Major-General Benjamin F. Butler: General Orders, No. 28, May 15, 1862

GENERAL ORDERS, No. 28}

HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,               

New Orleans, May 15, 1862.

As the officers and soldiers of the United States have been subject to repeated insults from the women (calling themselves ladies) of New Orleans in return for the most scrupulous non-interference and courtesy on our part, it is ordered that hereafter when any female shall by word, gesture, or movement insult or show contempt for any officer or soldier of the United States she shall be regarded and held liable to be treated as a woman of the town plying her avocation.

By command of Major-General Butler:

GEO. C. STRONG,               

Assistant Adjutant General and Chief of Staff.

SOURCE: The War Of The Rebellion: A Compilation Of The Official Records Of The Union And Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 15 (Serial No. 21), p. 426