On April 13, 1868 The NY Times carried this article on the questioning of Gen. Lorenzo Thomas during the Johnson Impeachment Trial by House Manager Ben Butler.
Much of the trial revolved around Johnson’s replacement of Stanton as Secretary of War with Thomas. When Johnson ally Thomas was called to the stand he was clearly outclassed by his interrogator, Radical Republican Congressman Ben Butler. The lead counsel for the House Managers caught Thomas in several contradictions and adopted a mocking tone, which the Times disapproved of. The same day, General William Sherman was called to the stand for the defense to testify about President Johnson’s statements regarding the removal of Stanton. Butler vociferously opposed allowing him to testify, saying that the defense should put their client, Andrew Johnson, on the stand to testify about what he had himself said two months earlier.
The Times also criticized the Senate for allowing Butler to conduct himself as he did. While the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court “presides” over the impeachment trial, the Senate could overrule his decisions by a simple majority vote.
In his defense, many other newspapers applauded Butler’s examination of Thomas.
Note: The feature illustration is a detail depicting Ben Butler as a demon from Harpers Weekly 11 April 1874 entitled The cradle of liberty in danger – by Th. Nast.
Follow Reconstruction Blog on Social Media:
Pat, you keep using “trail” when you mean “trial.” Perhaps it’s your spell-checker?
Oh not again! Thanks for letting me know Mary. Always good to see you.