From the Magazine: “Invincible” Commitment

There’s a question teacher John Custer P’02 ’05 poses to students in his history classes: If you were enrolled at Kimball Union during the Civil War, would you have left school to join the Army?

 

For many KUA students at that time, the answer was yes.

 

More than 200 Kimball Union men left The Hilltop to serve in the Civil War, many for the North and a few for the South. One alumnus—Francis Butler from the Class of 1861—was en route to Dartmouth College to begin his studies when he changed course to join the Union Army. Now, this brave student and soldier is commemorated with a portrait unveiled by officials in the southern back hallway at the New Hampshire State House in Concord.

 

In a winter ceremony attended by Custer and his student Henry Carter ’23, Capt. Butler was recognized through portrait and song. Steve Lord, great-great-grandnephew of Butler, alerted Custer because of his ties to KUA and his interest in the war’s history.

 

“Butler began in New Hampshire’s 5th Regiment, then served on the signal corps, which stationed him on battlefields and in surrounding areas to send messages and to convey observations made behind enemy lines,” says Lord. “He carried messages daily for nearly three weeks at the Siege of Yorktown.”

 

Letters from Butler’s commanders still in the family’s possession describe him as a natural leader who cut an imposing, handsome figure at 6-foot-4. His peers called him “invincible.” Excerpts of these letters were quoted in various addresses delivered at the State House to underline Butler’s commitment and courage.

 

Butler was wounded in the knee during battle in Petersburg, Virginia. The wound wasn’t serious at the time, but Butler took a train home to Bennington, N.H., to recover. His leg was amputated, gangrene set in, and after a month at home, Butler died on July 30, 1864, at the age of just 22.

 

“I feel proud that I go to the same school as he did, and I am grateful that he was willing to risk and ultimately sacrifice his life for the people he loved and the principles he cherished,” Carter say. “Butler was on his way to college when his conscience called him to join the Union. I find that selflessness inspiring.”

 

Custer says he talks about KUA students and faculty who fought on both sides of the Civil War in his classes. “Connecting KUA to historic events, particularly around the Civil War, is an easy thing to do.”

Read the full issue of Kimball Union.