Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[310] furnished to him by his town, to the same extent and amount that the State would be bound to afford to other enlisted men, from and after this date, if the same is not paid by the Commonwealth to them as to other Massachusetts soldiers; and all soldiers enlisting in your regiment may do so upon the strength of this guarantee.

I have no doubt upon this subject whatever. The Commonwealth will not permit her soldiers to suffer or be unjustly dealt with, under whosoever banner they may enlist.

The only question that will be asked will be, Are these men in the service of their country, shedding their blood in defence of its Constitution and laws? If so, they stand upon an equality with every other man who is fighting for his country, and will be treated by the State with the same equal justice, whatever may be the wounded pride or over-weening vanity of any man or set of men.

I love and revere the justice, the character, the equity, the fame, and name of our glorious old Commonwealth too much to doubt of this for a moment, and will at any time peril whatever I may have of private fortune, upon the faith engendered by that love and reverence.

Accept for yourself, personally, and for your officers, my most earnest thanks for the energetic services which you have rendered in the recruitment of your excellent regiment.

Most truly your friend,

Benj. F. Butler, Major-General Commanding.

That was thought by some newspapers to be a very risky and hazardous undertaking on my part. But again they were mistaken; there was no risk in it. The towns paid the State aid, and as every town wanted every soldier enlisted in it to be credited to its quota, I knew they would, as they did, pay the State aid, and there was neither risk nor hazard about it. Besides I knew a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush, and therefore I got an order from the War Department that all troops enlisted under my command should have a month's pay in advance, and the governor could not get any such inducement. My enlistments were for special service, and he had declined to enlist anybody for that special service.

My enlistments went on. Besides Colonel Jones' regiment I raised two other regiments in Massachusetts, and named them the Eastern and Western Bay State Regiments. I appointed the