porty years after this event, I stood before her at Edgewood, as she handed me a life of her distinguished husband inscribed with her name, and the royalty had not left her, a woman that called up Byron's lines: "Who hath not felt his sinking heart and lips confess The might, the majesty of loveliness" Colonel Pickens went' down "all in a heap." He was done far. The radi ant beauty hearkened to his wooing this far. She consented on one condi tion only. He must secure an ambas sadorship. Now what is an ambassa dorship between frier.ds? Colnel Pickens and James Buchan an sat side by side in congress. They were close friends, and friend ship has always figured in the Butler annals. Colonel Pickens went to Buchanan at once and got what he wanted, the ambassadorship to St. Petersburg; but this was not all. His plantations were on his hands. They had to be looked after. Perhaps somebody close to him and interested vitally in Cal braith Butler spoke to him on. the subject! Anyway he told his daugh ter that she might now marry that poor, but handsome and brilliant, young Butler, who could look after things while he was away. Then he rushed out to Texas and married his lady love, taking her forthwith to St. Petersburg with John E. Bacon, chief secretary, and Franklin J. Moses, as sistant-the Governor Moses of the plunder days. Early in 1858 Matthew Calbraith Butler and Maria Simkins Pickens were married and their first son, now Dr. F. W. P. Butler, of Columbia, says he "discovered America on De cember 8, 1858." (Named for his grandfather, Francis Wilkinson Pick ens.) Now we come to Butler, the man. Some time before his marriage, my father told me, he was passing up Main street in Greenville, when a young man walked out of the old Mansion house, with a cape flung carelessly over his shoulder, and a sporting stick in his hand. It was the most superb type of physical man hood he had ever beheld, and he ask ed the first passerby who was the young man. "Oh! that is young Cal braith Butler." The same impression was made on the French ambassador at the York town celebration in 1881. When ask ed to pick out the most distinguished man in that gathering, where distin guished men from every country un der the sun were thick as hops, he pointed out Gen. M. C. Butler, with out a minute's hesitation. Even to the last he would be selected any where by anybody as the most distin guished man in any assemblage of men. In 1859 he was elected to the legislature, but on the outbreak of war he entered service as captain of the Edgefield Hussars. In a year he was colonel of the Second South Carolina regiment. At the head of his regiment he lost a leg at,Brandy Sta tion, June 9, 1863. Returning to the front as soon as he could mount a horse, and with his wound unhealed, he was made a brigadier, and, in Au gust, 1864, he becams a major gen eral at the age of 27. In the memorial address of the Veterans' Association of the Dis trict pf Columbia, it is said: "Well might it be said of him, when he mounted for a fray, that the ste?d knew his master, for one who was a master sat upon the steed. The arched neck our Scripture clothes * with chunder was a likeness of rider's mettle. Horse and horsen ride before us as the beau ideal what the mind represents itself chivalry, as knighthood. Not ofi have the heavens bestowed a fi and form of more natural fascii tion, the more fascinating that c saw therein a natural grace 'beyo the reach pf art.' The grace was added fascination to the prowess tl so dauntlessly leaped forth." Butler's last ' battle, the raid Kilpatrick's camp, just a month 1 fore the Confederacy collapsed, panegyrized by Edward L. Wells one of the finest actions in history. His appearance at the battle Brandy Station is thus described: "Moulded like an Apollo, with face as sweet and handsome as th of any god of old, he sat on his hoi like a typical South Carolinion, ? v? itable cavalier, gentle as any worni when comrades were assembled social converse or around the cam fires; fierce as any grenadier whi the foe was to be met face to fae He lost with his leg none'of that .u conquerable dash and suirit th made him a very Paladin in the ca airy corps .of the Army of Northei Virginia/' ?? In the storm of battle, as well, J in the storm of Reconstruction, Gei eral Butler was in his element. E was a man of deathless bravery, have heard him say, and know it I be true in my time, that he ?ev< carried a weapon in his life, exce] when on duty. At times in 187? knowing strife to be imminent, I he would put a pistol in the bugg. but he carried none on his person. After the war, when the provisioi al government had failed and thing went from bad to worse, Genen Butler, like Gen. James Conner an others, thought the best course wa a compromise with the better ele ments of the Republicans in order t save the state. Later," however, whe it was determined to make a straighl out fight, there was a conference a the home of Gen. James Conner i: Charleston, at which it was agree< that General Butler would write . letter to General Hampton in Missis sippi, offering him the nominatioi for governor. This he did. The let ter brought General Hampton ti South Carolina. When the convention met, one o: the most momentous in South Caro lina history, General Butler placet General Hampton in nomination ii one of the most vivid and eloquent orations ever uttered. The nomina tion was seconded by Col. Robert Al drich of Barnwell, in his hajipiesl vein, and seconded again, in a shorl speech by General M. W. Gary. How the fight gathered force, wit! Hampton's firm hand curbing the fiery spirits under him, who wanted nothing better than a fight, and how it swept the state for white supre macy, has been told over and over again. When the Democrats had gained control of the state the legislature elected General Butler to the United States senate. He was placed in nom ination by Joseph Brevard Kershaw. It may well be doubted if any other man could have gained the seat after being elected; nor could General Butler have gained it but for a pe culiar incident. Old Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania had known and ad mired Judge A. P. Butler, General M. C. Butler's uncle, under whom he read law, before the war. So when he noticed a young and handsome man about the capitol, he inquired who was it, and was told that it was "young Butler,- just elected senator by the South Carolina legislature and trying to get seated." Cameron was a power in the Re publican party with numerous hench men scattered over many states. He took a hand in the fray and sent out order:; all along the line that Butler must be seated, and he was seated. This was the first of many victories won for the state'in the senate. He made friends of the leading Republi cans, who were willing and anxious to serve him whenever they could do so without compromising themselves at home. Here is a characteristic ex ample. General Butler asked Blaine: "Jim, you are a fine fellow down here, but how is it you get to be such a blackguard when you are loose in Maine, raving at the South and all that sort of thing?" Drawing close and with his winning smile, Blaine said: "It's politics, my dear fellow, nothing but politics." As an orator on the stump General Butler had few equals anywhere in the nation and completely discomfit ed Thomas E. Watson in 1891. I remember him well in 1876 and heard him speak then and in 1878. It was 1878 that he told the follow ing story, when so many Republicans, Judge Cook among them, wished to seek shelter in the Democratic fold: Once war raged between beasts -> and birds (he did not say ani mals, as most orators would, showing his nice, instinctive use of language). Led by the lion and the tiger, the beasts gained the upper hand and the bat came out of his cave and hopped around like a mouse, claiming kin ship with the beasts. By and by the eagle, the condor and other powerful birds joined the fray and sent the beasts flying, and the bat began to fly around with the birds; but the birds would have none of him and ran him back to his caves, where he still abides. These repentant Republicans, General Butler said, were nothing but bats. We wanted none of them. This swept the crowd. Whether General Butler could have maintained himself in these frenzied mobs of lunatics, which as semble these days, may be doubted. He was a gentleman, with a gentle man's instinctive loathing for vulgar ity, obscenity and filth. In his youth and all during 1876 white men were gentlemen-at least gentlemen pre dominated, whereas now gentlemen are so scarce at these gatherings as to be not worth reckoning. But he filled the need of his time. His voice was strong, mellow and powerful. His presence, with its background of military distinction and dauntless courage, was a mighty coadjutor to the eloquence of his words. During the many delightful con ferences at his home in Barnwell, in 1891, where almost nightly Col. Rob ert Aldrich and myself foregathered, he told me that General Butler was the logical man to run for governor in 1892, stood the best chance of election, although he doubted if he could be elected. "If Butler does not run, he will walk the plank next time any how; but if he runs, he will gain a powerful following and may retain his seat in the senate." Wise and prophetic words by the wisest politi cal philosopher of the generation, al beit a failure in practical politics. It it best, I think, to leave alone this question right now. It can add noth ing to the estimate of General But ler. He made a grave political mis take in attempting to win over men, whose help would have amounted to nothing if he said it, and lost there by the friends of a lifetime. Seldom indeed does any man pos sess power to grasp a changing po litical situation, when he is absent from the scene. It is an old story in political annals. Instead it will be better to look at another side of his character. When I was making a fight to save the birds of the state and trying to educate our people to the value cf them, Gen eral Butler gave serious attention to the subject. He would be the last man one would expect attention from on such a subject. He knew nothing of natural history. His life had been away from it; and there was, as there still is, a large body of eminent South Carolinians whose minds can not focus on anything smaller than a horse. Yet Gen. M. C. Butler, cava lier of caavalitrs, representing a type that was the wonder and envy of the lesser fry, accumulated all the information he could, wrote me of ten for more and ended by writing to farmers all over Edgefield county, asking them to come to the court house and hear me explain the value of birds. I went. He introduced me. That was in the summer of 1908, the late summer. After I had spoken, he took up the salient points and drove them home in a magnificent way, then thanked me for coming-per haps his last public speech. That afternoon, standing by him at the station, we had a long chat. When the whistle blew, he grasped my hand-he could make the blood run through your veins like wine and looked me in the eyes. That was my last sight of Matthew Calbraith Butler, most brilliant of all South Carolina cavaliers since William Moultrie sank into an unknown grave.-The State. FOR SALE. One Ford car with a piston ring, Two rear wheels, one front spring. Has no fenders, seat or plank, Burns much gas and hard to crank. Carbureter's busted half way through Engine's missing: hits on two. Three years old, four in the spring; Shock absorbers, V everything, Radiators' busted, sure does leak; Differential's dry, can hear it squeak. Ten spokes missing, front all bent; Tires blowed out, 'taint worth a cent. Got lots o' speed, runs like the deuce, Bums either gas or tobacco juice, rires all off, been run to the rim But it's a damn good Ford for the shape it's in. If you want a Ford see Yonce. invigorating to the Pale and Sickly The Old Standard general strenetheniujr tot**:. 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