The American Cyclops, the Hero of New Orleans, and Spoiler of Silver Spoons

In Short

This book is a long-form polemic poem, written in the immediate wake of the American Civil War to excoriate the character and conduct of Benjamin F. Butler. By casting Butler as a "modern Cyclops," the author tracks his perceived failures from early schooling through his controversial occupation of New Orleans and his later military efforts at Fort Fisher. It serves as a vitriolic archive of Confederate grievances, documenting a narrative of corruption, theft, and cruelty that defined the author’s view of the Union’s most polarizing military leader.

The Story

The narrative arc begins by establishing a bleak, cynical worldview where "might governs all" and justice is routinely trampled by the powerful. The author introduces the protagonist as a man born into a culture of cold, calculating thrift—a characterization meant to contrast sharply with the virtues of the old aristocratic order. From his earliest days, the subject is portrayed as a social climber and a trickster, someone who scoffs at authority and maneuvers through life with a "brazen cheek."

The story moves swiftly from these formative years to the subject’s emergence as a "pettifogger" and lawyer, a period described as a descent into chicanery. When the Civil War erupts, the narrative shifts to his military career. The author paints him not as a soldier of conviction, but as a "pot-house" opportunist who uses the chaos of war to satisfy his greed. A significant portion of the poem is dedicated to the occupation of New Orleans, which the author presents as a reign of terror. Here, the "Cyclops" is depicted as a plunderer who terrorizes women and leaves the city starving while filling his own coffers.

The text dwells on specific, infamous incidents: the execution of Mumford, the imprisonment of Mrs. Phillips, and the pervasive reports of stolen silver. These acts are presented as the true "triumphs" of his career, contrasting them with his perceived cowardice on the battlefield. The author mocks the subject’s military ineptitude, specifically highlighting his failure at Fort Fisher, where he supposedly sailed away rather than face the heat of real combat.

As the narrative concludes, the author reflects on the damage wrought by this "modern Haynau." The tone shifts from sharp, aggressive mockery to a somber, weary hope for national reconciliation. The poem envisions the "bottled" chieftain being relegated to the footnotes of history, a symbol of the dark, oppressive forces that plagued the country. The ending is a plea for the "Jubilee of Peace" to wash away the scars of war and for the "all-saving Hand" to lift the storms that have settled over the land. By the final stanza, the "Cyclops" is dismissed entirely, leaving the reader with a vision of a country attempting to move past the wreckage of its own bitter, fraternal discord.

How It Unfolds

The cynical prologue The author sets the stage by comparing his subject to the mythological Polyphemus, suggesting that while the original monster was blinded by Ulysses, this modern version remains a lingering threat to civil society. This section frames the coming poem as a necessary historical record of a man defined by greed rather than martial valor.

The anatomy of a knave The poem traces the subject’s early life, painting his upbringing and academic years as a series of irreverent disputes and calculated rebellions. The author argues that these early displays of insubordination were clear indicators of the "beastly" nature that would later manifest on the national stage.

The theater of war The narrative follows the subject’s transition from a civilian lawyer to a military commander, highlighting his supposed incompetence during early skirmishes. The author contrasts his self-aggrandizing rhetoric with his actual, pathetic performance, characterizing his military movements as mere "conquest of a pump."

The occupation of New Orleans The heart of the book details the subject’s tenure as the administrator of the captured city. The author lists various administrative acts—fines, imprisonments, and levies—as evidence of a perverse, lecherous cruelty that sought to break the spirit of the population.

The final dismissal The text recounts the subject’s retreat from Fort Fisher and his eventual loss of influence. The poem ends on a note of dismissive finality, consigning the subject to his epitaph and calling for a return to national order and peace.

The People

The book focuses almost entirely on Benjamin F. Butler, whom the author relentlessly fashions into the "American Cyclops." He is depicted as a monster of greed, a man who hides his lack of courage behind the veneer of a "patriot." Driven by a rapacious desire for "silver spoons" and plunder, he finds his primary obstacle in the honor and virtue of the people he governs. By the end, he is not a changed man, but a "bottled" relic—exposed, shamed, and finally rendered impotent by his own failures.

Standing in sharp relief is the author, who acts as the voice of the Southern perspective. He sees himself as a guardian of historical truth, driven by a deep, visceral hatred for the occupation. He is the observer who catalogs every slight and every crime, convinced that his duty is to ensure the "Cyclops" is never forgotten for his "infamy and crime." While the subject is the villain, the author is the prosecutor, and his desire for peace at the end of the poem suggests a man who is exhausted by the very conflict he spends the majority of the text fueling.

In Its Own Voice

"Whence comes his martial fame, who thus has soar'd, While thousands fell and deadly cannon roar'd?"

The author questions the legitimacy of the general's reputation, framing his rise as a baffling contradiction to his actual conduct in the field.

"A pot-house soldier, he parades by day, And drunk by night, he sighs the foe to slay;"

The author uses this description to mock the general’s supposed military prowess, suggesting his public image was merely a drunken performance.

"I'll blow Fort Fisher 'mong the region kites!"

This quote captures the general's hyperbolic, empty threats, which the author cites as proof of his cowardice when the time for real fighting arrived.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an exploration of the moral erosion caused by total war. It grapples with the question of whether a leader’s personal character inevitably dictates the nature of their administration. The author argues that the subject’s inherent "thrift" and lack of spiritual grounding made the plunder of New Orleans an inevitable outcome of his command. Underlying the vitriol is a profound anxiety about the corruption of power and the loss of "honor" in an "iron age" defined by mercantile greed. It is a work that attempts to define the boundary between a legitimate soldier and a opportunistic tyrant, questioning how a nation should remember those who profited from its most divisive and painful moments.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the raw, unfiltered rhetoric of the post-Civil War era will find this a fascinating, if challenging, primary artifact. It is not a detached historical account; it is a document of profound anger. The language is dense, archaic, and deeply rooted in the literary traditions of the 19th century, featuring frequent mythological allusions and a satirical bite that was common in the political pamphlets of the day.

The experience of reading it is similar to viewing a political cartoon from the 1860s—the subject is exaggerated to the point of caricature, and the tone is unapologetically partisan. You should be prepared for the author’s extreme bias and the period-specific attitudes regarding status and character. Because the text is written in verse, it requires a slower, more deliberate pace to parse the author’s rapid-fire insults and historical shorthand.

What stays with you is not just the specific grievances against the subject, but the intensity of the author’s belief that historical memory is a battleground. This book serves as a stark reminder of how deeply the trauma of the Civil War was felt and how vitriolic public discourse became in the immediate aftermath of the conflict. It is a window into a specific, burning moment of American history.