| Show WALTER Figure 1 Ro rn a s r a 1 A R R RANGER d c By ELMO SCOTT WATSON 1 OR OIt a n century and a n halt half he ho has been written down doom In presumably s Q accurate histories as the arch archfiend arch f of ot the lie Revolution He With Simon the notorious rene renegade ade hehns he has hns shared hared the unenviable reputation tion of being the tire the words are those of ot a well well known known historian mis mis fy cre who present no redeeming riot Do quality to plead for excuse Still rl another historian characterizes himas himas him himas as a man of ot enterprising bold boltl- boldness boldness ness whose heart was a compound of ot ferocious hate bate ble cruelty and unappeasable re re- revenge re- re revenge revenge But the novelists more than the historians have e made his Ills name a n word of loathing almost as much as the name of t Arnold One of them writes of cherry Valley alley where through the wintry dawn young O Walter Butler damned his soul for all eternity while whole men women and children old oJ and youn young died horribly amid the dripping knives and bayonets of ot his painted fiends or fell under the butchering hatchets of hIs So after reading for so long that Walter Cut But Butler Cutler ut- ut ler was a n villain of the deepest dye It Is all the themore themore themore more amazing to pick up a book boob and read rend that Obviously he was no scoundrel and certainly no murderer of women and children as all the honks books ha have e said lie He Is the typical proud proul rest rest- restless less unhappy luckless figure of romance who ho throws away his life for a lost cause causo cause obviously the stuff stull of which heroes are made roade The book Is War Var ar Out of Walter Niagara Niagara Walter Butler and the Tory Rangers publish published ell recently by bythe bythe bythe the Columbia University Press for the New York State Historical association and the man who has lias I painted a new portrait of the Infamous Walter niter Butler Is Howard author of ot a care caro- fully documented blo biography based upon source material hitherto untouched by the historians Why has the name of Walter Butler for so tong long beE been n tarnished with Ill III fame There are two reasons closely associated En Even n before beCore the outbreak of or the Revolution there was en- en enmity enmity en enmity mity between some of the half feudal aristocracy aristocracy Tac racy of the Mohawk valley alley notably the Johnsons John John- Johnsons sons John sons and the Butlers and the Dutch and Ger Ger- German Ger- Ger German German man peasantry of that region relon So when the conflict came and Walter Butler cast his Ills fortunes with the logical cause for to espouse It Is small wonder that these commoners should refuse to credit him with be- be be being tog fag actuated by as much sincerity and high prin principle ciple as they were In making their choice Ills His faU father er John Jolin Butler was an assistant to the great grent Sir William Johnson the Kings King's superintendent superintendent of Indian affairs In the Northern de- de department department de department and a lieutenant-colonel lieutenant In a Colonial mIlitia regiment Brought rought up In the belief that the greatest chance for honorable a lay In the Kings King's service what more natural than that this young aristocrat should choose the side of Ills His Majesty rather than that of the rebels It must be remembered that the Revolution was more than a conflict between a stubborn foreign king and his rebellious subjects It was also 1150 a civil war In which one group of native Americans called Patriots was pitted a against another group of native Americans called Tories or r Loyalists There Is no war more bitter than civil war and no crime too black for one side to charge against the other when families are divided among themselves and friend turns against friend So the legends legends of Tory Infamy began bean growing early among the Patriots and the first historIans historians historians ans who ho gathered their material among the sur sur- survivors survivors of the Revolution He and who do not seem to have been animated by any too-scrupulous too re- re regard re- re regard re regard gard for accuracy accepted most of ot these leg leg- legends legends ends ng ns pets Then rhen too they seem to have had tree the understandable quite desire a desire still n evidence amon among some Americans of today E ten len though It Is not so understandable to try to make moke the Patriots and their cause seem all the whiter and purer by painting the Tories ald aad their cause all the blacker and more Infamous Unfortunately for Walter Cutler Butler they made him the scapegoat for most of their Tory hatreds ha- ha hatreds ha hatreds No doubt the particular reason for this was that the Butlers father and son were In- In Instrumental Instrumental In Instrumental In winning the Iroquois Indians to the British side and became leaders of ot the par par- partisan partisan forces with which these Indians oper co cooperated cooperated cooperated So they were bitterly hated bated because they enlisted red savages sa as their rules loosed them themon themon themon on the frontiers and encouraged their atrocities by Imitation and a horrible le commerce lu hi scalps I of men women and children But the Indignation of ot th the early historians against the use of the Indians by y the and the Iho Tories would be more convincing If It the they did not overlook or Ignore these facts that these same alne Patriots as English colonists colonist during the wars with the French had hod been glad enough to have ha the Iroquois as allies a against the French that early In the Revolution they had tried to tos win the warriors of the Long House to THEIn side and that during the Revolution some of the Continental commanders as ns well as the Brit Brit- Brit leb did use Indians Indiana ng ns allies MARINUS i iT Tir Jr T ir 1 la q M f c 1 t i 6 1191 THE THE CASTLE AT L LI FORT NIAGARA t 0 I 4 f J Jr r THE CUTLER THE AT N NY Since Walter WaIter Butler was the apotheosis of ot the worst type of ot enemy to the cause of Liberty It would seem natural that our Information about him should be fairly complete And yet as ns the theauthor theauthor theauthor author of War ar Out of Niagara sas sa's says There Is an absorbing m mystery about his life and char char- character character acter The he date of his birth Is unknown There Is s sno no ph physical description of or him except In fiction Letters about him In catalogues even of the Schuyler Papers the Gates Papers the Library of Con Congress ress and man many other papers mysteriously marked n missing Timothy Dwight the President of ot Yale university Invented n a great myth about him that got Into every enry Amer Amer- Amerlean American ican lean history In the Nineteenth century Lafay Lafay- Lafayette Lafayette Lafayette ette Is said to have been his friend but there Is no authority for It It British com com- commander com com- commander commander mander In Canada Is said to have refused to receive recel him after Cherry Valley and this tills book boole contains an original letter front from ap- ap approving ap approving proving pro of ot his conduct that November ember day lIe He appears plainly to have broken his parole as ns n a prisoner but with every horror of massacre and rapine laid at nt his door tor for some reason that seems to have escaped notice Brant rant the In- In Indian Indian In Indian dian Is portrayed as a noble paladin horrified at Butlers Butler's utters utter's excesses Yet ret Simms the gossip of oC the Revolution In The Frontiersmen of New NewYork NewYork ew York tiresome In the multiplicity of Its detail never places Walter WaHer Butler at nt the scene of any ot of the atrocities In the North Thousands of but Butler men ark ace mentioned by name young Is mentioned only at Cherry Valley Cut But ut thanks to the researches of this historIan historian historian an some of ot the mystery of Walter Butler Is dis dis- dis dissolved dissolved solved olred and we see him not as ns the bloody mon mon- monster mon mon- monster monster ster painted by the early historians Instead there stands forth An n amazing figure l figure a man who could not have been over twenty twenty- twenty eight eight when hen heas he be was as killed to the rejoicing of ot aU all and enterprising New York a most dauntless leader eager ambitious tireless offering to corer er Albany Fort Pitt and Detroit for roand mand grasping early In the war the grand rand strat strat- strate strat- strat strategy strategy e egy y of ot the lon long Northwestern flank lank Impatient action at Cher Cher- Cherry Cherry ot of older men defending his eer every ry ry Valley scorning to make war on women and children while pointing out the treatment of his mother and sister held as hostages In Al- Al Albany Albany Al Albany bany lie Is condemned for his red allies and was himself killed and scalped by an nn Indian ally aUy of the Continental army and the newspapers an- an announcing announcing an announcing his death say The Oneida Onelda Indians be- be be behaved bared haved well In the action and deserve esen-e esen much credit So In War Out of Niagara we see Walter Butler as ns a boy at seeing his fa- fa father father fa father ther and Sir William Johnson returning In tri trl trI trI- trIumph triumph at the head bead of ot Colonial troops from the wars with the French We see him busy at his bIs hislaw hislaw law studies In lu Albany and as a rising young lawyer lawer at the outbreak of ot the Revolution He Then when the break comes In 1775 and those who live In New V York province pro must choose between King and their native land he lie casts his lot decidedly In the ma majority the Loyalists who were In that province pro But ut the Patriot forces ascend ascend- ascendancy ascendancy ascendancy under General Schuyler gain temporary ancy and aDd Guy Johnson and Sir John Johnson nephew and son of Sir William and his success success- successors successors ors In charge of ot Indian affairs Col John Butler and Walter Butler and Joseph Brant rant of the Mo Mo- Mohawks Mohawks Mohawks hawks go to Oswego Next we find Walter Butler utI r as ns an ensign In Inthe inthe Inthe the Eighth regiment the Kings King's Own In the fighting around Montreal and Quebec From there he goes to Fort Niagara which Is to be his principal headquarters as leader of or the But But- Butler Butler ut- ut ler leI Rangers from that time on In 1777 he ac- ac accompanies accompanies ac accompanies companies St Leger In the expedition which with Burgoyne ne coming coining down from the north and Howe coming up tip from the south Is to end the war In one campaign At old Fort renamed Fort Schuyler ler the stubborn defense ot of Colonels Gansevoort Ganse and Marinus Willett hold holdup holdup holdup up St St Legers Leger's advance nd and the bloody Battle ot of Oriskany results finally In Its defeat Soon afterwards Walter Butler Cutler starts down the Mohawk river rI toward German Flats to raise recruits for tor the British army He lie Is captured tried as a n spy before a court martial o over er which Colonel Willett sits as judge advocate nd and Is sentenced to be hanged banged But nut General Schuyler intercedes for him and he Is taken to the Al- Al Albany Al Albany bany jail from which h ho he soon escapes to Quebec The next year he goes a again aln to Niagara and leads the expedition against Cherry Valley from which ho he Is to return with the most hated name In New York for tor n a hundred and fIfty years Most of ot the historians who ho have written of this affair making Butler the villain and Brant the protector of the captured women and chil children dren Men lay loy emphasis upon the 31 people who were killed In the massacre But brings out the tiro fact that It was Butler who protected seven seven- seven eighths eighths of the Inhabitants the survivors and offers strong evidence that It was Brant who Incited the Indians to the killing of ot at least leasta a part of the 31 The next two t years find Walter WaHer Butler as cap cap- captain captain captain tain of the corps of ot rangers fighting In the tho bat bat- battles battles battles against General Sullivan whom Washing Washing- Washington Washington Washington ton has hns sent to smash the power of ot the Long LongHouse Longhouse LongHouse House going on a mission to Detroit and main the post of ot a n cold and lonely outpost In the wilderness far for west of ot Detroit But ut In 1780 he be Is back In Montreal and again nt at Niagara and from there the next year he ho sets out upon his last expedition As second In com com- command command mand under Major aJor Ross Hoss the raiding force torce ot of about Is within 12 miles of ot Schenectady on October 23 25 j 1781 1751 They have left a trail of burn burn- burnIng burning burning ing farmhouses mills and granaries behind themas them themas themas as they turn to retreat town toward Ill I'll Johnstown But nut Marinus Willett and his Continentals are hot on their trail and In the Bottle Battle of ot Johns Johns- Johnstown Johnstown Johnstown town Ross floss and Butler are defeated The disorganized disorganized raiders must retreat through the wilder wiMer- wilderness wilderness ness toward the north They reach rench Canada creek and at a n ford there Walter Butler Is coverIng the retreat when he bo Is shot down n and an Oneida scout In Willetts Willett's command takes his scalp Visit the city of ot Schenectady today and they will take you to historic old oM S1 St Georges George's church and tell you OU that the thc dust of ot Walter Butler lies under Its even en floor even pointing out the very ery pew under which his body brought secretly by tho TorIes from the tho ford at Canada creek Is sup sup- supposed supposed supposed posed to have hue been burled buried But nut doubts this It seems unlikely he sn says s Wolves were ere closing In on the army And on that grisly note the tragedy and the mystery of Wal Yal Walter ter Cutler Butler ends 0 C br by W t rn W r UnIon 1 |
