Daniel Adams Butterfield (October 31, 1831 – July 17, 1901) was a
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
businessman, a
UnionThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
General in the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, and Assistant U.S. Treasurer in New York. He is credited with composing the
bugle callA bugle call is a short tune, originating as a military signal announcing scheduled and certain non-scheduled events on a military installation, battlefield, or ship. Historically, bugles, drums, and other loud musical instruments were used for clear communication in the noise and confusion of a...
TapsTaps is a famous musical piece, sounded by the U.S. military during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet. The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfield's Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done"....
and was involved in the
Black FridayBlack Friday, September 24 1869, also known as the Fisk/Gould Scandal, was a financial panic in the United States caused by two speculators’ efforts to corner the gold market on the New York Gold Exchange. It was one of several scandals that rocked the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant...
gold scandal in the
GrantUlysses S. Grant was general-in-chief of the Union Army from 1864 to 1869 during the American Civil War and the 18th President of the United States from 1869 to 1877....
administration. He was awarded the
Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
for his service during the Civil War.
Butterfield was born in
Utica, New YorkUtica is a city in the American state of New York, and the county seat of Oneida County.The city of Utica is situated within the region referred to as the Mohawk Valley and the Leatherstocking Region in Central New York State. Utica has an extensive park system, with winter and summer sports...
. He graduated in 1849 from
Union CollegeUnion College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in the wake of the American Revolution, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents...
in
Schenectady, New YorkSchenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 61,821, making it the ninth-largest city in New York...
where he became a member of the Sigma Phi Society and was employed in various businesses in New York and the South, including the
American ExpressAmerican Express Company , sometimes known as "AmEx", is a diversified global financial services company that is headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best known for its credit card, charge card, and...
Company, which had been co-founded by his father,
John Warren ButterfieldJohn Warren Butterfield was an operator of stagecoach and freight lines in the mid-1800s in the American Northeast and Southwest. He founded companies that became American Express and Wells Fargo. From 1858 to 1861 he ran a stage route running from St...
, an owner of the Overland Mail Company, stage-coaches, steamships, and telegraph lines.
Only days after
Fort SumterFort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
, despite having little military background beyond part-time militia activities, he joined the Army as a
first sergeant-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist rank in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff Sergeants...
in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
, on April 16, 1861.
Daniel Adams Butterfield (October 31, 1831 – July 17, 1901) was a
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
businessman, a
UnionThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
General in the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, and Assistant U.S. Treasurer in New York. He is credited with composing the
bugle callA bugle call is a short tune, originating as a military signal announcing scheduled and certain non-scheduled events on a military installation, battlefield, or ship. Historically, bugles, drums, and other loud musical instruments were used for clear communication in the noise and confusion of a...
TapsTaps is a famous musical piece, sounded by the U.S. military during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet. The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfield's Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done"....
and was involved in the
Black FridayBlack Friday, September 24 1869, also known as the Fisk/Gould Scandal, was a financial panic in the United States caused by two speculators’ efforts to corner the gold market on the New York Gold Exchange. It was one of several scandals that rocked the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant...
gold scandal in the
GrantUlysses S. Grant was general-in-chief of the Union Army from 1864 to 1869 during the American Civil War and the 18th President of the United States from 1869 to 1877....
administration. He was awarded the
Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
for his service during the Civil War.
Early life
Butterfield was born in
Utica, New YorkUtica is a city in the American state of New York, and the county seat of Oneida County.The city of Utica is situated within the region referred to as the Mohawk Valley and the Leatherstocking Region in Central New York State. Utica has an extensive park system, with winter and summer sports...
. He graduated in 1849 from
Union CollegeUnion College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in the wake of the American Revolution, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents...
in
Schenectady, New YorkSchenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 61,821, making it the ninth-largest city in New York...
where he became a member of the Sigma Phi Society and was employed in various businesses in New York and the South, including the
American ExpressAmerican Express Company , sometimes known as "AmEx", is a diversified global financial services company that is headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best known for its credit card, charge card, and...
Company, which had been co-founded by his father,
John Warren ButterfieldJohn Warren Butterfield was an operator of stagecoach and freight lines in the mid-1800s in the American Northeast and Southwest. He founded companies that became American Express and Wells Fargo. From 1858 to 1861 he ran a stage route running from St...
, an owner of the Overland Mail Company, stage-coaches, steamships, and telegraph lines.
Civil War
Only days after
Fort SumterFort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
, despite having little military background beyond part-time militia activities, he joined the Army as a
first sergeant-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist rank in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff Sergeants...
in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
, on April 16, 1861. Within two weeks he obtained a commission as a
colonelIn the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, Colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and just below the rank of Brigadier General. It is equivalent to the naval rank of Captain in the other uniformed services...
in the 12th New York Militia, which became the 12th New York Infantry. By July he commanded a
brigadeA brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army. Usually, a brigade is a sub-component of a division, a larger unit consisting of two or more brigades; however, some brigades are classified as a...
and by September he was a
brigadier generalA brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services.-...
.
Butterfield joined
Maj. Gen.In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general. Major general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the...
George B. McClellanGeorge Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
's
Army of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
for the
Peninsula CampaignThe Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
in the V Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen.
Fitz John PorterFitz John Porter was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War...
. In the
Seven Days BattlesThe Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
, at
Gaines' MillThe Battle of Gaines' Mill, also known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee renewed his attacks against...
on June 27, 1862, he was wounded, but also demonstrated bravery that eventually was recognized (in 1892) with the
Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
. The medal citation read: "Seized the colors of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers at a critical moment and, under a galling fire of the enemy, encouraged the depleted ranks to renewed exertion."
While the Union Army recuperated at Harrison's Landing, Virginia, from its grueling withdrawal during the Seven Days, Butterfield experimented with bugle calls and is credited with the composition of
Taps, probably the most famous bugle call ever written. He wrote
Taps to replace the customary firing of three rifle volleys at the end of burials during battle.
Taps also replaced
Tattoo, the French bugle call to signal "lights out". Butterfield's bugler, Oliver W. Norton of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers was the first to sound the new call. Within months,
Taps was sounded by buglers in both the Union and
ConfederateThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865. It was established in two phases with provisional and permanent organizations, which existed concurrently....
armies. (This account has been disputed by some military and musical historians, who maintain that Butterfield merely revised an earlier call known as the
Scott TattooThe term "Scott Tattoo" refers to the bugle call entitled "The Tattoo" as published in musical notation in an American military manual written by Major General Winfield Scott, first published in 1835...
and did not compose an original work. See External links section.)
Butterfield continued in brigade command at the
Second Battle of Bull RunThe Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederacy, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against...
and the
Battle of AntietamThe Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil...
, became division commander, and then V Corps commander for the
Battle of FredericksburgThe Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, from December 11 to December 15, 1862, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, is remembered as one of the most...
. His corps was one of those assaulting through the city and up against murderous fire from Marye's Heights. After the debacles of Fredericksburg and the
Mud MarchThe Mud March was an abortive attempt at a winter offensive in January 1863 by Major General Ambrose Burnside in the American Civil War.Following his defeat in the disastrous Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, Burnside was desperate to restore his reputation and the morale of his Army of...
, Maj. Gen.
Joseph HookerJoseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, fought in the Mexican-American War, and was a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
replaced
Ambrose BurnsideAmbrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
as Army of the Potomac commander and Butterfield became his chief of staff in January 1863. He was promoted to
major generalIn the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general. Major general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the...
in March 1863 with a date of rank of November 29, 1862.
Hooker and Butterfield developed a close personal, and political, relationship. To the disgust of many army generals, their headquarters were frequented by women and liquor, being described as a combination of a "bar and brothel". Political infighting became rampant in the high command and Butterfield was widely disliked by most of his colleagues. However, the two officers managed to turn around the poor morale of the army and greatly improved food, shelter, and medical support in the spring of 1863. During this period, Butterfield introduced another custom that remains in the Army today: the use of distinctive hat or shoulder patches to denote the unit a soldier belongs to, in this case the corps. He was inspired by the division patches used earlier by Maj. Gen.
Philip KearnyPhilip Kearny, Jr., was a United States Army officer, notably in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly.-Early life and career:...
, but extended those to the full army and designed most of the patches himself.
Hooker was replaced after the
Battle of ChancellorsvilleThe Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville and the area from there to the east at Fredericksburg. The battle pitted Union Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's Army...
by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, just before the
Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of...
. Meade distrusted Butterfield, but elected to retain him as chief of staff. Butterfield was wounded by a spent artillery shell fragment at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, and left to convalesce. Meade removed him as chief of staff on July 14, 1863.
After Gettysburg, Butterfield actively undermined Meade, in cooperation with Maj. Gen.
Daniel SicklesDaniel Edgar Sickles was a colorful and controversial American politician, Union General in the American Civil War, and diplomat....
, another crony of Hooker's. Although the battle was a great Union victory, Sickles and Butterfield testified to the
Joint Committee on the Conduct of the WarThe Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was a United States Congressional investigating committee created to handle issues surrounding the American Civil War. It was established on December 9, 1861, following the embarrassing Union defeat at the Battle of Ball's Bluff, at the instigation of...
that Meade vacillated and planned as early as July 1 to retreat from Gettysburg, damaging his reputation. Butterfield's chief evidence for this assertion was the Pipe Creek Circular that Meade had his staff prepare before it became apparent that there would be a battle at Gettysburg.
Butterfield returned to duty that fall as chief of staff once again for Hooker, now commanding two corps in the
Army of the CumberlandThe Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
at
Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the seat of Hamilton County. Located in southeastern Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake and Nickajack Lake, which are both part of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga lies approximately 120 miles to the northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, about 135...
. When these two depleted corps (the XI and XII Corps) were combined to form the XX Corps, Butterfield was given the 3rd Division, which he led through the first half of
ShermanWilliam Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
's
Atlanta CampaignThe Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta, Georgia, during the summer of 1864, leading to the eventual fall of Atlanta and hastening the end of the American Civil War....
. Illness prevented his completion of the war in the field, and he assumed quiet duties at
Vicksburg, MississippiVicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located 234 miles northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and 40 miles due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910,...
, followed by recruiting and the command of harbor forces in New York.
Postbellum life
After the war,
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant was general-in-chief of the Union Army from 1864 to 1869 during the American Civil War and the 18th President of the United States from 1869 to 1877....
appointed Butterfield Assistant
Treasurer of the United StatesThe Treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury that was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds, though many of these functions have been taken over by different bureaus of the Department of the Treasury...
, based on a recommendation by
Abel CorbinAbel Rathbone Corbin was an American financier and the husband of Virginia Grant, sister of President Ulysses S. Grant. He was involved in the Black Friday stock market crash of September 24, 1869....
, Grant's brother-in-law. Butterfield agreed to tell Corbin and speculators
Jay GouldJason "Jay" Gould was an American financier who became a leading American railroad developer and speculator...
and
James FiskJames Fisk, Jr. , known variously as "Big Jim," "Diamond Jim," and "Jubilee Jim," was an American stock broker and corporate executive.-Early life and career:...
when the government was planning to sell gold, a market that Fisk and Gould wanted to corner. If Butterfield tipped them off, Fisk and Gould would sell their gold before the price dropped. The scheme was uncovered by Grant, who sold $4,000,000 of government gold without telling Butterfield. This resulted in the panic of collapsing gold prices known as
Black FridayBlack Friday, September 24 1869, also known as the Fisk/Gould Scandal, was a financial panic in the United States caused by two speculators’ efforts to corner the gold market on the New York Gold Exchange. It was one of several scandals that rocked the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant...
, on September 24, 1869. On September 21, 1886, he married Mrs. Julia L. James of New York in a ceremony in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Butterfield died in
Cold Spring, New YorkCold Spring is a village located in the Town of Philipstown in Putnam County, New York. The population was 1,983 at the 2000 census. It borders the smaller village of Nelsonville...
, and was buried with an ornate monument in
West Point CemeteryWest Point Cemetery is an historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for American Revolutionary War soldiers and early West Point inhabitants long before 1817 when it was officially...
at the
United States Military AcademyThe United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. Established in 1802, USMA is the oldest of the United States's five service academies. The military garrison at West Point was occupied in 1778 and played a key...
, although he had not attended that institution. Taps was sounded at his funeral. He was the author of the 1862 Army field manual,
Camp and Outpost Duty for Infantry.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Gaines Mill, Va., June 27, 1862. Entered service at: Washington, D.C. Born: October 31, 1831, Utica, N.Y. Date of issue: September 26, 1892.
Citation:
In memoriam
The Butterfield Paramedic Institute in
Cold Spring, New YorkCold Spring is a village located in the Town of Philipstown in Putnam County, New York. The population was 1,983 at the 2000 census. It borders the smaller village of Nelsonville...
, which was once a hospital, is named for him. He has also been memorialized in the novel
The Killer AngelsThe Killer Angels is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. The book tells the story of four days of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War: June 30, 1863, as the troops of both the Union and the Confederacy move into battle around...
by
Michael ShaaraMichael Shaara was an American writer of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. He was born to Italian immigrant parents in Jersey City, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University in 1951, and served as a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne division...
—a character in the 20th Maine claims that their
brigadeA brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army. Usually, a brigade is a sub-component of a division, a larger unit consisting of two or more brigades; however, some brigades are classified as a...
bugle call was written by Butterfield and is based on his own name, sounding to the rhythm of "Dan, Dan, Dan, Butterfield, Butterfield".
There is a statue of the general by
Gutzon Borglum Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum was an American artist and sculptor famous for creating the monumental presidents' heads at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, the famous carving on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, as well as other public works of art.- Background :The son of Danish immigrants, Gutzon Borglum...
in
Sakura ParkSakura Park is a public park, located at the northern-tip of Morningside Heights, New York City. Sandwiched between Riverside Church on the south, the Manhattan School of Music on the east, Grants Tomb on the west, and International House on its northern side, it is a small, but historic, piece of...
in Manhattan.
See also
External links