ɐn əpˈoʊnənt ʌv sɛsˈɛʃən, bˈʌtlɚ ɹˌɛpɹᵻzˈɛntᵻd dʒˈɑːnsən kˈaʊnti æt ðɪ ˈiːst tˌɛnəsˈiː kənvˈɛnʃən ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti wˈʌn, ænd ˈæftɚwɚd dʒˈɔɪnd ðə jˈuːniən ˈɑːɹmi.
An opponent of secession, Butler represented Johnson County at the East Tennessee Convention in 1861, and afterward joined the Union Army.