|
Chapter 3: William O. Butler of Kentucky |
 |
 |
 |
To appreciate the rich history of our county we need to know something of the biography of the man whose name our county bears. William Orlando Butler was one of the most distinguished of the many distinguished sons of Kentucky.
He was of Irish descent and of a family of great military prominence. In the Revolutionary War, the five sons of Thomas Butler were so outstanding that General Washington gave a toast: "To the Butlers and their five sons," and Lafayette supplemented with "When I wanted a thing well done I had a Butler do it." In 1784 Percival Butler, one of the five sons of Thomas Butler, moved to Kentucky. There he married Mildred Hawkins and settled in Jessamine County where William O. Butler was born April 19, 1791.
In 1796 Percival Butler moved to the mouth of the Kentucky River, establishing a large estate near the town of Carrollton, once called Port William. On a knoll above the valley of the Kentucky and Ohio Rivers he built a large two room log house with a runway between the two rooms. Here young William grew up. Later as the family fortunes prospered a red brick house of eight rooms was built on a plateau higher up on the knoll. The approach to the brick house is by a long tree shaded drive, beginning near the south edge of Carrollton and continuing south up the gentle slope of the knoll. At the rear of the big house was a large kitchen built of stone and connected to the house by a covered passageway open at the sides. The cooking was done in a huge fireplace at the south end of the kitchen. The well was by the side of the kitchen but has been filled as a safety measure. The house is now open to the public during the day as a museum. It is furnished in authentic furniture of its period. In one room is a picture of William O. Butler and also a picture of his father, Percival Butler.
William O. Butler graduated from Transylvania University in 1812 and then commenced to the study of law in Lexington, Kentucky, under the celebrated Robert Wickliffe, but this was soon interrupted by the War of 1812. He enlisted as a private, went to Michigan and was taken prisoner in the Battler of the River Raisin. He escaped the massacre following the disaster in American arms. After much privation and suffering in prison camp in Fort Niagara, he was exchanged, made his way back to Kentucky and was commissioned a captain. He recruited a company of volunteers and joined the forces of General Andrew Jackson. The troops under Captain Butler's command performed valiantly and successfully in the battles of Pensacola and New Orleans. From June 17, 1816 to May 31 1817, he was aide de camp to General Jackson and was then a brevet major in military rank. The military genius of Major Butler was so
outstanding that General Jackson urged him to make the army his career and was very disappointed when he resigned his commission May 31, 1817, to resume the study of law. Upon completion of his law course, he returned to Carrollton, where he established a very successful law practice.
After the outbreak of the war against Mexico, President Polk appointed Mr. Butler a major-general of volunteers with assignment to General Taylor's command. He campaigned vigorously, was second in command at the battle of Monterey and was with General Scott at the capture of Mexico City. On February 18, 1848, General Butler was appointed commander of all the American armies in Mexico, which position he held until the treaty of peace was ratified May 28, 1848.
During the Civil War period General Butler was a Union Democrat and worked hard for the preservation of the Union, though now too old for military service. He was one of Kentucky's delegates to the Washington Peace Congress in February, 1861. The conference was an attempt to avoid civil war.
The military record of Butler gave him outstanding political opportunities. He was very active and very influential in the Democratic Party in his own state and in the nation. In 1848 he was the nominee of the Democrats for vice president on the ticket headed by Lewis Cass.
We have considerable curiosity as to why a new county in Missouri should be named for General Butler. We must guess at the reasons as we do not have the arguments used in the General Assembly. First, General Butler, in 1849, was at the peak of his popularity for his service in the war against Mexico. Second, many of the citizens of Missouri had migrated from Kentucky, and some of them were great political leaders in Missouri. We feel it was very natural for these Kentuckians, now Missourians, to wish to honor a famous man of their former home state. His native state of Kentucky has honored him with a state park near Carrollton, named, "General Butler State Park." The park includes land once a part of the famous Butler estate, the Butler home and the Butler family cemetery.
August 8, 1880, General William O. Butler died, then in his ninetieth year, great in service to his country as soldier, lawyer, public leader and farmer. The Butler family cemetery, inclosed by a low wall of stone, is tucked away in a tree shaded glen not far from the house. Here a modest headstone of white marble bears this inscription, "Maj. Gen. Wm. O. Butler. Born Apr. 19, 1791. Died Aug. 8, 1880." By his side is a similar white stone inscribed, "Eliza A. Todd, Dau. of Gen'l Rob't and Ann Todd, Wife of Gen'l Wm. O. Butler. Born Jan. 22, 1796. Died April 16, 1863." A few feet away is a marker for, "Gen. Percival Butler, Son of Thomas Butler and Eleanor parker, His Wife, of Kilkenny, Ireland.
Born Apr. 4, 1760. Died Sept. 9, 1821. He was a Captain of the Revolutionary Army and the last of the five gallant Butlers of the PA line."* By his side is a stone for, "Mildred Hawkins, Wife of Gen'l P. Butler. Dau of John Hawkins and Mary Langford. Wife, of Virginia." Nearby is a stone of Major Thomas B. Butler, a brother of William O. Butler.
In this tiny cemetery fifteen headstones of white marble mark the resting places of the Butlers and their kin by marriage, two of them generals and one a major. Quite a historic place.
We close our story of a great Kentuckian and a great American, William O. Butler, in whose honor our county was named Butler. As citizens, all of us, we have every right to be proud of the heritage of patriotism and public service bequeathed to us in the name of "Butler."
*Percival Butler came to Kentucky from Pennsylvania.
References: "Dictionary of American Biography," a leaflet on the Butlers distributed by the Kentucky State Park Board.
|
|