Major-General Benjamin Franklin Butler, in command of the Army of the James, was a former lawyer and Democratic politician. He was 45 years old, bald with a massive forehead, squinting eyes, drooping mustache and a stout, shapeless body. Butler was described as "plug-ugly" by some, overbearing by most, and a few people would even admit that the General was resourceful, flexible and had a quick mind. Butler did not suffer disobedience well however, and his harsh and bizarre methods of dealing with insubordination were legendary.
Although Butler's previous commands had been primarily of garrison troops, his military record was controversial at best. He had once, for example, ordered a civilian hanged because he had taken down a Union flag. Perhaps most controversial of all was the infamous "woman order" that Butler issued while in command at New Orleans in 1862. The General prescribed that any woman identified as having insulted a Federal soldier was to be treated as a prostitute. Due to an avalanche of domestic and international protests, President Lincoln was forced to remove Butler from command in December, 1862.
Now, eighteen months later in the spring of 1864, Butler had been given his first command since November of 1863. Lincoln was acutely aware of Butler's popularity in the North, due in no small part to his tenure in New Orleans. The President was also aware that Butler had grand ambitions including, it was believed, the White House itself. Even more troubling was the increasing evidence that Butler's political viability was growing. Lincoln became so concerned of the potential political threat of Butler, that he made an amazing decision; he would send a personal representative to meet with Butler and offer him the Vice Presidential spot on the 1864 ticket replacing the current Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin. Butler quickly rejected the offer however, saying that he was quite happy with his current command and would not wish to leave it merely for the Vice Presidency of the United States! No sooner than the refusal had left his lips though, Butler added that he could be induced to accept the offer if Lincoln would solemnly promise "to die or resign within three months after his inauguration." On a more serious note, Butler agreed that he would not support Lincoln's opposition either. True to his word, Butler later rejected a similar offer of a Vice Presidential spot on the ticket with Ohio's Salmon Chase, currently Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury.
Giving Butler his command was the least Lincoln could do. There were many critics and detractors, however. Some felt that since Butler had never had a combat command, he should not have been given command of an Army in a critical war zone. Others simply believed that no political appointee, Butler especially, should be trusted. General Grant was inclined to keep an open mind on the subject of Butler's fitness to command, at least until he finally met the man. That fateful meeting would occur on April 1 at Fort Monroe.
Butler arranged a fifteen-gun salute to welcome Grant. The primary objective of the meeting, in reality, was to allow Grant to size up the infamous General that Lincoln had thrust upon him. Butler likewise intended to make full use of the opportunity to evaluate the potential threat that Grant might provide to his own political ambitions. The meeting went well and the Generals seemed impressed with each other. Butler laid out an extravagant meal for Grant and his staff, and followed it up with brandy and cigars. Grant's subsequent departure was delayed by a sudden storm. Taking full advantage of the extended visit, Butler outlined his view of the up coming Spring campaign for Grant. The Bermuda Hundred peninsula would be an ideal base of operations, he said. Defensive positions on the lower James, including Wilson's Wharf and Fort Powhattan, must be secured to protect Federal communications. Then, an offensive could be mounted against Richmond from the South, where the ground was good and the defensive fortifications comparatively weak. Butler also urged that Grant move the Army of the Potomac to the proposed base at Bermuda Hundred. Grant had been mostly silent to this point, listening with interest to Butler's logic. He spoke up when the Army of the Potomac had been mentioned, and quickly stated that Washington would certainly not approve any plan that might weaken capital defenses. Otherwise though, Butler's views were remarkably similar to Grant's. The commanding General left the meeting with a favorable impression of the normally volatile and perpetually strange Butler.
General Benjamin F. Butler, it turned out, was a much better military strategist in theory than in practice. The final record of the Army of the James however, was less than inspiring. In the one and one-half years of its existence, the Army of the James lost nearly every battle and campaign in which it engaged. Not surprisingly, only 30% of its Generals had pre-war military or West Point experience, as compared to 80% of the Army of the Potomac. Had Butler not dismissed Lincoln's offer of the Vice Presidency, history might have remembered him not as a failed General, but rather as a President of the United States.
A few years after the war, in May 1868, Butler and some of his officers established "The Society of the Army of the James," in order to "perpetuate the kind and social relations formerly existing among officers...of the Corps." The society had ceased to exist by the end of 1874 however, and veterans shifted their fraternal activities primarily to the Grand Army of the Republic. The last survivor of the Army of the James died in 1945 at the age of 97.