Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Life and Public Services of Gen. William O. Butler: With His Letters and Speeches on Various Subjects
Of Thomas Butler, the third son, we glean the following facts from the American Biographical Dictionary. In the year' 1776, whilst he was a student of law in the office of the eminent Judge Wilson, of Philadel phia, he left his pursuit and joined the army as a subaltern. He soon obtained the command of a company, in which he continued to the close of the revolutionary war. He was in almost every action fought in the middle States, during the war. At the battle of Brandywine he received the thanks of Washington on the field of battle, through his aid-de-camp Gen. Hamilton, for his intrepid conduct in rallying a detachment of re treating troops, and giving the enemy a severe fire. At the battle of Monmouth he received the thanks of Gen. Wayne for defending a defile, in the face of a severe fire from the enemy, while Col. Richard Butler's regiment made good its retreat.
At the close of the war he retired into private life, as a farmer, and continued in the enjoyment of rural and domestic happiness until the year 1791, when he again took the field to meet the savage foe that me naced our western frontier. He commanded a battalion in the disastrous battle of November 4, 1791, in which his brother fell. Orders were given by Gen. St. Clair, to charge with the bayonet, and Major Butler, though his leg had been broken by a ball, yet on horseback, led his bat talion to the charge. It was with difficulty his surviving brother, Cap tain Edward Butler, removed him from the field. In 1792 he was continued in the establishment as major, and in 1794 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel commandant of the 4th sub-legion. He command ed in this year Fort Fayette, at Pittsburg, and prevented the deluded in surgents from taking it - more by his name than by his forces, for he had but few troops. The close of his life'was embittered with trouble. In 1803 he was arrested by the commanding general (wilkinson) at Fort Adams, on the Mississippi, and sent to Maryland, where he was tried by a court martial, and acquitted of all the charges, save that of wearing his hair. He was then ordered to New Orleans, where he arrived, to take command of the troops, October 20th. He was again arrested 'next month but the court did not sit until J uly' of the next year, and their decision is not known. Colonel Butler died September 7, 1805. Out of the arrest and prosecution of this sturdy, veteran, Washington I (knickerbocker) has worked up a fine piece of burlesque, in which Gen.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
