Fall of New Orleans

With the fall of New Orleans to the Yankee army, the people of the South endured some of the worst treatment in civilized warfare at the hands of the Union General Benjamin Butler.  He soon came to be known as "Beast Butler" for the atrocities and war crimes that he committed.

Butler had three preachers arrested for refusing to pray for Lincoln and then ordered the closing down of churches because they planned a day of prayer and fasting for the Confederacy.  He ordered the execution of another man for taking down the Yankee flag and, in his most despicable act of all, he ordered that any woman showing disrespect for northern soldiers could be treated as a prostitute without any protection.

Beast Butler's atrocities outraged the South and people around the world, but his policies were only the beginning of such treatment for Southerners for many years to come.

This moment in history was brought to you by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Visit us online at www.georgiascv.org or call us toll free at 1-866-SCV-INGA (1-866-728-4642). We can even help you find your Confederate ancestor.