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

[878] vacancy, and I have urged the names of Meade and Sherman, and Hancock for Meade's place as brigadier. There is some obstacle in the way and I can't remove it. I am not certain what it is, but can guess. Perhaps you will be enlightened a little by knowing what are some of the outside influences. I understand the names of Butler and Sickles have been strongly urged by politicians, in order, they say, to break down “West Point influence.” It will not be difficult to draw conclusions. This is entre nous.

Yours truly,

H. W. Halleck.

The motive becomes clearer when he accuses with me Major-General Sickles, the hero of Gettysburg, without whose movements that great Union-saving battle never would have been fought, and who lost a limb on the field, or the battle would have been followed up, I doubt not. Sickles' friends were pressing him for a promotion thus well earned (I had none to press me), because he was a volunteer general, one of the civilian generals. But West Point must have the possession of the regular army.

This called to mind my own unfortunate condition, which was like Sickles' in this one respect. We were both prominent Democrats. War was not our trade. We had left our professions, where we were receiving lucrative employment very far beyond the piled — up emolument of the generals of the regular army, to give our services in doing what we could toward saving the country. That left us both without any influence of politicians, because Democratic politicians had no influence, and because we were the objects of the jealousy of the Republican politicians of our respective States.

All the generals in the army who were Republicans had members of Congress and senators of their own States to take care of their interests and advance them by every sort of Congressional action and influence upon the department. Although I served during the war and did some things which caused members of Congress of other States to bring my name before Congress, so that I received a vote of thanks in one House for my administration in New Orleans, yet any motion in my behalf, brought forward by either senator or representative from Massachusetts where all were Republicans, yet remains to be made. The nearest approach to it was this President Lincoln recommended that one of the Twiggs swords of the