John Butler (general)
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Brigadier General John Butler |
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|---|---|
| Died | 1786 |
| Allegiance |
Continental Congress United States of America |
| Service/branch | North Carolina state militia |
| Years of service | 1775–1784 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Spouse(s) | Anne |
John Butler (died 1786) was a military officer in the Hillsborough District militia during the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1784, and served as its commanding general between 1779 and the end of the conflict. He was a member of the North Carolina House of Commons for several terms simultaneously with his military service. Butler commanded soldiers in several major engagements throughout North and South Carolina, but is perhaps best remembered for his role in the Patriot defeat at the Battle of Lindley's Mill. Butler died shortly after the end of the war, and his career as a military commander has received mixed reviews by historians.
Details of Butler's early life are not readily available, although it is known that he married a woman named Anne, and that upon his death, his wife was his sole living heir. At some point prior to May 1763, Butler settled on the Haw River in North Carolina near the settlement at Hawfields in what was then Orange County. Butler became sheriff of Orange County by 1770, and during the War of the Regulation, was acclaimed by the Regulators as an example of a public official who charged fair fees. Butler's brother, William, was a leading Regulator, and in the aftermath of the Battle of Alamance, Butler attempted to secure a pardon for him.
With the onset of the American Revolutionary War, Butler was appointed to the Committee of Safety for the Hillsborough District, which included Caswell, Chatham, Granville, Orange, Randolph, and Wake Counties. On September 9, 1775, Butler was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the Orange County militia. Prior to the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, Butler played a supporting role by occupying the Cross Creek settlement for the Patriots.
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