When the Devil Came Down to Dixie

Controversy still rages concerning Major General Benjamin F. Butler's administration in New Orleans during the second year of the Civil War. Some historians have extolled the general as a great humanitarian, while others have vilified him as a brazen opportunist, agreeing with the wealthy of New Orleans who labeled him "Beast" Butler. In this thorough examination of Butler's career in the Crescent City, noted historian Chester G. Hearn reveals that both assessments are correct.