When the Devil Came Down to Dixie: Ben Butler in New Orleans

One of the most robust and astonishing characters of the Civil War, Major General Benjamin Butler has long deserved a modern biographer. He finally has a skilled one in Chester G. Hearn, author of The Capture of New Orleans, 1862. Butler headed the federal occupation of New Orleans, where he quickly imposed order on a rebellious city. He also made out like a bandit, diverting an enormous amount of money into his personal coffers. High society scorned him for his infamous "Woman Order," in which he castigated the "women (calling themselves ladies) of New Orleans" for rudeness toward his troops. An international furor erupted over this purported slight to southern womanhood, but history has always appreciated its comic element. "Butler--no matter where he was or what he did--attracted trouble," writes Hearn, who has given us a good rendering of an unforgettable man.