HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT
OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, May 11,
1862.
GEORGE COPPELL,
Acting as Her Majesty's Consul,
New Orleans:
SIR: I have your communication of May 8. With its evasions
of facts I have nothing to do. A plain statement of the matter is this:
A number of residents of this city, who were enjoying the
protection and advantages of the United States Government in their large trade
and property for many years (some of them more than a decade), and now claiming
to have been born subjects of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, organized themselves
into a military body, known as the "British Guard," and armed, and
uniformed, and equipped, patrolled the streets till the fleet of the United
States had the city under its guns. This body then, after a discussion in
presence of its captain and at least one other officer, at 11 o'clock at night,
deliberately voted, in an organized meeting, to send the arms and uniforms of
the company to the army of the rebel General Beauregard, which vote was carried
into effect by sending to the rebels substantially all the arms, uniforms, and
equipments in their armory. This transaction was concealed from me for some
days. I then sent for Captain Burrowes and he acknowledged the facts materially
as above stated. For this flagrant breach of the laws of nations, of the United
States, your Queen's proclamation, and the laws of God, I directed him to order
the company to leave the city within twenty-four hours.
To this he objected, saying, among other things, that this
would be punishing the innocent with the guilty, as there were some members
absent at the time of the vote; that each soldier of the Guard owned his arms
and uniform as private property, and it would be hard to compel those to leave
the city who still retained their arms and uniforms and did not concur in the
vote. I then modified the order, directing those to report to me who still
retained their arms and uniforms; all others, having forfeited all rights of
neutrality and hospitality, to leave the city within twenty-four hours, or I
should have them arrested and sent to Fort Jackson as dangerous and inimical
persons. These people thought it of consequence that Beauregard should have
sixty more uniforms and rifles. I thought it of the same consequence that he
should have sixty more of these faithless men, who may fill them if they
choose.
I intended this order to be strictly enforced. I am content
for the present to suffer open enemies to remain in the city of their nativity,
but law-defying and treacherous alien enemies shall not. I welcome all neutrals
and foreigners who have kept aloof from these troubles which have been brought
upon the city, and will, to the extent of my power, protect them and their
property. They shall have the same hospitable and just treatment they have
always received at the hands of the United States Government. They will see,
however, for themselves that it is for the interest of all to have the unworthy
among them rooted out, because the acts of such bring suspicion upon all. All
the facts above set forth can most easily be substantiated, and indeed are so
evasively admitted in your note by the very apology made for them. That apology
says that these men when they took this action, &c., sent these arms and
munitions of war to Beauregard, "did it with no idea of wrong or
harm." I do not understand this. Can it be that such men, of age to enroll
themselves as a military body, did not know that it is wrong to supply the
enemies of the United States with arms? If so, I think they should be absent
from the city long enough to learn so much international law; or do you mean to
say that, "knowing their social proclivities and the lateness of the hour
when the vote was taken," that therefore they were not responsible? There
is another difficulty, however, in these people taking any protection under the
British flag. The company received a charter or commission, or some form of
rebel authorization from the Governor of Louisiana, and one of them whom I have
under arrest accompanied him to the rebel camp.
There is still another difficulty, as I am informed and
believe, that a majority of them have made declaration of their intentions to
become citizens of the United States and of the supposed Confederate States,
and have taken the proper and improper oaths of allegiance to effect that
purpose.
Thus far you will do me the honor to observe that I have
treated your communication as if it emanated from the duly authorized consul of
Her Majesty's Government at this port. The respect I feel for that Government
leads me to err, if at all, upon the side of recognition of all its claims and
those of its officers, but I take leave to call your attention to the fact that
you subscribed yourself "Her Britannic Majesty's Acting Consul," and
that I have received no official information of any right which you may have so
to act, except your acts alone, and pardon me if I err in saying that your acts
in that behalf, which have come to my knowledge, have not been of such a
character as to induce the belief on my part that you do rightfully represent
that noble Government.
I have the honor to
be, your obedient servant,
BENJ. F. BUTLER,
Major-general,
Commanding.
SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of
the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series III, Volume
2 (Serial No. 123), p. 126-7
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