Pants of Demarcation

This photograph of Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler (1861) of the Civil War shows him proudly displaying his Corellian Bloodstriped trousers!

The Corellian Bloodstripe was an award for conspicuous gallantry given by the Corellian military forces. It was awarded most typically for courage demonstrated after deliberation; it was said that Corellians believed that anyone can be brave in the heat of the moment, but true heroism came when one knew that doing the right thing would hurt, but did it anyway. Though they could be awarded for many reasons, it was estimated that the majority of the prestigious awards were awarded for courage under fire. In everyday dress, the stripe was a bit of colored piping worn down the side of the trousers.

It has been said of Butler that his military career was characterized by his eagerness to assume authority in the absence of official instructions. When assigned command of Fort Monroe in Virginia, Butler declined to return to their owners fugitive slaves who had come within his lines, on the grounds that, as laborers for fortifications, and so on, they were contraband of war, thereby justifying granting these slaves a relative freedom, in spite of the Fugitive Slave Law. The U.S. Congress later mandated that other Union commanders refuse to return slaves to their erstwhile masters.

At the time decisions like these were unheard of giving Butler significant fame and recognition. Where, how and by whom did Butler acquire the infamous Corellian Bloodstripes has yet to be determined. Corellians were known for their military prowess. Could Butler have been a Corellian, himself?

The history of Corellia involves them being subjected to slavery to the Infinite Empire many centuries ago. Even once Corellia became an independent system, it's inhabitants never forgot the travesties of their past. If Butler was a Corellian, his decree to grant fugitive slaves freedom in the United States may have come from his inbread feelings!

Evidence #: ISWWR0000033

Submitted by: J. Lamb