MARC Record from marc_columbia

LEADER: 03467fam a2200409 a 4500
001 2054365
005 20220615193723.0
008 970411s1997 laua b s001 0beng
010 $a 97016092
020 $a0807121800 (alk. paper)
035 $a(OCoLC)36783819
035 $a(OCoLC)ocm36783819
035 $9AMT7371CU
035 $a(NNC)2054365
035 $a2054365
040 $aDLC$cDLC$dNNC$dOrLoB-B
043 $an-us-la$an-us---
050 00 $aE467.1.B87$bH43 1997
082 00 $a973.7/092$aB$221
100 1 $aHearn, Chester G.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n91040773
245 10 $aWhen the devil came down to Dixie :$bBen Butler in New Orleans /$cChester G. Hearn.
260 $aBaton Rouge :$bLouisiana State University Press,$c1997.
263 $a9710
300 $axii, 260 pages 20 unnumbered pages of plates :$billustrations ;$c24 cm
336 $atext$btxt$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$bn$2rdamedia
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [241]-251) and index.
520 $aControversy still rages concerning Major General Benjamin F. Butler's administration in New Orleans during the second year of the Civil War. Some historians have extolled the general as a great humanitarian, while others have vilified him as a brazen opportunist, agreeing with the wealthy of occupied New Orleans who labeled him "Beast" Butler. In this thorough examination of Butler's career in the Crescent City, noted historian Chester G. Hearn reveals that both assessments are correct.
520 8 $aAs a criminal lawyer prior to becoming a politician, Butler learned two great lessons - how to beat the rich and powerful at their own game, and how to succeed as a felon without being caught. In New Orleans, Hearn demonstrates, Butler drew on these lessons, visibly enjoying power, removing those who questioned his authority, and delighting in defeating his opponents.
520 8 $aBecause of his remoteness from Washington, he was able to devise his own rules as he went along, surrounding himself with trusted friends and family members who had no choice but to keep his secrets lest they incriminate themselves.
520 8 $aButler made every effort to humble the rich, who abhorred him, and whose sordid characterizations of his regime - some true, some not - became legendary. As Hearn explains, Butler's legacy of corruption clouded many admirable aspects of his administration. He championed the poor, many of whom would have starved had he not fed and employed them. He also established sanitation policies that helped rid the city of disease and saved the lives of thousands of New Orleans' less fortunate.
520 8 $aVividly describing Butler's childhood and his political career before and after the war, Hearn deftly places Butler's New Orleans reign in the context of his entire life. He also offers fascinating new information on Butler, including the first investigation of his suspicious accumulation of great wealth late in life.
600 10 $aButler, Benjamin F.$q(Benjamin Franklin),$d1818-1893.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85363511
650 0 $aGenerals$zUnited States$vBiography.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2008105089
610 10 $aUnited States.$bArmy$vBiography.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140616
651 0 $aNew Orleans (La.)$xHistory$yCivil War, 1861-1865.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85091384
852 00 $bglx$hE467.1.B87$iH43 1997