Pierce Butler's Letters to George Cadwalader from Fort Lafayette

Pierce Butler’s letters to George Cadwalader from Fort Lafayette Historical Society of Pennsylvania, George Cadwalader Papers, Collection 1454, Box 411, Folder 3, Correspondence: June-December 1861 Letter #1 Fort Lafayette, Aug. 24, 1861 [Answ. 4 th Sept. 1861] My dear George, After we parted at Camden [New Jersey] on the day of my arrest, nothing occurred until our arrival at New York. The Marshall, his assistant and myself walked to the Aston House, where we stayed about two hours. I wrote a note to Fanny from there, and one to my daughter Fanny at Lenox, to let them know of my arrest. We took a carriage and drove to Fort Hamilton; we reached there at 2 o’c in the morning, and after the necessary ceremonies to gain admittance, we were introduced to Lieut. Col. Martin Burke, 2 nd Artillery, who commands that Fort as well as this one. He received us courteously, and after a brief explanation by the Marshall, I was tranferred in a boat to this Fort. Lieut Chas. O. Wood, 9 th Infantry commands here; Lieut Sterling, 1 st Infantry is second in command; there are about fifty recruits not yet assigned; these, and a sergeant of ordanance constitute the whole force. Mayor [C-y?] [of Baltimore?] is also at Fort Hamilton, but I have not seen him. I found fifteen citizen prisoners here on my arrival on Tuesday morning; I made the sixteenth; four have come in since, to that we have twenty. More are expected. None of those here were taken in arms. We are lodged in the lower casemates, six prisoners are in our casemate, each having a single bed. We are allowed to have our meals furnished by the wife of the Sergeant of Ordinance, who gives us two comfortable meals at a charge of dollar a day to each person; breakfast at 8 o’c. and dinner at 3. We exercise in the quadrangle of the Fort from seven to eight in the morning and from half after five to half after six in the evening. At other times, we remain in our rooms, or sit outside the doors, and we may pass to the other casemates to visit our fellow prisoners. At 9.15 p.m. the lights are put out, and we must be in bed. Thus you perceive we have as much liberty inside the Fort as we desite, and our treatment is kind. No visitors are admitted: an order from Lieut Gen. Scott alone will admit any one. Our letters are of course seen by the Commander before they are sent away, and those written to us must be left open, and enclosed to “Lieut Col. Burke, Fort Hamilton, Long Island, N.Y.” I have been this particular in my description of this place because as you have commanded Forts and held prisoners of state, I thought it might interest you. I am not in want of anything. We are allowed to receive whatever is sent to us, and anything that we may order for ourselves from New York. We get the daily New York newspapers. I have written to C[harles] H[enry] F[isher] to ask him to pay the balance on the mortage to Mr. James; and I have written to the latter to say that I wish the whole sum invested in the 5 per cent loan of the State of Penna and if he agrees with me in the propriety of this investment, he will request our counsel Mr. Wharton to obtain an order from the Court to this end, without waiting for my return to Philad a which is uncertain. I hope you had no difficulty about the keys in my office; I gave Mr. Milluard [?] a written memorandum where to find them. I should like very much to hear from you in regard to the examination of my papers, and whether the Marshall found anything which he thought necessary to send to Washington. He promised me that he would not go to my office except in your company, and that he would make the examination of my papers himself: if he has observed his promise, I am satisified. I have not made use of your card of introduction; there has been no occasion when I thought it would aide me. I will write to Fanny again. Yours ever affectionatley, Pierce Bulter We are requested to add the following post script to all of our letters: “It is my express desire that the contents of this letter or any part of it will not be put in such as situation as to be published in any newspaper.” P.B. Letter #2 Fort La Fayette, N.Y. Sept. 12, 1861 My dear George, Your kind letters of Aug. 27, Sept. 4 & 5, were duly received. I am much bound to you for all you have done for me, and for your offers to do anything I may call upon you to do. At present I want for nothing. When the money you handed me - $25 – was exhausted, I send a check on Bank North America, where I have money, to Mr. Hollis, and he sent me a bank draft on which I am now living. In regard to the prosposal of Mr. Fisher to borrow $20,000 on mortage, I have written fully to him, to Mr. G. M. Wharton and Capt. James. I object to loan on any mortage security in these perilous and uncertain times, and have named the loan of State of Penn a and City of Philad a Gas loan – not the common loan - as the best secured loans in my judgement, and on which, with an order of court, I am willing to invest the whole $40,000. Mr. Fisher understands my views, but I have not yet heard from Mr. Wharton or Capt. James in my reply. We have now about 64 prisoners – 17 seamen and the rest citizen prisoners. Dr. Wister, Sarah and Fanny came to see on Tuesday 10 th , and staid about three quarters of an hour; the interview was in the office of Lieut. Wood, Commander of the Fort, and in is presence. Dr. Wister returned home the same day, but the children came again yesterday the 11 th by permission of Col. Burke, and remained an hour. Mayor [?] [of Baltimore?] accompanied me there, and was present at the time. The orders from Washington do not permit any interviews, excepting in the presence of an officer. They, the children, have returned to Lenox: Sarah will write to you and I wish Fisher to see the letter; also Dr. Wister; Fisher will take it to him, in case you do not see him. I want you to know my views, that you may not dissaprove my course, or [?] any action that I may be compelled to take. I was glad to learn that my officer keys were in your possession, where I wish them to remain. You know that I had nothing to apprehend from an examination of my papers, but no one is pleased to have his private correspondence of years past, subjected to the vulgar curiosity of stangers: this you assume was not done, accepting so far as was necessary to convince the officers of the nature and dates of the letters. I am glad the examination was thorough. I think that my arrest must have been caused by false information lodged at Wash n by some person or persons residing in Philad a. I would give not a little to know who they are. I would like of all things – it is the only thing that I do desire very strongly - to have my case fairly examined in Philadelphia, the city of my birth and residence; and then my accusers, if there are any, would be compelled to show their faces. More than this I will not ask, and I hope that no friend of mine will ask anything more. If I leave this prison, it must be by right, and not by favour. I have no wish to be pardoned out. I annex, for your satisfaction and that of Fisher and Dr. Wister, a list of all and every fire arm I sent or took to the South; the character and disposition of them will satisfy you of my purpose. You may recollect that I spoke to you about rifled muskets, and that I wanted to get five or six to send to the plantation: I could not get them, and gave it up. Previously to last winter, I had no weapon of any kind, not even a shot-gun or pistol, on the plantation; and my desire was to establish a little armory in the house there, in case of any disturbance among the negroes. I am, My dear George, Yours very affectionately Pierce Butler P.S. You will recollect the post script to my last letter against publishing any part of what I write. P.B. [Attached list of every fire arm, enclosed in the letter above] A double barreled shot gun: the same that you selected for me years ago at old Constable’s in 2d St. and which J.T. Norton had for several years. A second hand ducking gun: bought for me by J.T. Norton last December (1860) – cost of $50. A pair of dueling pistols: belonged to my grandfather. A pair of small pocket pistols: purchased when I was a youth. I left the above all locked up in the house on the plantation. Two Colt’s Navy revolvers: I loaned the other to the overseer on Butler’s Island, and the other to a non-military friend in Savannah.

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