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.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Butler's Woman Order 1
Butler’s Woman Order canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf controversy ⓘ
military order ⓘ
alsoKnownAs General Order No. 28 ⓘ
Woman Order ⓘ
appliedIn New Orleans ⓘ
Union-occupied New Orleans ⓘ
associatedWith Benjamin Butler’s reputation as “Beast Butler” ⓘ
Union occupation policy in New Orleans ⓘ
belligerentSide Union ⓘ
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 ⓘ
criticizedBy British public opinion ⓘ
Confederate government ⓘ
European newspapers ⓘ
Jefferson Davis ⓘ
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 ⓘ
linked to: Benjamin F. Butler

Union Army ⓘ
issuedDuring American Civil War ⓘ
jurisdiction occupied Confederate territory ⓘ
language English ⓘ
legalBasisClaimed military necessity ⓘ
locationIssued New Orleans ⓘ
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 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

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

Woman Order → alsoKnownAs → Butler's Woman Order ⓘ
linked to: Butler’s Woman Order