File:Autobiography and personal reminiscences of Major-General Benj. F. Butler; Butler's book (1892) (14769646412).jpg

Identifier: autobiographype00butl (find matches)
Title: Autobiography and personal reminiscences of Major-General Benj. F. Butler; Butler's book
Year: 1892 (1890s)
Authors: Butler, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1893
Subjects:
Publisher: Boston, A.M. Thayer
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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ordered to serve wherever thecommander-in-chief may direct. Now I have had some experience in digging canals. The reasonwhy my canal, which was well dug, did not succeed you know. Myexperience during the war has shown me that the army organizationis one of the very best for digging. Indeed, many of the troops havespent a large portion of their time in digging in forts and intrenchments,and especially the negroes, for they were always put into the work whenpossible. The United States wants a ship canal across the Isthmusof Darien at some proper and convenient point. Now, I know of aconcession made by the United States of Colombia of a strip thirtymiles wide across the Isthmus for that purpose. I have the confi-dence of the negroes. If you will put me in command of them, Iwill take them down there and dig the canal. It will cost the UnitedStates nothing but their pay, the clothing that they wear will beotherwise eaten by the moths, the arms are of no worth, as we have BUTLERS BOOK. 905
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BUTLERS BOOK. 9.07 so many of them in excess ; the wagons and equipments will other-wise rust out. I should set one third of them to digging. I shouldset another third to building the proper buildings for shelter and therest to planting the ground and raising food. They will hardly needsupplies from the government beyond the first season, having vege-table supplies which they will raise and which will be best for theirhealth. After we get ourselves established we will petition Congressunder your recommendation to send down to us our wives and chil-dren. You need not send down anybody to guard us, because iffifty thousand well-equipped men cannot take care of ourselvesagainst anybody who would attack us in that neighborhood, we arenot fit to go there. We shall thus form a colony there which willprotect the canal and the interests of the United States against theworld, and at least we shall protect the country from the guerilla war-fare of the negro troops until the danger from it is ov

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