Joe Butler
Voiced by Peter Bradbury
Joe Butler is one of the named cast of Red Dead Redemption 2, working as character. The facts below are the ones the wiki records.
Turns up in the story without fitting any of the other labels.
- Role
- Other characters
- Voice actor
- Peter Bradbury
- Status
- Not stated
- Occupation
- Confederate soldier (formerly)
- Affiliations
- Confederate States Army (formerly)
Player notes
Joe Butler, a former Confederate artillery officer, spends 1899 outside the general store in Rhodes, wearing the worn uniform of a captain or major. A native of Lemoyne who calls Rhodes home, he begs Arthur Morgan for money and speaks bitterly about the town's residents and the Gray family. He believes the Grays ruined Rhodes after arriving around 1870, and suspects they were United States spies during the war.
When Arthur gives him money, Joe's manner softens. He offers scraps of advice and speaks more freely, though he remains guarded about his military service. He recalls being struck by a cannonball, losing his right leg and having it eaten by a dog. Cholera took his lover, while five brothers and his friends died in the war. He regrets the Confederacy's defeat and resents those he believes interfered with his property and way of life.
Arthur can meet Joe in Rhodes on three occasions during 1899. From the street, the old veteran can be heard recounting war's horrors, but in conversation he is modest about his own record. By 1907, Joe is still outside the Rhodes general store when John Marston encounters him. His Confederate uniform is more ragged, and his grey hair and beard carry white patches as his eyes look increasingly sunken.
Trivia
- โThe red-colored facings on his uniform indicate that he was an artillery officer.
- โJoe's coat sleeves display gold braid Austrian knots, a distinctive feature of a Confederate officer's uniform. If the coat is genuinely his, the two braids would indicate that he was either Captain, or a Major. Because his collar insignia is missing or not visible, his exact rank is difficult to determine.
- โAt one point, Joe can be heard lamenting the fall of the Confederacy and the federal government's interference with his "property", implying that he may have been an antebellum slave owner. This, combined with his officer's uniform, hints that he was a man of wealth and status at one time, despite his present circumstances.
- โAfter the initial encounter and donation, Joe can offer insights about Rhodes and give cryptic warnings. Arthur can converse with him on three separate occasions, and John can do so once during the epilogue. Although he can be heard from a distance complaining bitterly about a variety of people and topics, Joe shows a fondness for both Arthur and John.
- โJoe can give a rather harsh assessment of Rhodes and its residents, particularly with regard to the Gray family. On Arthur's third visit, Joe will warn of government agents and bounty hunters who are on the prowl in the area, but Arthur is not surprised.
- โJoe's warning that the Grays served as Union ("Yankee") spies during the Civil War might seem paranoid, but it is telling nonetheless, as it suggests the Grays are experienced in surveillance and may be watching the Van der Linde gang more closely than its members realize. (From the fact of who was the real ancestor of Gray-elder it seems not quite a lie as it can be seen).
- โAt one point, Joe can be heard saying that he watched his "five brothers fall". This may have been intentionally inserted into the game's script as a Confederate version of the famous Bixby story, in which a Union widow reportedly lost five sons in the Civil War. Especially on the Confederate side, it was common for families to have lost multiple brothers in the war.
- โJoe is a direct contrast to Mickey, as it's likely due to his position in the south and as a presumed confederate veteran he actually served in the war unlike Mickey who was just trying to garner sympathy. They also have opposite injuries, with Mickey having a missing left arm while Butler has a missing right leg.
- โIf the player decides to draw their gun and aim it at Joe, he will fall to the ground and cower.
Character data from Red Dead Wiki, CC BY-SA. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games.
Last verified September 14, 2026