Civil War Opponents Share a Birthday

Brigadier General Raleigh Edward Colston was known as “a gentleman and slow to believe evil about his fellow man” …

Major General Daniel Butterfield wrote the bugle call “taps” heard at military funerals …

Both share the same day of birth, but in different years apart in the early 19th century.

They served on opposite sides of the American Civil War. Both were very involved in famous battles and situations during that time of terrible trial from America.

Butterfield went on to serve in U.S. Grant’s presidential administration as Assistant Treasurer of the United States and is best known for his involvement in the Black Friday gold scandal in the Grant administration.

It is easy to argue that Grant was the most corrupt US President in history. So bad that Grant’s initial supporter Horace Greeley helped create the “Liberal Republican Party” to try and keep Grant from a second term.

Colston went on to do rail road engineering projects in Egypt later in the 1800s and returned to America to continue an interesting life writing magazine articles and lecturing.

Butterfield went on to be successful in business and banking.

Happy birthday, boys !

Category: Tony Rollo Blog