During the Civil War, General Butler’s headquarters in New Orleans, appeared to be cursed by Louisiana Voodoo. This tale was related by a New Orleans musician, who stated that the omnipotent military dictator of Louisiana, made numerous enemies of powerful residents of “The Big Easy.” Butler’s troops were adapting to their new environment and had made many friends in the river city, but their commanding officer kept “stirring the political pot,” closing newspapers, jailing clergy, suppressing prostitution, curtailing black markets, (except for his brother Andrew), restricting alcohol sales and instituting arbitrary martial law at his whim. If anything rubbed “Beast Butler” the wrong way, he would slap a general order on the offense and banish the offenders into oblivion. The General was not with out his own character defects, he also garnered the nickname, “Spoons Butler,” for his propensity of stealing silver spoons from homes, farms and plantations of the region. If a staff officer wanted to impress his boss, a satchel of spoons would do the trick.
The locals of New Orleans were just about at their wit’s end, with Butler’s edicts and restrictions of their easy-going life style. The residents had tried everything to assuage the “Beast,” southern charm, bribes, peaceful protests and prayer, but nothing had worked, so they resorted to methods that had held the populace in good stead, when all else failed. Louisiana Voodoo, that landed a curse, smack dab, on the potentate of New Orleans.
Louisiana Voodoo or New Orleans Voodoo, originates from the West African slaves of Louisiana and is a part of their religious beliefs that the original slaves of the area brought with them from Africa. It was practiced by the ethnic mix of French, Spanish and Creole, African-Americans of the region. The Voodoo concoction also contained a stealthy mix of Catholicism, referencing Christ and God, to give the incantations a holy flavor. Powders and ground roots, originating in Africa, gave the potions a mystical and unearthly power, that could affect necessary change or evil happenstance to the anointed. Talismans, headbands, bracelets, amulets and of course the infamous Voodoo figurines or dolls were all meant to impact or curse the recipient.
General Butler became the target of this unorthodox, ungodly and thoroughly uncivilized onslaught. Of course, “Beast Butler” didn’t put any stock in these heathen rituals of Voodoo curses or receiving dolls of his likeness, impaled with nails and thorns. However, a series of civil failures, military humiliation, an investigation of his brother Andrew’s shady practises and being relieved by General Grant in 1865 and sequestered to the backwater of Washington politics, would have made a believer of any rational human being.
According to the musician, who shared this tale, that “Old Black Magic,” was Butler’s New Orleans Curse and the source was Louisiana Voodoo.
Bummer
Bummer-
So glad to see you posting/re-posting again!
Of a personal note, my paternal GGGF, John Roark, an immigrant to Lowell, MA from County Leitrim, Ireland (UK) in1850, served with MG B.F. Butler in the Army of the Gulf (1861-1863) in Co B, 30th Mass Vol Inf Reg (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Carrollsburg LA, and 1st Investment of Vicksburg, MS.). and later served with MG N. P. Banks in the XIX Corps, Army of the Gulf. John Roark would later muster out of the Union Army in 1865 after serving in Co H of the 13th Veteran (Invalid) Reserve Corps in Boston, MA. My maternal GF, Edward F. Dougherty, served in the Spanish American War (1898) with Co C, 1st NJ Vol Inf Regt, and later (1935) served as the Commander of Camp 19, MG. Adelbert Ames, USWVs, in Lowell Mass. MG Ames won the CMOH in the 4th US Artillery (1861) and was the son-in-law of MG Butler.
The way Butler operated in New Orleans was sure to win him a rebuke sooner or later but it must have delighted people there to think they had a hand in his downfall. I suspect the only difference between him and the many other commanders Lincoln sacked earlier was proximity – it was easier to hide high-handed incompetence in Louisiana than in Virginia.
Louis,
Actually, Butler did organize several humanitarian efforts with the poor and infirm, however he well exceeded his level of incompetence in dealing with the rank and file. His omnipotent manner pushed the laid backs folks of New Orleans a little too far.
Bummer