Butler’s Woman Order

E736467

Butler’s Woman Order was a controversial 1862 directive issued by Union General Benjamin Butler in occupied New Orleans that threatened to treat women showing contempt for Union soldiers as prostitutes.

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Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf controversy
military order
alsoKnownAs General Order No. 28 NERFINISHED
Woman Order NERFINISHED
appliedIn New Orleans NERFINISHED
Union-occupied New Orleans
associatedWith Benjamin Butler’s reputation as “Beast Butler”
Union occupation policy in New Orleans
belligerentSide Union NERFINISHED
condemnedAs insult to womanhood
violation of civilized warfare norms
consequenceThreatened women could be arrested as prostitutes
women could lose protections normally accorded to ladies
country United States of America
surface form: United States
criticizedBy British public opinion
Confederate government NERFINISHED
European newspapers
Jefferson Davis NERFINISHED
Southern press
dateIssued 1862-05-15
historicalSignificance became a symbol of harsh Union occupation measures
raised questions about gender, honor, and military authority in wartime
used in Confederate propaganda to depict Union brutality
issuedBy Benjamin Butler NERFINISHED
Union Army NERFINISHED
issuedDuring American Civil War NERFINISHED
jurisdiction occupied Confederate territory
language English
legalBasisClaimed military necessity
locationIssued New Orleans NERFINISHED
mainProvision women insulting or showing contempt for Union soldiers could be treated as prostitutes
women showing contempt for officers or soldiers of the United States could be regarded and held liable as women of the town plying their avocation
mentionedIn biographies of Benjamin Butler
histories of the American Civil War
purpose to deter public insults and acts of contempt by women toward Union troops
to maintain public order in occupied New Orleans
reaction diplomatic protests from foreign observers
increased Southern propaganda against Benjamin Butler
international outcry
relatedTo Union occupation of New Orleans
civil-military relations in occupied cities
laws and customs of war
targetedGroup female civilians
women in New Orleans
yearIssued 1862

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.