Daniel Adams Butterfield
October 31, 1831 - July 17, 1901
Daniel Butterfield
Place of birth:	Utica, New York
Place of death:	Cold Spring, New York
Allegiance:	Union Army
Years of service:	1861-1870
Rank:	Brigadier General
Battles/wars:	American Civil War
Other work:	Composer of "Taps" Assistant U.S. Treasurer

Daniel Adams Butterfield (October 31, 1831 – July 17, 1901) was a New York businessman, a Union general in the American Civil War, and Assistant U.S. Treasurer in New York. He is credited with composing the bugle call Taps and was involved in the Black Friday gold scandal in the Grant administration. Download high resolution version (468x677, 41 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... Combatants Union (remaining U.S. states) Confederate States of America Commanders Abraham Lincoln† Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties KIA: 110,000 Total dead: 360,000 Wounded: 275,200 KIA: 94,000 Total dead: 258,000 Wounded: 137,000+  The... Taps (Butterfields Lullaby), sometimes known by the lyrics of its second verse, Day is Done, is a famous musical piece, played in the U.S. military during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... Leopold I 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Largest city Albany New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi  (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... Combatants Union (remaining U.S. states) Confederate States of America Commanders Abraham Lincoln† Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties KIA: 110,000 Total dead: 360,000 Wounded: 275,200 KIA: 94,000 Total dead: 258,000 Wounded: 137,000+  The... a bugle call is a short song used for military purposes. ... Taps (Butterfields Lullaby), sometimes known by the lyrics of its second verse, Day is Done, is a famous musical piece, played in the U.S. military during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet. ... Black Friday, September 24, 1869, was a financial panic in the United States caused by two speculators efforts to corner the gold market. ... Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ...

Butterfield was born in Utica, New York. He graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, and was employed in various businesses in New York and the South, including the American Express Company, which had been founded by his father, John, an owner of the Overland Mail Company, stage-coaches, steamships, and telegraph lines. This article is about Utica in New York, USA. For other places with this name, see Utica. ... The architectural centerpiece of the Union campus, the Nott Memorial, is named after the colleges president from 1804-1866, Eliphalet Nott. ... Union Colleges Nott Memorial, one of the most recognized buildings in Schenectady Schenectady (IPA ) is a city located in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. ... American Express NYSE: AXP is a diversified global financial services company, headquartered in New York City. ...

Only days after Fort Sumter, despite having little military background beyond part-time militia activities, he joined the Army as a first sergeant in Washington, D.C., on April 16, 1861. Within two weeks he obtained a commission as a colonel in the 12th New York Militia, which became the 12th New York Infantry. By July he commanded a brigade and by September he was a brigadier general. Fort Sumter, located in Charleston, South Carolina, harbor, was named after General Thomas Sumter. ... First Sergeant is the title given to holders of certain ranks and positions within the United States Armed Forces. ... Nickname: the District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Official website: http://www. ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... Brigade is a term from military science which refers to military echelon under a division, above a regiment where that exists as such, nowadays often a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...

Butterfield joined George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac for the Peninsula Campaign in the corps of Fitz John Porter. In the Seven Days Battles, at Gaines' Mill on June 27, 1862, he was wounded, but also demonstrated bravery that eventually was recognized (in 1892) with the Medal of Honor. The medal citation read: George McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was a major general (and briefly the general-in-chief of the Union Army) during the American Civil War. ... Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ... McClellan and Johnston of the Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula Campaign (also known as the Peninsular Campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. ... A corps (a word that immigrated from the French language, pronounced IPA: , but originating in the Latin corpus, corporis meaning body; plural same as singular) is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common function (such as artillery or signals... Fitz John Porter Fitz John Porter (August 31, 1822 – May 21, 1901) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. ... Lee and McClellan of the Seven Days The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, in the American Civil War. ... Battle of Gaines Mill Conflict American Civil War Date June 27, 1862 Place Hanover County, Virginia Result Confederate victory The Battle of Gaines Mill, also known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Three different versions of the Medal of Honor are awarded: one each for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. ...

Seized the colors of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers at a critical moment and, under a galling fire of the enemy, encouraged the depleted ranks to renewed exertion.

While the Union army recuperated at Harrison's Landing, Virginia, from its Seven Days of retreating, Butterfield experimented with bugle calls and is credited with the composition of Taps, probably the most famous bugle call ever written. He wrote Taps to replace the customary firing of three rifle volleys at the end of burials during battle. Taps also replaced Tattoo, the French bugle call to signal "lights out". Butterfield's bugler, Oliver W. Norton of Chicago, Illinois, was the first to sound the new call. Within months, Taps was sounded by buglers in both the Union and Confederate armies. (This account has been disputed by some military and musical historians, who maintain that Butterfield merely revised Tattoo and did not compose an original work. See External links section.) House from the South (river) side Berkeley Plantation, one of the first great estates in America, comprises about 100 acres (0. ... Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Official website: http://egov. ... Some Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was formed in February 1861 to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been formed that same year when seven southern states seceded from the United States (with four more to follow). ...

Butterfield continued in brigade command at the Second Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Antietam, became division commander, and then V Corps commander for the Battle of Fredericksburg. His corps was one of those assaulting through the city and up against murderous fire from Marye's Heights. After the debacles of Fredericksburg and the Mud March, Joseph Hooker replaced Ambrose Burnside as Army of the Potomac commander and Butterfield, by now a major general, became his chief of staff. Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders John Pope Robert E. Lee Thomas J. Jackson Strength 63,000 54,000 Casualties 1,747 killed 8,452 wounded 4,263 captured/missing 1,553 killed 7,812 wounded 109 captured/missing The Second Battle of Bull Run or... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Robert E. Lee Strength 87,000 45,000 Casualties 12,401 (2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, 753 captured/missing) 10,318 (1,546 killed, 7,752 wounded, 1,018 captured/missing) The Battle of Antietam (known... The V Corps (Fifth Corps) was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Ambrose E. Burnside Robert E. Lee Strength Army of the Potomac ~114,000 engaged Army of Northern Virginia ~72,500 engaged Casualties 12,653 (1,284 killed, 9,600 wounded, 1,769 captured/missing) 5,377 (608 killed, 4,116... The Mud March was an abortive attempt at a winter offensive in January, 1863, by Major General Ambrose Burnside in the American Civil War. ... Portrait of Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879), known as Fighting Joe, was a career U.S. Army officer and a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Portrait of Ambrose Burnside by Mathew Brady, ca. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... The term Chief of Staff can refer to: The White House Chief of Staff, the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. ...

Hooker and Butterfield developed a close personal, and political, relationship. To the disgust of many army generals, their headquarters was frequented by women and liquor, being described as a combination of a "bar and brothel". Political infighting became rampant in the high command and Butterfield was widely disliked by most of his colleagues. However, the two officers managed to turn around the poor morale of the army and greatly improved food, shelter, and medical support in the spring of 1863. During this period, Butterfield introduced another custom that remains in the Army today: the use of distinctive hat or shoulder patches to denote the unit a soldier belongs to, in this case the corps. He was inspired by the division patches used earlier by Philip Kearny, but extended those to the full army and designed most of the patches himself. Philip Kearny (June 2, 1815–September 1, 1862) was a United States Army officer, notably in the Mexican and Civil wars. ...

Hooker was replaced after the disastrous Battle of Chancellorsville by George G. Meade, just before the Battle of Gettysburg. Meade distrusted Butterfield, but elected to retain him as chief of staff. This was a mistake. Butterfield actively undermined Meade, in cooperation with Daniel Sickles, another crony of Hooker's. Although the battle was a great Union victory, Sickles and Butterfield testified to the U.S. Congress Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War that Meade vacillated and planned as early as July 1 to retreat from Gettysburg, damaging his reputation. Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Joseph Hooker Robert E. Lee Stonewall Jackson† Strength 133,868 60,892 Casualties 16,839 (1,574 killed, 9,554 wounded, 5,711 missing) 13,156 (1,683 killed, 9,277 wounded, 2,196 missing) The Battle of Chancellorsville was... George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 - November 6, 1872) was an American military officer during the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 83,289 75,054 Casualties 23,049 (3,155 killed, 14,529 wounded, 5,365 captured/missing) 28,000 (3,500 killed, 18,000 wounded, 6,500 captured/missing) The Battle of Gettysburg... Portrait of Daniel Sickles during the Civil War Daniel Edgar Sickles (October 20, 1825 – May 3, 1914) was a colorful and controversial American politician, Union general in the American Civil War, and diplomat. ... The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was a United States Congressional investigating committee created to handle issues surrounding the American Civil War. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ...

Butterfield was wounded by a spent artillery shell fragment at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, and left to convalesce. He returned to duty that fall as chief of staff once again for Hooker, now commanding two corps in the Army of the Cumberland at Chattanooga, Tennessee. When these two depleted corps (the XI and XII Corps) were combined to form the XX Corps, Butterfield was given the 3rd Division, which he led through the first half of Sherman's Atlanta Campaign. Illness prevented his completion of the war in the field and he assumed quiet duties at Vicksburg, Mississippi, followed by recruiting and the command of harbor forces in New York. July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Union army in the west during the American Civil War, commanded at various times by Generals Robert Anderson, Don Carlos Buell, William S. Rosecrans, and George Thomas. ... Nickname: Scenic City (official), River City, Chatty, Chatt-Town, Chattavegas Official website: http://www. ... The XI Corps (Eleventh Corps) was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, best remembered for its humiliating defeats at the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in 1863. ... The XII Corps (Twelfth Corps) was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Two corps of the Union Army were called XX Corps during the American Civil War. ... William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. ... Palisades and chevaux-de-frise in front of the Potter House, Atlanta, Georgia, 1864. ... Vicksburg is a city located in Warren County, Mississippi, 234 miles (377 km) north by west of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. ...

After the war, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Butterfield Assistant Treasurer of the United States, based on a recommendation by Abel Corbin, Grant's brother-in-law. Butterfield agreed to tell Corbin and speculators Jay Gould and James Fisk when the government was planning to sell gold, a market that Fisk and Gould wanted to corner. If Butterfield tipped them off, Fisk and Gould would sell their gold before the price dropped. The scheme was uncovered by Grant, who sold $4,000,000 of government gold without telling Butterfield. This resulted in the panic of collapsing gold prices known as Black Friday, on September 24, 1869. On September 21, 1886, he married Mrs. Julia L. James of New York in a ceremony in London. The presidential seal was used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ... The Treasurer of the United States is the only position within the United States Department of the Treasury older than the Department itself. ... Abel Rathbone Corbin (May 24, 1808 - March 28, 1881) was an American financier and the husband of Virginia Grant, making him brother-in-law of Ulysses S. Grant. ... Jay Gould (1836-1892) Jason Gould (May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American financier. ... James Fisk, Jr. ... Black Friday, September 24, 1869, was a financial panic in the United States caused by two speculators efforts to corner the gold market. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... This article is about the British city. ...

Butterfield died in Cold Spring, New York, and was buried with an ornate monument in West Point Cemetery at the United States Military Academy, although he had not attended that institution. Taps was sounded at his funeral. He was the author of the 1862 army field manual, Camp and Outpost Duty for Infantry. He has also been memorialized in the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara—a character in the 20th Maine claims that their brigade bugle call was written by Butterfield and is based on his own name, sounding to the rhythm of "Dan, Dan, Dan, Butterfield, Butterfield". Cold Spring, or Cold Spring-on-Hudson, is a village located in the Town of Philipstown in Putnam County, New York. ... West Point Cemetery is an historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. ... West Point redirects here; for other uses, see West Point (disambiguation). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Killer Angels front cover The Killer Angels (1974) is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. ... Michael Shaara (June 23, 1928 - May 5, 1988) was a writer of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. ... Brigade is a term from military science which refers to military echelon under a division, above a regiment where that exists as such, nowadays often a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ...

External links

• Article about Butterfield and Taps, by Kathryn Shenkle of Arlington National Cemetery
• U.S. Army history of Taps
• Account of Taps that disputes Butterfield's composition
• Web biography of Butterfield

References

• Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J.: Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3