On Saturday, January 7, 1865 the military career of General Benjamin Butler came to an end. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton issued orders removing Butler from command of the Union Department of Virginia and North Carolina and named General Edward O.C. Ord, who had been a roommate at West Point with William Tecumseh Sherman, as Butler’s successor. For much of the war, Butler held high military posts, but after his recent failure against Fort Fisher, he had to be replaced. Using political connections to get a hearing before the Joint Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War in mid-January, Butler defended his actions at Fort Fisher. However, much to his embarrassment during the hearings, Fort Fisher fell to General Alfred Terry, ensuring the end of Butler’s military career.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.