Union occupation commander Major General Benjamin Butler had William Bruce Mumford arrested and tried for treason for an incident in which he had torn down an American flag flying over the U.S. Mint during the tumultuous naval capture of the city. Even though it was unclear that New Orleans was legally in Union hands at the time of the crime, Mumford was found guilty of treason and hanged at noon from the Mint building. Dying with eloquence and dignity, Mumford quickly became a Confederate martyr and Butler a Confederate bête noir. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Robert Justin Goldstein, ed., Desecrating the American Flag: Key Documents of the Controversy from the Civil War to 1995 (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1996), 1-2.
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Lawmaking/Litigating
