Benjamin F. Butler, Maj. Gen. (U.S. Civil War) Tumbler 20oz

Benjamin F. Butler, Maj. Gen. (U.S. Civil War) Benjamin Franklin Butler (1818-1893) was an American lawyer, politician, and Union Army major general during the American Civil War. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts before being appointed as a brigadier general in the Union Army following the outbreak of the Civil War. Butler gained prominence for his role in the capture of New Orleans in 1862, where he implemented the controversial 'contraband of war' policy, allowing African Americans who had been enslaved by Confederate forces to work as laborers for the Union Army without returning them to their previous owners. Despite controversy over some of his actions during the war, such as the incident known as the "Fort Taylor Affair," Butler was instrumental in several key campaigns, including the siege of Petersburg and the Appomattox Campaign leading up to Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. After the Civil War, Butler returned to politics and served as the Governor of Massachusetts twice, from 1883 to 1884 and from 1887 to 1890. He remains a significant figure in American military and political history.